EENET asia Newsletters : inaugural issue JUNE 2005 Contents

Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs: The Development of Courses in Open Learning

Debbie Kramer Roy

The Aga Khan University, Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED) in Karachi, Pakistan provides in-service professional development courses for teachers and administrators at Certificate, Diploma and Masters of Education (MEd) level. Regions served include Pakistan, East Africa (4 countries), Central Asia (2 countries) Syria and Bangladesh. This means student groups are diverse in terms of culture, language and contextual experiences.

Although “special needs” had been identified as one of the areas to be addressed in the teacher education programmes, it was not until the year 2000 that consideration and time was given to issues arising from teaching classes with students of varying abilities.

When elective modules were introduced into the M Ed degree programme the opportunity arose to develop a short course. At the same time AKU-IED wished to explore the possibility of offering some of its courses through Open Learning and the writers willingness to design one of the first experimental courses further helped with course development.

By now the M Ed module in open learning has been offered four times and the Certificate course once. After each course the materials, the organization of online and face-to-face contact and the method of assessment has been reviewed and fine tuned. Both courses will continue to be offered once a year.

The course materials consist of:
• a course outline containing an introduction to and factual information about the course
• a study guide, which is the key book, which students work through. It includes many activities and references for additional reading
• a reading package, containing reading materials taken from various sources
• a video containing some home productions and some UNESCO materials

Although the materials are very similar for the both levels, the academic requirements are easier for the certificate course, i.e. some activities are different, difficult readings have been removed and the assessment tasks are easier.

The objectives of the courses are for the participants to:
• understand the need for developing an inclusive education system
• acquire an increased understanding of typical child development and how special needs can be understood from a developmental perspective
• gain knowledge of various types of special needs (learning disabilities, behavioral problems, intellectual impairment, physical impairment, visual impairment and hearing impairment)
• explore assessment issues and how they affect children with special needs
• learn how to adapt the classroom environment, learning materials and teaching strategies in order to teach children with special needs more effectively
• explore socio-political aspects of inclusive education within the school and the community

The feedback received from participants about the course and their learning from it has been very positive overall and some of their comments follow:
• Teaching children with difficulties makes you a better, more versatile teacher
• I developed a more holistic view of every child, whether they have special needs or not, because inclusion helps all other children too
• There is a very strong, close link with other M Ed modules, it is like an extension of others
• Learning to make Individual Education Plans and Inclusive Lesson Plans was very useful, as it helps you to include children effectively
• The nature of feedback on responses to activities was very useful, as it was well-placed, quick and in writing. It was always encouraging, challenging us to think further or guiding us when we lost track.
• Once I pick up the Study Guide I don’t want to put it down again, it is really well written.

So far the course has only been offered to people based in Karachi, but gradually people are being prepared at study centres in the other geographical areas served by AKU-IED, starting with the Northern Areas of Pakistan. As the written materials are highly valued by the students, they may also be adapted for publication as a self-study manual in order to make them accessible for a larger audience.

The course outline of the most recent M Ed course can be viewed at: http://www.iedolu.net/inclusiveeducation/oldmoduleinformation.asp

Debbie Kramer Roy an occupational therapist, is working in Teacher Education at the Aga Khan University-Institute for Educational Development.

She can be contacted at;
PO Box 13688, Karachi 75950, Pakistan
Email: debbie.kramerroy@aku.edu
Ph: 92-21-6347611-4

EENET asia Newsletters : inaugural issue JUNE 2005 Contents