<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Inclusive education – SingTeach | Education Research for Teachers | Research within Reach</title> <atom:link href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/topic/inclusive-education/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 07:59:56 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0</generator> <item> <title>Impact of Education Research on Inclusive Education</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2023/07/03/impact-of-education-research-on-inclusive-education/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=impact-of-education-research-on-inclusive-education</link> <comments>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2023/07/03/impact-of-education-research-on-inclusive-education/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Azleena]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jul 2023 02:33:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Ask A Researcher]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Education research]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/?p=21734</guid> <description><![CDATA[]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">Answered by Dr Levan Lim<span> </span>(<span>Associate Professor, Psychology and Child & Human Development, NIE</span>)</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p><strong>Q: How has education research on inclusive education further improved how teachers and school staff are trained and supported to meet the diverse needs of SEN students in mainstream schools?</strong></p> <p>Our aspirations for a more inclusive society in Singapore are realized through our individual and collective efforts in how we understand ourselves, think about and act, in relation to how we respond to and treat diverse others within our society. It is therefore vital for schools, as microcosms of present and for future society, to embrace these efforts to educate and prepare our young for not only our diverse society but also for a diverse world with diverse others. Education research can support such efforts through studying the variables and conditions that influence and affect the inclusion of students with diverse learning needs and abilities, such as those with special educational needs (SEN), within mainstream school communities. The role of education research and its potential in supporting and enhancing inclusion in mainstream schools becomes even more salient in view of the substantial increases in the enrolment trends of students with SEN in our mainstream schools over the past two decades.</p> <p>When we understand the state of inclusion in our schools more effectively through education research, especially research that seeks to illuminate local variables and conditions that impact on stakeholders in schools (e.g., teachers, students, parents, leadership, school personnel such as Special Educational Needs Officers – SENOs), we can gain clarity, consciousness, and even conviction of what needs to happen or change for schools to become more inclusive. The more informed, conscious and convicted teachers and school staff become via education research – through training/sharing platforms as well as being involved and engaged as stakeholders and co-researchers in learning about and evaluating how inclusive their schools are – the more targeted and organized their efforts are likely to be especially when informed and guided by the international body of educational research evidence from the field of inclusive education.</p> </div> </div> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2023/07/03/impact-of-education-research-on-inclusive-education/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Differentiated Instruction (DI)</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2022/05/24/differentiated_instruction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=differentiated_instruction</link> <comments>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2022/05/24/differentiated_instruction/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lorraine]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 24 May 2022 03:09:07 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Knowledge Resource Bank]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Pedagogy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Differentiated instruction]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Learner-centred approach]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/?p=19138</guid> <description><![CDATA[Appreciating student diversity: Exploring the application of an American systematic educational approach in Singapore, highlighting successes and obstacles. […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="display: none;">Appreciating student diversity: Exploring the application of an American systematic educational approach in Singapore, highlighting successes and obstacles.</p> <h1><span style="font-size: 24px;">Differentiated Instruction: Implementations and Experiences of Singapore Teachers</span></h1> <div style="background-color: #143666; color: #ffffff; padding: 20px; margin-bottom: 25px;"> <p><img loading="lazy" width="27" height="31" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/M-Prose-icon.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15335" /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A1">How Findings from DI Can Help Administrators and Teachers? </strong></span></p> <p><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic1.png"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic1.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19158" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic1.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic1-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic1-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic1-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p> </div> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/biEtJtfl_ps"></a></p> <div><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon2.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15335" /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A2">Why Research DI in Singapore? </strong></span></p> <ul> <li><b>Differentiated Instruction (DI)</b> is a <b>systematic educational approach</b> in which <b>teachers modify content, teaching and learning activities</b> to honour the <b>range of student backgrounds</b> and <b>maximise their learning opportunities and capacities</b> (Tomlinson, 2017).</li> <li><b>DI</b> is largely associated with the <b>work of Carol Tomlinson in the United States</b> and has been identified as <b>a key SkillsFuture area of practice</b>, hence rapidly gaining popularity in Singapore.</li> <li>As DI originates from the North American context, teachers implementing it in Singapore may face <b>unique issues given the different local context</b>.</li> <li>This project investigated how 10 teachers in Singapore implemented and experienced DI, including <b>the successes and obstacles</b> they faced.</li> <li><b>Studying teachers’ successes and challenges in implementing DI</b> can help administrators and teachers to contextualise within Singapore to: <ul> <li>better engage with the approach</li> <li>acknowledge its limits and potentials</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <hr /> </div> <div><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon3.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15335" /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A3">How Was the Research Carried Out?</strong></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><b>Differentiated Instruction</b> adopted a <b>qualitative research design</b> involving ten teachers.</p> <ul> <li>Each participant took part in: <ul> <li><b>three semi-structured interviews </b></li> <li><b>a background questionnaire</b></li> <li><b>four observation cycles</b></li> </ul> </li> <li>Each cycle comprised <b>an observation and pre-/post-observation interviews</b></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <div id="A6"> <p><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic2.png"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic2.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19159" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic2.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic2-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic2-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic2-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p> <p><span lang="EN-US">Source: Tomlinson, C.A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. ASCD.</span></p> <p> </p> <p>Learn more about the research : <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2021.1910014">At the intersection of educational change and borrowing: teachers implementing learner-centred education in Singapore</a></p> <hr /> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A4"><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon3.png" alt="Question-Icon" /> Evidence from DI</strong></span></p> <p><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic3.png"><br /> <img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic3.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19160" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic3.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic3-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic3-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic3-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p> <a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic4.png"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic4.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19161" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic4.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic4-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic4-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic4-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic5.png"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic5.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19162" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic5.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic5-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic5-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic5-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic6.png"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic6.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19163" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic6.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic6-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic6-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic6-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></p> <hr /> <div id="A5"><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon8.png" alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-15335" /> <span style="font-size: 16px;"><b>What Does This Mean for DI Implementation in Schools?</b></span></div> </div> <div></div> <div> <div></div> <div><strong>Implications for teachers</strong></div> </div> <div> <ul> <li>Realise that <b>DI</b> is <b><u>not</u></b> just a <b>teaching strategy</b>; it is <b>an educational approach based on certain philosophies and principles</b>.</li> </ul> </div> <div> <div></div> <div><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic7.png"><img loading="lazy" width="1280" height="720" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic7.png" alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-19164" srcset="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic7.png 1280w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic7-300x169.png 300w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic7-1024x576.png 1024w, https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/DI-infographic7-768x432.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /></a></div> </div> <div></div> <div></div> <div> <div id="A5"> <p><b>Implications for school administrators and managers</b> <br /> <b></b></p> </div> <div> <ul> <li>Provide <b>sustained and on-site professional development opportunities</b> <ul> <li>engage teachers in <b>reculturing</b>, and <b>beyond mere technical strategies</b> to identify: <ul> <li>what <b>shapes </b>them as teachers</li> <li>what <b>assumptions</b> they have of teaching, learning, learners</li> <li><b>why and how</b> they need to <b>change</b></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li>Create <b>risk-free environments</b> to practice new educational approaches</li> <li><b>Ring-fence time:</b> <ul> <li>plan units of lessons in pairs/groups</li> </ul> </li> <li><b>Set aside funding:</b> <ul> <li>purchase curricular resources or flexible classroom furniture</li> </ul> </li> <li>Recognise: <ul> <li>the <b>potentials and limits</b> of applying an educational approach from a different context to our local context</li> <li>educational change takes several years</li> </ul> </li> <li>Be aware of <b>technological, sociocultural, and political tensions</b></li> </ul> </div> <div></div> </div> <div> <div class="accordion faq-accordion" id="detailsAccordion"> <hr /> </div> <div><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon11.png" alt="Question-Icon" /><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A7">Related Links</strong></span></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/category/issues/issue-71-dec-2019/">SingTeach, Issue 71 Dec 2019 “Differentiated Instruction: Perspectives from Singapore”</a></li> <li><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/issue48-classroom02/">SingTeach, Issue 48 May/Jun 2014 “Teaching for Success”</a></li> <li><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/category/issues/issue38-sep-oct2012/">SingTeach, Issue 38 Sep/Oct 2012 “Differentiated Instruction”</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/docs/default-source/default-document-library/21-010_heng-tang-tang_v15e0005ffdeb0605693ab4b926844b2e4.pdf?sfvrsn=cbb06577_0">Research Brief Series 21-010 based on project OER 02/17 HTT: Differentiated Instruction: Ten Teachers’ Implementation in Singapore</a></li> <li><a href="http://hdl.handle.net/10497/21891">Research Brief Series 19-020 based on project OER 12/16 VS: Differentiation as a Means to Inclusion</a></li> <li><a href="https://nie.edu.sg/docs/default-source/oer/oer-knowledge-bites-volume12.pdf?sfvrsn=cbb06531_0">OER Knowledge Bites, Volume 12 Mar 2020, “Exploring the Link Between Assessment and Differentiated Instruction</a><span>”</span></li> </ul> <hr /> <p><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon9.png" alt="Question-Icon" /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Further Readings</strong></span></p> </div> <div> <p>For educators interested in local research related to differentiated instruction, you may refer to:</p> <ul> <li> <p><a href="https://repository.nie.edu.sg/handle/10497/24839">Heng, T. T. (2023). Lessons on educational borrowing and change: Teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction in Singapore. Pedagogy, Culture & Society. Advance online publication.</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2166094">https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2166094</a> (Updated on 13 March 2023)</p> </li> <li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03057925.2021.1910014?journalCode=ccom20">Heng, T. T. Song, L. (2021). At the intersection of educational change and borrowing: teachers implementing learner-centred education in Singapore. <i>COMPARE: A Journal of Comparative and International Education</i>. doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2021.1874248</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00131881.2021.1874248">Heng, T.T. Song, L. Tan, K.H.K. (2021). Understanding the interaction of assessment, learning and context: Insights from Singapore. <i>Educational Research</i>, 63(1), 65-79.</a></li> <li><a href="https://repository.nie.edu.sg/handle/10497/22260">Heng, T. T., & Song, L. (2020). A proposed framework for understanding educational change and transfer: Insights from Singapore teachers’ perceptions of differentiated instruction. <i>Journal of Educational Change</i>, <i>21</i>(4), 595-622.</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308971184_Re-examining_differentiation_Big_ideas_and_misguided_notions">Heng, M.A. & Fernandez, L. (2017). Re-examining differentiation: Big ideas and misguided notions. In (Eds.) Tan, K.H.K., Heng, M.A., Ratnam-Lim, C., Curriculum leadership by middle leaders (pp.104-124), Oxon, UK: Routledge</a>.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p>For educators interested in Tomlinson’s differentiated instruction, you may refer to:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://libservy.nie.edu.sg/login.php?url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=nie&v=2.1&it=etoc&id=GALE%7C000N&sid=bookmark-GVRL">Tomlinson, C. A. (2017). How to differentiate instruction in academically diverse classrooms. ASCD.</a></li> </ul> <p> </p> <hr /> </div> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon10.png"><img loading="lazy" width="23" height="23" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon10.png" alt="" class="size-full wp-image-15373 alignnone" /></a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A8">Research Projects</strong></span></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/research/projects/project/oer-02-17-htt">Exploratory Study of Singapore Teachers’ Implementations and Experiences of Differentiated Instruction</a></li> </ul> <p><b>Related projects</b></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://nie.edu.sg/research/projects/project/sug-15-15-htt">A Pilot Study of Singapore Teachers’ Perceptions of Differentiated Instruction</a></li> <li><a href="https://nie.edu.sg/research/projects/project/oer-12-16-vs">Differentiation as a Means to Inclusion (DIMI)</a></li> </ul> <p> </p> <hr /> <div><img src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/m-prose-icon10.png" alt="Question-Icon" /> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong id="A9">Research Team</strong></span></p> <p>To learn more about this research, please contact Principal Investigator Ast/P Heng Tang Tang at <a href="mailto:tangtang.heng@nie.edu.sg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tangtang.heng@nie.edu.sg</a>.</p> <p><strong>Principal Investigator</strong></p> <p><a href="https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/cris/rp/rp01582" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ast/ Prof Heng Tang Tang</a>, Policy, Curriculum and Leadership (PCL), NIE</p> <p><strong>Co-Principal Investigator</strong></p> <p><a href="https://dr.ntu.edu.sg/cris/rp/rp01480" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A/P Tan Heng Kiat Kelvin</a>, Learning Sciences and Assessment (LSA), NIE</p> <p><strong>Collaborators</strong></p> <p>Ms. Foong Poh Yi, Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD), MOE</p> <p><strong>Research Associate</strong></p> <p>Ms. Lynn Song, PCL (formerly of NIE)</p> <hr /> </div> <p><strong>Acknowledgments</strong></p> <p>Differentiated Instruction was funded by the Education Research Funding Programme, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (project no. OER 02/17 HTT). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Singapore MOE and NIE.</p> <p> This knowledge resource was written by Ast/Prof Heng Tang Tang and Ms Monica Lim as of 24 May 2022; updated on 13 March 2023.</p> </div> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2022/05/24/differentiated_instruction/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Inclusiveness within and the Inclusion of Persons with Special Needs</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-bigidea/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-bigidea</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:09:51 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[The Big Idea]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10906</guid> <description><![CDATA[An editorial by the Guest Editor of this issue, Dr Levan Lim, Associate Professor and Head of the […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>An editorial by the Guest Editor of this issue, <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/lim-heng-fook-levan">Dr Levan Lim</a></em><em>, Associate Professor and Head of the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/department?type=early-childhood-special-needs-education-(ecse)">Early Childhood and Special Needs Education Academic Group </a></em><em>at the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/">National Institute of Education</a>, Singapore.</em></strong></p> <h1>A Home for Everyone</h1> <div id="attachment_10965" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10965" loading="lazy" width="300" height="200" class="wp-image-10965 size-medium" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Levan-1-300x200.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10965" class="wp-caption-text">Levan hopes that Singapore will draw valuable lessons from L’Arche on how to create sustainable inclusive communities for individuals with special needs.</p></div> <p>In 1964, a man named Jean Vanier invited two persons with intellectual disabilities from an institution to make their home with him in a stone-built house in Trosly-Breuil, a village north of Paris, France.</p> <p>This was the beginning of <a href="https://www.larche.org:8080/"><em>L’Arche </em></a>(the Ark in French), a community where persons with and without intellectual disabilities live together to create and experience a sense of acceptance and belonging.</p> <p>Coming from a privileged background – his father was then Governor-General of Canada – Jean Vanier’s intentional act of sharing his life with individuals considered to be vulnerable and marginalized by society has inspired many others to do likewise. Today, there are 147 L’Arche communities in 35 countries.</p> <p>At L’Arche, people with disabilities are the core members around which community is intentionally built. This notion of community is guided by the belief that persons with disabilities have gifts to share which can be understood, appreciated and affirmed through being in relationship with them.</p> <p>An often-mentioned significant “heartware” gift received by persons without disabilities (known as Assistants) at L’Arche is recognizing, accepting and welcoming their own human vulnerability, thus becoming more human. </p> <p>In 2015, Jean Vanier was featured in The Straits Times when he won the US$1.7 million Templeton Prize for his “exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works” (Lim, 2015).</p> <p>The newspaper article stated that “Both the prize and its latest recipient are signs that point to people’s longing for progress beyond the material, the kind of progress that often finds expression in caring for others, especially the vulnerable. And that seems to be the journey Singapore has embarked on as it matures as a society and nation” (Lim, 2015).</p> <h1>Singapore as an Inclusive Society</h1> <p>Jean Vanier’s insights and work have particular relevance to Singapore as it seeks to become an inclusive society for all especially the vulnerable and those at risk of being marginalized and excluded.</p> <p>A survey by the Lien Foundation in 2016 found that while 7 out of 10 Singaporeans support the idea of inclusion, only 3 in 10 agree that Singapore is an inclusive society for children with special needs. On top of that, only 1 in 10 Singaporeans expressed confidence in interacting with children with special needs (Lien Foundation, 2016).</p> <p>Among parents surveyed, only half (50%) are comfortable with having their own children placed next to a child with special needs in the classroom, and 64% believe Singaporeans are willing to share public spaces but not interact with the special needs community.</p> <p>In a series of surveys conducted by the National Council of Social Service in 2015, 62% of the 1,000 people with disabilities surveyed do not feel they are socially included, accepted or given opportunities to achieve their potential. Only 36% of the public polled would be comfortable with being close friends with a person with a disability. To put it simply, people with disabilities feel the public sees their differences as limitations for which they need protection and different treatment (Tai, 2016).</p> <p>These findings are disappointing considering the vast amount of unprecedented attention and effort Singapore has invested over the past decade through policies, education, infrastructural improvements (e.g., public transport), campaigns, greater supports to include students with disabilities within mainstream schools, and two consecutive Enabling Masterplans (at the time the Lien Foundation survey was released) to chart the roadmap towards an inclusive society for people with disabilities. In addition, Singapore ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in July, 2013. (MSF, 2013)</p> <h1>Building Heartware, Not Just Hardware</h1> <p>While Singapore has made great strides in building its systemic “hardware” through policy and resource developments to promote the inclusion and rights of persons with special needs within mainstream society over the past decade, how can we achieve greater progress in cultivating the “heartware” of inclusiveness within people? How can the “heartware” of a person be more open and inclusive of those who are more vulnerable?</p> <p>The overriding message from L’Arche is that the best safeguards for persons with disabilities are relationships and community. There are valuable lessons to draw from L’Arche on how to create sustainable inclusive communities within Singapore for individuals with disabilities or special needs, whether they be classroom, school, work or home communities.</p> <p>These lessons address both the “inner” or “interior” lives of individuals and the “outer” or “external” supports, structures, services and systems that can promote inclusiveness within self and inclusion within society respectively, and the interrelationship between these two modes of change.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“While Singapore has made great strides in building its systemic ‘hardware’… how can we achieve greater progress in cultivating the ‘heartware’ of inclusiveness within people?”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Levan</strong>, Early Childhood & Special Needs Education Academic Group, NIE</em></p> </div> <h1>Being Inclusive Within</h1> <p>This <em>SingTeach</em> issue features teaching, practice, research and life stories related to the “inner” work on becoming more inclusive within and the “outer” work of including persons with special needs through practical strategies and interventions, supports, pathways and systems.</p> <p>In other words, inclusion in society needs to be upheld and supported by people who are inclusive within. The seeds of possibilities for genuine change in becoming an inclusive society lie within the individual and imply, at the core of such change to open and offer a hospitable space within for “the other”, personal interior growth and transformation.</p> <p>Education, by virtue of its role in preparing the young to contribute to society and thereby shaping society itself, can be a mentoring community for the young to engage in the inner transformative work of deepening the meaning and purpose of their lives, their chosen professions and their work.</p> <p>Such “inner work” has been referred to as the “heart” of higher education by Palmer, Zajonc and Schribner (2010) to understand, encourage and support the quest of young adults for deeper meaning, self-understanding and purpose in their lives.</p> <h1>Preparing Our Future Educators</h1> <p>In addition to acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to work with students with special needs, such “inner work” is part of the education and training of trainees enrolled in the Diploma in Special Education (DISE) programme offered by the Early Childhood and Special Needs Education (ECSE) Academic Group at the National Institute of Education.</p> <p>The DISE programme educates and trains both teachers working in special education schools and Allied Educators (Learning and Behavioural Support) who are support personnel for students with special needs at mainstream schools.</p> <p>Trainees are intentionally engaged in clarifying their personal values, beliefs, assumptions, world views and meanings related to disability, and their chosen professional work within the “Introduction to Special Education” course offered in the first semester of the programme.</p> <p>They are provided with the frameworks and tools to deconstruct their own implicit ideas, beliefs and assumptions about disability, and the sources of influence on how they have been “introduced” to disability in Singapore thus far in their lives.</p> <p>As the trainees grow in their awareness and learn to interrogate deeper systemic and societal conditions that affect the opportunities and participation of Singaporeans with disabilities – such as negative stories, a focus on deficits and labels, and a separate education system that led to limited opportunities to interact with and develop relationships with peers with special needs during their school years – what resonates on a personal level with the trainees is the impact of the larger social context on the construction of their own individual attitudes towards disability.</p> <h1>The Idea of Hope, Trust and Acceptance</h1> <p>At the core of such inner deconstruction work is a personal encounter with deeply held values, beliefs, assumptions, meanings and images about <em>being human</em> and how they affect the valuing of persons with disabilities.</p> <p>Through a deepening of self-understanding especially in terms of their perspectives and values regarding human worth, the trainees also learn to accept their own human vulnerability and extend that acceptance to persons with disabilities.</p> <p>Reconstructing new meanings, beliefs and values about being human, human vulnerability and human worth in relation to self and others is a path inward towards interior growth and personal transformation that can lead to greater inclusiveness and a greater capacity for love and care for others.</p> <p>As a result, there is more “heartware” within, to include, share with, or give to others. As the adage goes, “one cannot give away what one does not possess within”.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Through a deepening of self-understanding especially in terms of their perspectives and values regarding human worth, (they) also learn to accept their own human vulnerability and extend that acceptance to persons with disabilities.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Levan</strong>, on the “inner work” training that trainees </em><em>undergo </em><em>in the Diploma in Special Education (DISE) programme </em></p> </div> <p><strong>References</strong></p> <p>Lien Foundation. (2016). <em>Inclusive attitudes survey part 1: Views of the general public.</em> Retrieved from <a href="https://www.lienfoundation.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20-%20Inclusive%20Attitudes%20Survey%20Part%201_30May16.pdf"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">https://www.lienfoundation.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20-%20Inclusive%20Attitudes%20Survey%20Part%201_30May16.pdf</span></u></a></p> <p>Lim, L. (2015, April 1). Life lessons the weak can teach the strong. <em>The Straits Times.</em> Retrieved from <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/life-lessons-the-weak-can-teach-the-strong"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/life-lessons-the-weak-can-teach-the-strong</span></u></a></p> <p>Palmer, P.J., Zajonc, A., & Schribner, M. (2010). <em>The heart of higher education: A call to renewal</em>. San Francisco, USA: Josey-Bass.</p> <p>Tai, J. (2016, June 3). People with disabilities in the spotlight. <em>The Straits Times.</em> Retrieved from <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/people-with-disabilities-in-the-spotlight"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/people-with-disabilities-in-the-spotlight</span></u></a></p> <p>Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). (2013, July 19). <em>Singapore Ratifies UNCRPD.</em> Retrieved from <a href="https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/Pages/Singapore-Ratifies-UNCRPD.aspx"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/Pages/Singapore-Ratifies-UNCRPD.aspx</span></u></a></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Transforming from the Heart</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-research01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-research01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:09:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Professional development]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research in Action]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10904</guid> <description><![CDATA[There are about 18,000 students with special needs in mainstream schools today – about 4% of the total […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>There are about 18,000 students with special needs in mainstream schools today – about 4% of the total school population (Lim, 2016). To cater to the needs of these students, the Ministry of Education has been working closely with the National Institute of Education (NIE) to prepare teachers to work more effectively with a diverse population of students.</strong> </em></p> <p>While the increasing initiatives rolled out by the government is testament of Singapore’s move and commitment towards the integration and support of students with special needs within mainstream education, an <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/">NIE</a> researcher feels that to become a more inclusive society, greater attention needs to be paid to the “heartware” of inclusion, especially within teacher education.</p> <div id="attachment_10953" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10953" loading="lazy" width="300" height="219" class="wp-image-10953 size-medium" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Research_Thana-Thaver-2_for-web-300x219.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10953" class="wp-caption-text">Thana Thaver implemented a course in NIE to raise awareness and challenge misconceptions that pre-service teachers might have about students with special needs.</p></div> <h1>Shifting Existing Perceptions</h1> <p>“If one sees schools as microcosms of society, then one could say that how inclusive a society is might depend – to a large extent – on how inclusive schools are and the capacities of teachers to consciously help their students learn and practise the values, attitudes and skills to include diverse individuals, especially their peers with disabilities,“ explains Dr Thana Thaver, a Senior Lecturer from the <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/department?type=early-childhood-special-needs-education-(ecse)">Early Childhood & Special Needs Education Academic Group</a>.</p> <p>Therein lies the rub, according to Thana. In examining the attitudes of pre-service teachers at NIE towards persons with disabilities and the inclusion of students with special needs in mainstream classrooms, she found ambivalent attitudes that bordered on the negative.</p> <p>It wasn’t because these student-teachers lacked empathy.</p> <p>“This ambivalence, discomfort and stereotypic perceptions are probably due to their lack of knowledge and contact with people with disability in their growing up years aside from the fact that most of them had little or no training in special needs,” Thana says. These attitudes, she adds, are not particular to Singapore teachers. In fact, they are still prevalent and cut across different cultural contexts and countries at different stages of inclusion.</p> <p>This inspired her to explore how to change these negative mind-sets through the creation of a disability awareness course in NIE.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“If one sees schools as microcosms of society, then one could say that how inclusive a society is might depend – to a large extent – on how inclusive schools are and the capacities of teachers to consciously help their students learn and practise the values, attitudes and skills to include diverse individuals, especially their peers with disabilities.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Thana Thaver</strong>, Early Childhood & Special Needs Education Academic Group, NIE</em></p> </div> <h1>Nurturing the “Heartware”</h1> <p>“In our review of literature on how to nurture more inclusive attitudes, we found that there were no particular sets of strategies that were actually efficacious in changing the attitudes of teachers towards people with disabilities or inclusive education,” Thana shares.</p> <p>In the history of training in special needs at NIE, there was a tendency to adopt a “technicist-approach” which focused primarily on remediating the “deficits” of children with disabilities.</p> <p>“This, in essence, means that you approach someone with disabilities as not ‘normal’, and regard the learning and behavioural problems as primarily residing within the person,” says Thana. “The focus in this approach is to remediate these ‘deficits’ and ‘normalize’ the person so that he or she can function in a mainstream setting.”</p> <p>Adopting a deficit-based approach in teacher education without a concomitant examination of how our settings, pedagogies and beliefs contribute to disability may have a pernicious effect on the perceptions and expectations of people with disabilities of our pre-service teachers who already possess less than positive attitudes towards people with disabilities and see them as different and less capable, she adds.</p> <p>Thus, Thana and her team sees the need to adopt a pedagogy that helps student teachers to see possibilities, value “differences” and understand the implications of discriminatory practices not just on the lives of people with disabilities but also on the fibre of society; a paradigm which included the nurturing of <em>heartware</em> instead of merely the<em> software </em>of skills and strategies so that new ways of being and new practices could emerge.</p> <h1>The Intervention: A Disability Awareness Course</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“We invited (students) to look <em>within,</em> critically reflect on their own attitudes, beliefs and assumptions about people with disabilities, and how disability had been construed in Singapore.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Thana</strong>, on the disability awareness course she conducts at NIE</em></p> </div> <p>In this course, Thana and her team utilized a more invitational, “facilitative” pedagogy which sought to take the pre-service teachers on a learning journey of self-reflection and personal discovery of the experience of disability in Singapore. It started with positioning the teachers to learn about disability.</p> <p>“We invited them to look <em>within,</em> critically reflect on their own attitudes, beliefs and assumptions about people with disabilities, and how disability had been construed in Singapore,” shares Thana.</p> <p>As part of this journey, the pre-service teachers went into the community to investigate, through interviews, how inclusive Singapore was as a society for people with disabilities.</p> <p>“Through this fieldwork component and critical deconstruction, they realized the particular positions our society had taken towards disability, the consequences of these positions, and how their own beliefs and attitudes had been shaped by societal worldviews in the absence of contact with people with disabilities,” Thana adds.</p> <p>“As this deconstruction and dissonance (arising from perceptions being confronted) occur, it was important to facilitate the reconstruction of their perspectives and to lead them to reflect more deeply on the possibilities, challenges and benefits of inclusion.”</p> <p>Videos with positive portrayals of people with disabilities leading “normal” lives and fulfilling their dreams of getting jobs of their liking through a circle of support were also shown.</p> <p>In this process, Thana hopes to reshape her students’ pre-conceived notions of people with disabilities; to appreciate that they (people with disabilities) are people who have dreams and aspirations just as we do, and can achieve more than what is stereotypically expected of them.</p> <h1>Changing Attitudes</h1> <p>To Thana’s amazement, she found that the course was effective in shifting attitudes on both the personal and professional levels despite the short duration.</p> <p>On a personal level, the pre-service teachers reported greater acceptance and sensitivity towards people with disabilities. On the professional level, there was a slight shift in their stance from that of ambivalence and negativity to one of greater willingness to accept and play an active role in including students with disabilities in their classrooms. They also expressed a desire to be better equipped in knowledge and skills to help students with special needs.</p> <p>Reading the reflections of the pre-service teachers helped Thana to further understand the reservations and negative attitudes towards inclusive education expressed.</p> <p>“Their feelings and fears are understandable and to be expected,” explains Thana. “They echo what is found in the literature; where there is resistance, it actually stems from these main issues: lack of knowledge, lack of experience and training, and an inadequate support system.”</p> <p>Ultimately, however, Thana believes that the path towards inclusion must be forged from <em>within</em>, from a heart transformed. In her interviews with teachers who had been nominated by their Principals as working successfully with students with special needs, she discovered that it was their <em>heart</em> – their core beliefs – that enabled them to surmount the challenges they faced and commit to being a teacher whose calling was to educate all.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“As this deconstruction and dissonance (arising from perceptions being confronted) occur, it was important to facilitate the reconstruction of their perspectives and to lead (pre-service teachers) to reflect more deeply on the possibilities, challenges and benefits of inclusion.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Thana</strong></em></p> </div> <h1>Finding Inclusiveness Within</h1> <p>Teachers typically experience a variety of unsettling emotions when working with students with special needs, Thana acknowledges. It is important that one honours these emotions, and reflect on their sources of these emotions.</p> <p>It is through this understanding and honest appraisal that one can begin to work oneself out of this “pit” of dissonance. Learning to be inclusive involves accepting yourself and where you are in your journey, she adds.</p> <p>“You’re a person-teacher, not just a teacher-person. Whatever you are as a person is what you are as a teacher. Your ‘doing’ emanates from your ‘being’. If you are caring, inclusive and loving as a person, you will become caring, inclusive and loving as a teacher.”</p> <p>Thana recognizes that there will always be challenges when working with students with special needs. Her advice to these teachers is to “encounter” the person at a deeper level.</p> <p>“When you can see the student who is being difficult or challenging as a person with emotions and wounded just like you and I, you will begin to feel for that person, desire the best for him or her” she says. “That’s when the heart expands and the change begins.”</p> <p><strong>Reference</strong></p> <p>Lim, J. Q. (2016, 11 August). Rising number of students with special needs in mainstream schools. <em>Channel NewsAsia</em>. Retrieved from <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/rising-number-of-students/3033364.html"><u>https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/rising-number-of-students/3033364.html</u></a></p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Supporting the Lonely in Schools</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-research02/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-research02</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:09:12 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Low attainers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Allied Educator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research in Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10902</guid> <description><![CDATA[Research shows that a student’s perception of loneliness is linked to delinquency and anti-social behaviours in school. Lonely […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Research shows that a student’s perception of loneliness is linked to delinquency and anti-social behaviours in school. Lonely children often feel the way they do because of a lack of social skills which results in behavioural problems. We speak to</em><em> Lecturer <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/tan-soo-ching-carol">Dr Carol Tan </a></em></strong><em><strong>for her perspectives on loneliness among students and how teachers can better support them.</strong> </em></p> <div id="attachment_10970" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10970" loading="lazy" width="300" height="199" class="wp-image-10970 size-medium" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Carol-1-300x199.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10970" class="wp-caption-text">Carol feels that social skills should be explicitly taught in school so that the socially isolated child learns how to build and keep friendships.</p></div> <p>“It is perfectly normal for people to sometimes want to be alone,” says Dr Carol Tan. “There is nothing wrong with this sort of loneliness because time in solitude is often spent thinking and reflecting on ourselves.”</p> <p>However, depending on their attitude and perception of loneliness, students can respond differently to solitude. Peer rejection or difficulty with social interaction can lead to negative attitudes towards loneliness, including boredom and unhappiness that can manifest as anti-social behaviour.</p> <p>This should raise concerns, and it is crucial that teachers are able to detect these problems so that they can be addressed as early as possible, says Carol.</p> <h1>The Relationship between Loneliness and Delinquency</h1> <p>Carol’s research into at-risk children with behavioural problems shows a relationship between loneliness and delinquency. Non-loner delinquents were found to be less involved in anti-social behaviours such as school misdemeanours, physical aggression and property abuse as compared to loner delinquents.</p> <p>“It is interesting to note that loner delinquents are more prone to anti-social behaviour than non-loner delinquents,” says Carol.</p> <p>Their behavioural problems often stem from social skill deficits and interpersonal relationship problems, as is the case with many individuals with special needs.</p> <p>Studies have found that students with special needs, particularly those with learning and behavioural difficulties, are more isolated. In addition to personal difficulties connecting with others, they may exhibit behaviour that others find “challenging” or “difficult”.</p> <p>“Other children may not understand why a child with autism acts a certain way – for instance, why the child has a certain rigidity and is only interested in one topic and nothing else,” says Carol. This can cause the child to be ostracized by his or her peers.</p> <p>Like other children with behavioural problems, learning social skills is one of the key areas children with special needs need support in.</p> <h1>Profiling Students for Targeted Intervention</h1> <p>To further identify the specific needs of these students, student profiling is necessary. The best kind of interventions are targeted ones that require this, says Carol.</p> <p>In profiling, special assessments are tailored for teachers to accurately identify each student’s needs and provide targeted support. For instance, extreme loners may prefer to be dealt with on a one-to-one basis, while a group intervention might work better for adolescents who tend to prize friendships.</p> <p>However, there is currently a limited number of teachers who can support these students, especially those with special needs.</p> <p>Many teachers may want to be inclusive, but struggle with managing the disruptive behaviour of children with special needs and the peer issues they face, says Carol.</p> <p>“Learning a student’s needs is a demanding task in itself, but if you have a student with behavioural issues darting around in your class, then it makes teaching all the more challenging.”</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“We need to explicitly teach our students behavioural expectations and social skills within our mainstream school setting.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Carol Tan</strong>, Early Childhood & Special Needs Education Academic Group, NIE</em></p> </div> <h1>Teaching Social Skills</h1> <p>According to Carol, the teaching of social skills in schools has so far been limited since there is no subject that specifically covers it. Schools have allied educators (AEDs) who work with students with social skills deficits and who are experiencing loneliness, but this is not enough.</p> <p>“We need to explicitly teach our students behavioural expectations and social skills within our mainstream school setting,” she says.</p> <p>To equip more teachers with the skills to support these students, MOE’s <a href="https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/resources-to-support-mainstream-students-with-special-needs">Training in Special Needs (TSN) policy initiative </a>was introduced in 2005, with an emphasis on teaching social needs. It presently trains 10–20% of teachers in all primary and secondary schools to support students with mild special educational needs.</p> <p>After undergoing training, TSNs will be deployed as part of a case management team to support children with special needs and who exhibit loneliness and behavioural problems in the classroom.</p> <h1>Building Strong Teacher-Student Relationships</h1> <p>Developing strong teacher-student relationships is another important aspect of supporting lonely and at-risk students. As targeted interventions require an in-depth understanding of each student, teachers can make a difference when there is a good relationship between teacher and student.</p> <p>Teachers sometimes feedback that they do not have enough time to build such close relationships, but Carol believes the effort made to <em>know </em>these students can pave the way for better learning and interaction in the classroom.</p> <p>“Although teachers are always concerned about whether they will be able to finish the curriculum, I think the extra effort to support students will make their teaching much easier in the future,” she says.</p> <p>The key is to show genuine interest and care in getting to know students better – and in doing so, affecting change in them. The process may take time and extra determination, but if effective in helping students overcome social difficulties and loneliness, is a significant step in the right direction towards their successful inclusion.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Meeting the Educational Needs of the Visually Impaired</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-research03/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-research03</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:08:48 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Allied Educator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research in Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Visual impairment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[iC2 Prephouse]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10900</guid> <description><![CDATA[The notion of having a disability has traditionally been seen as something of a deficit, but it does […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>The notion of having a disability has traditionally been seen as something of a deficit, but it does not always have to be. With the right support structures in place, barriers to inclusion can be overcome and students with disabilities can go to school with a peace of mind. <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/wong-meng-ee">Associate Professor Wong Meng Ee </a></em></strong><em><strong>speaks about the challenges of living with a disability and his efforts to support students with visual impairments who enter mainstream schools.</strong> </em></p> <div id="attachment_10940" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10940" loading="lazy" width="300" height="215" class="wp-image-10940 size-medium" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Research_Meng-Ee-2_for-web-300x215.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-10940" class="wp-caption-text">Meng Ee believes in supporting students with visual impairments by providing them with the right skills to cope in a mainstream environment.</p></div> <p>While many students look forward to learning new subjects and forging new friendships in the new school year, there are some for whom the same can induce worry and apprehension.</p> <p>From worries about whether the school environment is accessible, to whether they will fit in with their classmates and whether the teacher will understand their condition, these are just some of the stresses that students with visual impairments who attend mainstream schools may face daily.</p> <h1>Challenges Faced in School</h1> <p>As someone with a visual impairment himself, Meng Ee has an intimate understanding of these difficulties and what needs to be done to support these students. He shared previously on how Allied Educators rallied together to <a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sgissue41-research03/">assist students with special needs </a>and the <a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sgissue55-research01/">benefits of Assistive Technology </a>in helping students with visual impairments learn.</p> <p>“Students have so much to think about in school <span class="st">–</span> making friends, learning the content of different subjects, dealing with social differences. It is a lot to juggle on top of having a disability,” says Meng Ee. A conducive learning environment helps tremendously in easing anxiety and making them feel included.</p> <p>On the other hand, a lack of support structures can put students with disabilities at a disadvantage and hinder their ability to fully learn. He recalls a dearth of support for students like himself years ago.</p> <p>“The support I received was entirely due to the efforts of my parents who told my teachers what to do, but my parents themselves often did not know what sort of support to even ask for. Unlike today, there was also no Internet to turn to.”</p> <p>Occasionally his teachers were helpful, but back then, there were no fixed support structures for students like him.</p> <h1>A One-Stop Centre for the Visually Impaired</h1> <p>Motivated by his personal experiences to ensure students with visual impairments are not denied a proper education because of their disability, Meng Ee co-founded voluntary welfare organization <a href="https://ic2.com.sg/">iC2 PrepHouse </a>in 2011 with fellow medical and educational professionals.</p> <p>“At that time, students with visual impairments had very little support when they entered school. iC2 PrepHouse was set up to fill this gap,” he explains.</p> <p>Besides providing specialist assessment to determine the special needs of each child, iC2 Prephouse also runs an Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) that equips students with the necessary skills to cope in a mainstream environment. (See box story below for more information on ECC.)</p> <p>“It’s absolutely important for the student to acquire these skillsets so that he or she can be a successful individual with a visual impairment,” says Meng Ee.</p> <p>Early intervention in common areas of difficulty such as reading, mobility and socializing can be very significant in maximizing a child’s learning and compensating for their disabilities. “If you detect their condition early and begin to provide support, you may not be able to eliminate it due to the limitations of medicine and science, but you may be able to improve their ability to learn and give them as best a head start as possible,” he explains.</p> <h1>Future Plans to Support Parents, Teachers and Caregivers</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“It’s absolutely important for the student to acquire these skillsets so that he or she can be a successful individual with a visual impairment.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Meng Ee, </strong>Early Childhood & Special Needs Education Academic Group, NIE</em></p> </div> <p>In addition to imparting them life skills, Meng Ee intends to further support the visually impaired by helping teachers, parents and stakeholders who work with them.</p> <p>His next project will tackle an emerging challenge <span class="st">–</span> sifting through the growing plethora of assistive technologies including text enlarging software, screen readers and refreshable braille displays to decide on the most suitable device for a specific person.</p> <p>In the past, if a disabled person used technology, they might have been labeled and seen as different, shares Meng Ee. Today, assistive technology built into smart devices designed for the mainstream user is resulting in it being seen in an increasingly common way, but proliferation of these technologies comes with its own challenges.</p> <p>Overwhelmed by the sheer variety of options, parents may choose an assistive device based on the sole reason that another student in class is using it or because they have seen it on television, without knowing whether it is actually suitable for their child.</p> <p>Through a process of questioning, he hopes to assist parents and teachers in coming closer to an informed choice. He admits it is not perfect science due to the many factors involved, but believes the questions will be helpful in clarifying their needs.</p> <p>“You may not come to a definitive answer, but the more important thing is the questions you ask that help you arrive at a decision,” he says.</p> <p>With improved matching of devices to users, environmental barriers to inclusion such as accessibility and communication can be overcome. Meng Ee is also optimistic that the process of questioning will lead to a better understanding of what works for the Singapore context and the devices parents, teachers and therapists might find useful.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“You may not come to a definitive answer, but the more important thing is the questions you ask that help you arrive at a decision.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Meng Ee, </strong>on the importance of the process of questioning to improve the selection of assistive devices for individuals with visual impairments</em></p> </div> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">The Expanded Core Curriculum</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>Adapted from the US for the Singaporean student, ECC runs parallel to the core curriculum in schools and focuses on imparting life skills to enable the visually impaired to thrive in school and society. Below are a list of skills <a href="https://ic2.com.sg/services/"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">iC2 Prephouse</span></u></a> seeks to cultivate in people with visual impairments.</p> <p>1. <strong>Visual Efficiency Skills: </strong><em>How do I maximize whatever residual sight I have?</em></p> <p>Visual efficiency skills are taught to help maximize use of one’s vision. These skills include tracing along a line or path to locate an object, scanning the environment or a page of text for information, fixating on an object to elicit visual information, as well as tracking a moving object.</p> <p>2.<strong> Compensatory Academic Skills:</strong> <em>What might be the best learning medium for me?</em></p> <p>Depending on the degree of visual impairment, some people might still be able to read large print. Other modalities are also available – using one’s eyes to manipulate the size of a font, audio, and tactile mediums like braille.</p> <p>3.<strong> Assistive Technology and Computer skills:</strong> <em>How can I access the world around me? </em></p> <p>Assistive technology is the array of tools used to help people with visual impairments gain access to the world and environment. It can range from low or no tech devices like a simple handheld magnifier, to a highly sophisticated piece of equipment like a BrailleNote Taker or PAC Mate. For more information, please visit <a href="https://singteach.nie.edu.sgissue55-research01/"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">https://singteach.nie.edu.sgissue55-research01/</span></u></a></p> <p>4.<strong> Social interaction skills: </strong><em>How do I connect with others and make friends?</em></p> <p>Social skills are important parts of building relationships. As these students cannot decipher body language and disposition due to their visual impairment, they are taught social skills such as shaking hands and facing others when they are talking to them.</p> <p>5.<strong> Orientation and mobility:</strong> <em>Where I am? Where do I want to go? How do I get there?</em></p> <p>A seemingly simple task like getting from one classroom to another is not easy for a visually impaired student. Students are taught how to use their remaining senses to navigate and orientate themselves in both familiar and unfamiliar environments.</p> <p>6.<strong> Independent Living Skills: </strong><em>How do I cope with the everyday challenges of independent living?</em></p> <p>Most children learn to do things for themselves (how to brush their teeth, eat with the right cutlery, etc.) through observing and copying what others around them are doing. Since children with visual impairments are unable to imitate through visual copying, other techniques need to be used to teach them.</p> <p>7.<strong> Career Education: </strong><em>How do I prepare myself for the working world?</em></p> <p>Visually impaired individuals are taught how to start planning their careers and how to handle issues they might face in future, such as the prejudice of others. </div> </div> <p><strong>Resource</strong></p> <p><a href="https://ic2.com.sg/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iC2 PrepHouse</a>: A voluntary welfare organization that aims to provide individuals with visual impairments the support system they require. </p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Pathways to Work for Students with Special Needs</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-classroom01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-classroom01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:08:29 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secondary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Employability]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10898</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) Delta Senior School is committed to placing its students in employment […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>The <a href="https://www.apsn.org.sg/schools/delta-senior-school/">Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN) Delta Senior School </a></em><em>is committed to placing its students in employment upon graduation. A teacher shares with us how the school equips its students to be work-ready through its various customized programmes.</em></strong></p> <p>A Swensen’s restaurant, Giant superstore and Uniqlo-like retail outlet – these are facilities that would not feature in a typical Singapore school. At APSN Delta Senior School (DSS), however, some classrooms are intentionally built to replicate real-life work environments.</p> <p>This is part of the school’s on-going efforts to prepare its post-secondary school learners with mild intellectual disabilities to enter the workforce upon graduation.</p> <h1>Tailored Strokes for Different Learning Needs</h1> <div id="attachment_11011" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11011" loading="lazy" width="300" height="216" class="wp-image-11011 size-medium" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Gurvinder-1-300x216.jpg" /><p id="caption-attachment-11011" class="wp-caption-text">Gurvinder Kaur Gill works closely with colleagues from APSN Delta Senior School to facilitate her students’ transition from school to work.</p></div> <p>“Every student with special needs is essentially a student with different learning needs,” says Gurvinder Kaur Gill, a numeracy teacher at APSN DSS. “The best way for educators to support such students is to understand their different needs and customize our pedagogical approaches accordingly.”</p> <p>The school conducts training programmes in four vocational areas, namely food and beverage operations, landscape operations, hotel and accommodation services, and retail operations. Each training programme lasts up to 5 years including work attachment, and leads to a Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) Certification that validates students’ competencies in their chosen vocation.</p> <p>“Our curriculum is simplified and made bite-sized to address the learning needs of students in areas such as memory retention,” explains Gurvinder. “We also incorporate a structured four-step model (see box story below) in our teaching approaches.”</p> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">Four-Step Model for Learning</div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>A key pedagogical strategy of APSN Delta Senior School is the Four-Step Model with Explicit Teaching Cycle.</p> <p>“The four steps are <em>Prepare</em>,<em> Show and Tell</em>,<em> Try Out </em>and<em> Follow Up</em>. All lessons here, be it literacy, numeracy, vocational training or personal management, adopt this approach,” Gurvinder shares.</p> <p><strong>Prepare</strong>: Teachers establish the lesson objectives (e.g., identify numerals and number words up to 20, count up to 20 objects by ones). They also plan activities that students will participate in and prepare the necessary equipment (e.g., projector and station activities).</p> <p><strong>Show and Tell</strong>: Teachers conduct the lesson (e.g., demonstrate how to identify numbers up to 20) and provide guided practice (e.g., practise reading numbers with a number board game, worksheets) to assess students’ understanding of what they have learned. Teachers would then decide if further demonstrations are necessary to reinforce students’ understanding.</p> <p><strong>Try Out</strong>: Teachers observe and assess students as they independently practise what they have learned. Teachers would subsequently decide on whether students require more guided practice or are ready to move on to another topic.</p> <p><strong>Follow Up</strong>: Teachers debrief students and provide feedback regarding their performance. They would also reiterate the key learning outcomes of the lesson and inform students of the agenda of future lessons.</p> </div> </div> <h1>Facilitating the School-to-work Transition</h1> <p>While the school’s foremost priority is to equip students with vocation-specific skills, its curriculum also emphasizes Standards of Work Performance (SWP), which consists of five areas: attendance and punctuality, grooming and hygiene, relating with others, work behaviours, and self-regulation.</p> <p>“APSN DSS stresses on SWP because it concerns attitudes and soft skills for the workplace, which reflect students’ work-readiness,” explains Gurvinder. “Teachers will observe students in these areas during lessons. If we detect problems, we will devise and implement intervention strategies to address the issue.”</p> <p>The school also works closely with partner employers in setting up training facilities within its premises to enable students to adapt easily to an actual work environment.</p> <p>There are mock-ups of actual restaurants, kitchens, retail outlets and hotel rooms on campus, which exemplify how the physical infrastructure of APSN DSS is designed to complement the school curriculum and foster continuity between school and work.</p> <p>“As a vocational training school, the next step – after supporting our students – is placing them in open employment,” Gurvinder shares. “We thus simulate real-life work environments for them to maximize their chances of securing employment and ease the transition from school to work.”</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“The best way for educators to support students (with special needs) is to understand their different needs and customize our pedagogical approaches accordingly.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Gurvinder Kaur Gill</strong>, APSN Delta Senior School</em></p> </div> <h1>Holistic Development of Students</h1> <p>To further supplement students’ vocational training, APSN DSS’s curriculum also features classes in literacy, numeracy, personal management, and fitness and health.</p> <p>Gurvinder, who is with the numeracy department, designs lessons, activities and assessment tasks related to numeracy. Nevertheless, her lessons do not focus solely on mathematical concepts. In fact, they centre on mathematical life skills.</p> <p>“We help students to relate the concepts of time, scheduling and measurement to their workplace,” explains Gurvinder. “So it is not just math; it is about life skills.”</p> <p>Educators from different departments also work closely and share feedback with one another to highlight any difficulties that students are facing.</p> <p>“For instance, the numeracy department may receive feedback from vocational trainers regarding students’ difficulties in measurement, such as weighing items,” explains Gurvinder. “We will then work on the feedback and come up with hands-on activities to clarify concepts and correct students’ mistakes so that they will not face similar problems in the workplace.”</p> <h1>Different Journey, Same Destination</h1> <p>The vast majority of APSN DSS students are successful in securing employment upon graduation, which shows that the institution’s pedagogical approaches are effective in catering to its students’ learning needs.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“While students with special needs may take different educational journeys, their outcomes in life can be the same as that of their mainstream counterparts.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Gurvinder, </strong>on the different journeys that her students go through</em></p> </div> <p>Besides employment, further training at higher education institutions is another pathway that students may take after graduation.</p> <p>“We have had a few graduates each year who go on to pursue further education at the Institute of Technical Education, which is a mainstream educational path,” Gurvinder shares. “This shows that while students with special needs may take different educational journeys, their outcomes in life can be the same as that of their mainstream counterparts.”</p> <p>Ultimately, Gurvinder hopes that as more individuals with special needs are employed, they will gain recognition for their ability to contribute to society and inclusion becomes more of an everyday reality in Singapore.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Creating Equal Opportunity for Students with Visual Impairments</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-classroom02/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-classroom02</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:07:59 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Allied Educator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Learner preferences]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Visual impairment]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Teacher-student relationship]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Classroom Perspectives]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Secondary school]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parental involvement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10896</guid> <description><![CDATA[Working with students with special needs in a mainstream school is a uniquely challenging experience, but the hard-earned […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>Working with students with special needs in a mainstream school is a uniquely challenging experience, but the hard-earned successes make it all the more rewarding. An Allied Educator at </em><em><a href="https://stgabrielssec.moe.edu.sg/">St. Gabriel’s Secondary School </a></em></strong><em><strong>shares his first experience providing customized support for a student with severe visual impairment and highlights key issues educators have to address in order to help them thrive.</strong> </em></p> <p><em><img loading="lazy" width="600" height="235" class="aligncenter wp-image-10946 size-full" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Classroom_Jeyaram-2_for-web.jpg" /></em></p> <p><em>Are we equipped to help them? Do we have enough resources? Is the school’s infrastructure a potential hindrance to their learning? </em>These are some questions Mr Jeyaram Kadivan and his colleagues used to ponder.</p> <p>But when a teenager with visual impairment arrived at St. Gabriel’s, Jeyaram knew it was his duty to cast aside his doubts and ensure that the student received a quality education that he, just like his mainstream counterparts, deserved.</p> <h1>Seeking the Help of Experts</h1> <p>“This student, who is enrolled in the Express stream at St. Gabriel’s, had lost about 80<span class="st">–</span>90% of his eyesight,” Jeyaram shares. “This was a new challenge to us and even me, who was trained under the Special Education programme.”</p> <p>Instead of dwelling on <em>whether</em> they would have the resources to support the student, Jeyaram began asking himself <em>how</em> he could do so. His search for tools and strategies to aid students with severe visual impairments led him to <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/wong-meng-ee">NIE Associate Professor (A/P) Wong Meng Ee</a> who specializes in Special Education.</p> <p>“A/P Wong gave me the contact details of a special education teacher who has experience working with this disability,” Jeyaram says. “She came by the school to look at the environment, structures and classroom materials, and shared with us the changes we have to make to accommodate this student.”</p> <p>The changes needed were significant, but Jeyaram soon realized that as long as he put his heart into providing the student with the necessary support, everything else would eventually fall into place.</p> <p>When other teachers saw his various efforts to support this student had a positive impact, they gradually became comfortable with exploring new initiatives and modifying classroom practices for the student too. And with the student’s progress, Jeyaram’s doubts over his own ability to help eventually cleared.</p> <p>Yet his journey also taught him that passion alone is not enough; Jeyaram had to work hard to gain the trust of the student and his parents in order to create a safe learning environment for him.</p> <h1>Building Trust with Parents</h1> <p>Increase the text size to 36 points – this was what medical practitioners suggested to help the student read better.</p> <p>“But as educators, we knew that this was not practical because then the student would see only 5 to 6 words in an A4-size printout,” explains Jeyaram. “Though you can see and read the words better, it is actually more challenging to understand the entire passage.” This is because the huge fonts spread the passage too far apart for the reader to be able to capture it fully.</p> <p>Parents are understandably concerned about the well-being of their child in school and may value a doctor’s words over a teacher’s. However, teachers also have their concerns from the educational standpoint, says Jeyaram.</p> <p>“When the parents saw this difficulty, they finally understood where I was coming from.”</p> <p>While it can take time before parents realize that the school has their child’s well-being at heart, Jeyaram believes that it is his duty to break the barrier of mistrust. “I have to let parents see that I am here for their child,” he says.</p> <p>“We spoke to his parents and told them that he would have to take all subjects including Food & Consumer Education, and Design & Technology.” And the teachers would support him.</p> <h1>Fighting Assumptions about Disability</h1> <p>To be truly inclusive, Jeyaram feels it does not matter whether a student is visually impaired – he should still receive the same education as his peers.</p> <p>“If we are talking about being in a mainstream education setting, I feel that every child has to get what every other child is getting, be it academic or non-academic,” he says. One should not think of exempting a student with special needs because of assumptions of what he can or cannot do.</p> <p>Effort was made to accommodate the student’s needs in subjects like Food and Consumer Education where he needed modified cooking utensils and cutlery. The teacher would also make video-recordings of live-cooking demonstrations in the classroom so that the student could watch it at home and understand the steps and recipes at his own pace.</p> <p>To reassure his parents, his mother was also allowed to accompany him in other activities such as learning journeys where they go on out-of-school trips.</p> <h1>Teaching Students Inclusivity</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“If we segregate these children with special needs in schools according to their disabilities, students from mainstream schools will never understand those with special needs.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Jeyaram, </strong>St. Gabriel’s Secondary School</em></p> </div> <p>As Franklin Roosevelt once said: <em>We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out</em>.</p> <p>To build an inclusive society, the best place to start is the classroom.</p> <p>The teachers’ efforts to accommodate students with special needs are but one piece of the larger puzzle of promoting inclusiveness. Jeyaram observes that allowing a child with special needs to enrol in a mainstream school can benefit other students in the school, teaching them tolerance and acceptance.</p> <p>When students ask him about their classmates’ conditions, he takes the opportunity to remind them of their duty to follow the philosophy of the pioneers of St Gabriel’s and extend help to the physically disadvantaged.</p> <p>“If we segregate these children with special needs in schools according to their disabilities, students from mainstream schools will never understand those with special needs,” Jeyaram explains. “This is not the way to go if we want our youths to accept people with special needs.”</p> <p>After parents give him the permission to work with their child, the next step for him is to inform the rest of the class that this student has a special condition. “We help to manage their perspectives of this student by setting the right tone from the beginning,” Jeyaram adds.</p> <p>This has been his priority since the day he began supporting students with special needs. With teachers like him who are committed to inclusive education, the aim to become a more caring and tolerant society seems within reach.</p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>Towards Greater Inclusivity: A Parent’s Perspective</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2017/03/10/issue60-people01/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue60-people01</link> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Mar 2017 08:03:35 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Issues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[issue 60 mar 2017]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Learning difficulties]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Advocacy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parent]]></category> <category><![CDATA[People]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Parental involvement]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=10894</guid> <description><![CDATA[It is every parent’s hope that their children grow up healthy and well-integrated into society – parents of […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><em>It is every parent’s hope that their children grow up healthy and well-integrated into society – </em></strong><em><strong>parents of children with special needs are no exception. Having experienced the challenges of raising a child with special needs in Singapore, Magdelene hopes her story will increase awareness of their needs and encourage parents, teachers and caregivers to soldier on and build a more caring and inclusive society.</strong> </em></p> <div id="attachment_11088" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11088" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-11088 size-full" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/People_Magdelene-1_for-web.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="220" /><p id="caption-attachment-11088" class="wp-caption-text">(from left) Magdelene, her husband and son Sebastian</p></div> <h1>Q: Can you tell us about Sebastian and his diagnosis?</h1> <p>Sebastian is my eldest boy. He is 26 this year. When he was in preschool, his teacher used to say, “Sebastian seems to learn something, but a while later he forgets and he acts as if he never learnt it before.” They advised me to send him for a brain scan, which I did. That’s when I found out he was born without a corpus callosum. We could not pinpoint the exact problem, but his is an intellectual disability diagnosed as Global Developmental Delay.</p> <div class="message-box-wrapper yellow"> <div class="message-box-title">What is the Corpus Callosum<strong>?</strong></div> <div class="message-box-content"> <p>The human brains are divided into two sections, the right and left hemisphere. These two halves are connected by a bundle of nerve tissue that contains over 200 million nerve fibers (responsible for carrying electrical signals to and from the brain). This bundle of nerve tissues is known as the <em>corpus callosum</em> and it allows for communication between the two hemispheres by transferring motor, sensory, and cognitive information.</p> <p>While the effects of the absence of the corpus callosum vary from person to person, individuals tend to experience cognitive and communication developmental delays. Other potential issues include vision impairment, low muscle tone and lack of motor skills.</p> <p>Source: <a href="https://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/p/corpus-callosum.htm"><u><span style="color: #0066cc;">https://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/p/corpus-callosum.htm</span></u></a></p> </div> </div> <h1>Q: What were some of the challenges you faced when Sebastian was growing up?</h1> <p>As a typical Singaporean parent with high expectations of my children, it was initially hard to accept Sebastian’s condition. Even after I realized I needed to get over my denial and find out what I could do for him, I was groping in the dark due to a lack of resources.</p> <p>Sebastian’s developmental milestones were delayed, so when it was time for him to enter primary school, he was not ready. Mainstream primary schools I approached also lacked the necessary support to accept him.</p> <p>It was fortunate that he eventually went to Dover Court Preparatory School, an international school that ran a special needs class alongside mainstream classes.</p> <p>During his 4 years there, he was included in mainstream school activities; he acted in school dramas and participated in sports and school concerts. Since he was in a small class, he had all the attention he needed. Enrolling him there is probably one of the best things I’ve done for him.</p> <p>After Dover Court, we registered him with one of <a href="https://www.minds.org.sg/">MINDS’ (Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore) </a>Special Education schools. The real challenge began when he graduated from MINDS at 18. As the queue to enter one of MINDS employment development centres was really long, I had to search for other things for him to do.</p> <p>His focus and motor skills were not good enough for him to experience open employment, so he went to a sheltered workshop, <a href="https://www.touch.org.sg/our-services/special-needs-services/touch-centre-for-independent-living">Touch Centre for Independent Living (TCIL)</a>, where he learnt basic life skills like how to clean himself and travel on his own. He spent a couple of years there in a school-like environment.</p> <p>After a few years, I felt he needed to understand that he needs to work, so I sent him to <a href="https://www.thkmc.org.sg/services_detail/thk-pan-disability-centre-eunos">Thye Hua Kwan Pan-Disability Centre </a>where he does simple work like putting together Singapore Airlines luggage tags.</p> <h1>Q: Why is it important that Sebastian goes to work?</h1> <p>Work is important to keep him engaged. The moment those with special needs stay at home and stop engaging with the outside world is when they regress. Many of them develop mental issues because they are like any other human being – they need to be wanted and to have friends.</p> <p>Having said that, Sebastian benefits a lot more now from the inclusive activities that we have in society. Besides his work, he is involved in other activities such as <a href="https://www.runninghour.com/">Runninghour</a> every Saturday. Regular runners run alongside people with disabilities, mainly the blind and intellectually challenged. He is also with <a href="https://www.specialolympics.org.sg">Special Olympics Singapore </a>and bowls every Tuesday with his friends with special needs. These are valuable opportunities for him to mingle, make friends and achieve something.</p> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-center" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Sebastian benefits a lot more now from the inclusive activities that we have in society… these are valuable opportunities for him to mingle, make friends and achieve something.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Magdelene Yip</strong>, on the positive impact that inclusive activities have on her son Sebastian, an individual with special needs</em></p> </div> <h1>Q: What are some of your concerns about Sebastian’s future?</h1> <p>My greatest fear is what will happen to him when I am no longer around. I know his siblings will care for him, but more needs to be done to support adults and elders with special needs.</p> <p>Working is definitely also a big challenge for adults with special needs because not many work environments can cope with them. This is not because employers are not compassionate, but because the demands of their work makes it difficult.</p> <p>Those who are high-functioning can often find jobs in the service industry, but dealing with customers can be difficult for those like Sebastian who struggle with reading subtle social cues. They fare better in controlled environments like the sheltered workshop, but there is limited space.</p> <p>There is also a need for more day activity centres for those who cannot work at all.</p> <div id="attachment_11019" style="width: 410px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11019" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-11019" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Magdelene_for-web_final2-400x267.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="267" /><p id="caption-attachment-11019" class="wp-caption-text">Magdelene shares with us how we can build a more caring and inclusive society for individuals like her son Sebastian, a person with special needs.</p></div> <h1>Q: Do you think people have become more accepting of those with special needs?</h1> <p>I think we are generally more receptive. MOE is trying to educate those with special needs, and many workplaces are a lot more accommodating, sometimes changing their workflow for them. Government wage subsidies are also helpful in encouraging companies to hire workers with special needs.</p> <p>It is only when people with special needs misbehave or have meltdowns that the public gets scared because they don’t know what to do. I don’t blame them. With more exposure, I believe people will become more accepting.</p> <p>One natural way to nurture social cohesion is by starting young. I hope that we will have more schools where special needs classes run alongside mainstream classes, where those with special needs get to do sports and eat in the same canteen as the rest of the children. Being in the same environment is very helpful in getting the other children to understand their unique conditions.</p> <p>Just think, if one grows up having dealt with people with special needs in school, wouldn’t it become natural to eventually employ them because you understand and can accommodate them?</p> <h1>Q: Do you have any advice for those raising or working with people with special needs?</h1> <div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> <p>“Another thing you need is a sense of humour. Most of us parents have developed that, and we laugh, not at, but <em>with</em> our children.”</p> <p><em>– <strong>Magdelene, </strong>on how she helps herself to cope during stressful moments</em></p> </div> <p>Parents, don’t be afraid to ask for help and love your child like any other child. It is important to expose them to the world and give them opportunities so that they are accepted and can find a community and life of their own. I’m still struggling to understand what Sebastian’s mission in life is, but I’m sure he has a reason for living. We must believe that just as we believe in the rest of our children. This gives us hope to carry on despite the difficulties.</p> <p>Another thing you need is a sense of humour. Most of us parents have developed that, and we laugh, not at, but <em>with</em> our children. It helps with seeing their challenges in a less negative light. If I get stressed or embarrassed every time Sebastian acts up it will be very tough. They also get very frustrated when they are not accepted. Emotionally, physiologically, they are like anybody else. They just have a difficulty we need to understand.</p> <p>As for those who work with them, try not to work with the mind-set that you are here to do things <em>for </em>them. Yes, they do need you to do many things for them, but don’t come with the thinking that you are here<em> just</em> to do things for them. Just be<em> with</em> them. Building that friendship and bond will help a lot more than doing things for them.</p> <p> </p> ]]></content:encoded> </item> <item> <title>A Culture of Care</title> <link>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2013/03/03/issue41-research02/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=issue41-research02</link> <comments>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2013/03/03/issue41-research02/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[singteach]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2013 01:26:28 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[issue 41 mar / apr 2013]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Special needs education]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-belief]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Self-efficacy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Allied Educator]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Research in Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Inclusive education]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://singteach.nie.edu.sg?p=5764</guid> <description><![CDATA[How can you help children with special needs in your class feel like they belong? Your Allied Educator, […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>How can you help children with <strong>special needs </strong>in your class feel like they belong? Your Allied Educator, fellow teachers, school leaders, the child’s classmates and parents can all be recruited to help create an inclusive environment in school.</strong></em></p> <p><a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/neihart-maureen-frances" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr Maureen Neihart</a> is no stranger to working with children with special needs. She has spent many years as a clinical child psychologist helping such children and their families.</p> <p><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-6088 alignleft" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Maureenetal41-300x187.jpg" width="300" height="187" />But when she came to Singapore 7 years ago, Maureen says what she saw broke her heart. There was a dire need for support for both the kids and their families. “I wanted to learn more about how we can help the school to help the kids,” she says.</p> <p>Thankfully, the state of support for students with special needs has vastly improved since then. With the Ministry of Education placing a greater emphasis on inclusive education, there is now strong support, especially in primary schools.</p> <p>But how are teachers responding to the call for more inclusive classrooms? To what extent are schools meeting the needs of these children?</p> <p>Together with colleagues <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/chong-wan-har" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr Chong Wan Har </a> and <a href="https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/yeo-lay-see" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr Yeo Lay See</a>, Maureen set out to understand what inclusion means in the Singapore context through their research.</p> <h1>Full Participation in the Classroom</h1> <p>Both Maureen and Wan Har agree that the teacher plays an important role in defining what inclusion is and how it looks like in the classroom.</p> <p>But in the classrooms they observed, they noticed that much of the focus was on “managing” pupils with special needs.</p> <p>“Many of their activities centred around how do you manage a child so that he can fit in, so that he’s not disruptive, he can participate and do the work,” notes Wan Har. But they believe inclusion should be more than that.</p> <p>“There’s inclusion and there’s full inclusion,” says Maureen. “A child can be present in the classroom – so in that sense, they’re physically included – but they’re not necessarily a fully participating member of the classroom.”</p> <h1>Enabling Success Experiences</h1> <p>For teachers to feel they can make a difference, training alone is not enough.</p> <p>“You can send teachers to workshops and you can read a lot of books, but you’re still going to feel, at the end of the day, you don’t have enough training,” says Maureen. What teachers really need is to experience success.</p> <p>“What really empowers the teacher to believe that they can do this is when they have a success experience with a student,” she says.</p> <p>This positive experience can help build self-efficacy. And this has important implications for staff development and how we prepare teachers.</p> <p>“Looking at it from the school’s perspective, how do you really organize and structure the experiences of the teachers in order to enable them to feel more empowered that they can actually contribute to the success of this child?” adds Wan Har.</p> <h1>A Network of Enablers</h1> <p><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-6087 alignright" alt="" src="https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Maureenetal21-258x300.jpg" width="258" height="300" />Teachers don’t need to do it alone. In the spirit of true inclusion, a combined effort is necessary for success.</p> <p>“In order for the child to benefit from inclusion, we really do need a network of people to enable the process,” says Wan Har. One important enabler is the Allied Educator (AED).</p> <p>Many AEDs see themselves as an additional help to the classroom teacher. But Maureen and Wan Har believe they can be more valuable than just a “go-to” resource for teachers when difficulties arise.</p> <p>AEDs can be equal partners with the teachers, and aptly deemed allies to the child’s learning process. “Other than perceiving themselves as a source of help, perhaps they need to reframe their role as a mentor, as a coach – and not just a help,” says Wan Har.</p> <p>Maureen envisions AEDs as capacity builders who can impart skills and knowledge to teachers who deal with special needs children.</p> <p>“They can begin to focus and teach the teachers, empower the teachers, and set realistic expectations for the child,” Wan Har suggests. By doing so, AEDs will enable more successful experiences for teachers.</p> <p>Maureen and Wan Har also recommend talking to other teachers who have taught the child. They can provide valuable comments and suggestions on how to include the child.</p> <h1>Valuing Inclusion</h1> <p>We all know, based on anecdotes, that school leadership should play a critical role in fostering an inclusive environment. Looking at the data, Maureen was surprised to note how strong a force it can be.</p> <p><div class="shortcode-block-quote-right" style="color:#999999"> What really empowers the teacher to believe that they can do this is when they have a success experience with a student.</p> <p><em>– <strong>Maureen</strong> <strong>Neihart</strong>, Psychological Studies Academic Group</em> </div> </p> <p>“It was overwhelming that what really made a difference, from the teachers’ position, was not what the school leaders <em>did</em> but what they <em>believed</em>. It was the value system of the school leaders,” says Maureen.</p> <p>“I’ve started to frame inclusion as a school culture,” she continues. “We’re changing the norms, values and shared beliefs of the school community, and it’s the school leaders who drive that. Their own personal values about inclusion really empower the teachers.”</p> <p>“It’s not a personal problem because that child happens to be in my class,” stresses Wan Har. “It should be everybody’s concern.”</p> <p>She describes this as a “culture of care”, where the whole school community – the teachers, AEDs, and leaders – see it as their mission to support these children and see them grow. Everyone must value inclusion.</p> <p>Inclusion also shouldn’t be limited to just the classroom or school. If more people believe in caring for and including all people with various abilities and disabilities, at the end of the day, society benefits. But it has to start somewhere.</p> <p>“If a school doesn’t value it, then I don’t think it’s likely that society will,” says Maureen. “School is a good starting point.”</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://singteach.nie.edu.sg/2013/03/03/issue41-research02/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss> <!-- Performance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https://www.boldgrid.com/w3-total-cache/ Served from: singteach.nie.edu.sg @ 2025-02-17 18:52:40 by W3 Total Cache -->