Creating a Connective Pedagogy for Special Educational Needs, Research Paper Example

The impact of globalization and the increased classroom diversity has called for school reforms promoting inclusion. A recent policy review created by the      U.S.  Department of Education (2008)  has revealed some trends in the American System, while the process of creating classrooms suitable for all abilities and those with disabilities has only started in the Middle East and Developing countries. The author of the current research would like to compare and contrast the efforts of educators to make education more inclusive in the UAE and the United States. The main focus of the research is to reveal which policies provide the most benefit for the education system and individual students, in order to create a policy development framework for the future.

Thesis: Inclusion is necessary to accommodate all students’ specific learning needs, and to build a positive relationship among students, parents, communities, and educators. The author of the study would like to confirm – through the assessment of recent research – that inclusive policies have a positive impact on student and school performance.

Study Design

The author of the current research would like to create a qualitative case study that would measure teachers’ perception about the effectiveness of inclusive classroom policies in the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The researcher will review the related literature, in order to develop related research questions, analyze the different factors of measuring inclusiveness, and complete a qualitative literature research based on educators’ views.

Literature Review

According to Berg (2004), inclusion in education is a policy approach that focuses on allowing children with disabilities attend  public schools, and receive the most appropriate learning based on their needs and abilities. This approach focuses on public schools’ responsibilities to bring in special services to accommodate special needs of students. Several approaches towards inclusive classrooms have already been represented by authors. Salend (2001) distinguishes between four approaches towards introducing inclusion in mainstream education: diversity considerations, the assessment of individual needs, reflective practice (responding to feedback and making adjustments based on performance monitoring), and collaboration.

United States

The  U.S.  Department of Education (2008) highlights the main milestones of education policy development related to creating inclusive classrooms. The main policies and initiatives focus on language and cultural diversity, helping students become a part of the society, while promoting language proficiency by providing special programs for ESL (English as a Second Language) speakers. The U.S. Department of Education prohibits discrimination of students based on religion, sexual orientation, culture, or disability (U.S. Department of Education, 2008, p. 26). The latest reform of the education system, introduced as the “No Child Left Behind” program. The new legislation “requires student achievement results to be disaggregated into subgroup categories based on race/ ethnicity, income, limited English proficiency, and includes a subgroup category for students with disabilities” (Cole, 2006, p. 1). The law specifies the education level of teachers dealing with special needs children, and sets rigorous schedules for reviewing learning progress and support provided.

United Arab Emirates

In the UAE, the latest developments of the Education Law guarantee children with disabilities and diverse needs to be protected from discrimination. The Federal Law (29) (2006) provides all children with equal opportunities to learning and achieving academic success. The Ministry of Education is also committed to increasing the participation rate of special needs children in mainstream education. According to Nisreen (2013), there is currently a debate among education experts about inclusion. The opponents of classroom inclusion state that special needs students would require the majority of teachers’ and teaching assistants’ attention, disadvantaging the rest of the school population. The proponents of inclusion, however, highlight important benefits of inclusion, such as better socialization of students with and without disabilities, and overall better progress.

Vision for Special Education in the United Arab Emirates

Anati (2013) created a research evaluating teachers’ perception about classroom inclusion. The literature search revealed that the main concern educators had related to teaching children with special needs was related to their training. Many respondents of the related research studies stated that they did not believe their training prepared them for dealing with disabled and diverse children. Most of the teachers also believed that some special needs children would need to have special classroom settings, and separate learning areas.

Another study, by Barrell (2009) reviewed special education provisions within a boys’ school in the UAE. The findings of the research confirmed the above highlighted issues as valid. One of the respondents (a parent of a child with special needs) stated: “The main problem stems from teachers in this country not being educated in such things so my child is always picked out as being the bad apple” (Barrell, 2009, p. 5).

Inclusion in Regular Education Classroom with Resource Room Support

Based on the above findings of the literature review, it is evident that support for teachers is missing in the UAE system. While it has been found that the provisions of the United States provide educators with several resources, training facilities, and have regulations related to the training requirements of special education children, this is not the case in the UAE. According to the U.S. Department of Education, schools need to accept full accountability for the progress of all students, including those with special needs. The same provision is not present in the UAE, and teachers are not fully prepared  for the challenges related to making classrooms inclusive and suitable for special needs children. Therefore, it is recommended that the  Ministry of Education creates special provisions that make schools accountable for student progress, and supports educators through training programs preparing them to introducing inclusiveness in the classroom. The author of the current literature research, therefore, recommends that the legislation in the future includes the following provisions:

1. provides adequate training for teachers to make classrooms more inclusive
2. establishes collaboration among teachers, policymakers, and parents of children with special educational needs to start a discourse about the preferences of each group
3. introduces quality measures and performance targets for special needs children

Conclusion

As the above literature review and research has revealed, the main difference between the U.S.  and the UAE approaches towards special needs education is based on the support provided for teachers, and the level of school accountability. If teachers do not feel confident enough to adjust curriculum and classroom environment to suit the needs of disabled and minority children, they are less likely to promote inclusive classroom environments. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers’  attitudes are changed through government funded awareness and training programs, and parents are involved in the policy development related to school accountability and measures.

References

Anati, N. (2012). The pros and cons of inclusive education from the perceptions of teachers in the United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 2(1).

Barrell, R. (2009) Creating a Connective Pedagogy for Special Educational Needs: An Investigation of the Development of Inclusive Practice in the United Arab Emirates  (UAE) Education System. Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) Travel Scholarship.

Berg, S. L. (2004). The advantages and disadvantages of the inclusion of students with disabilities into regular education classrooms(Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Stout).

Cole, C. (2006). Closing the Achievement Gap Series: Part III. What Is the Impact of NCLB on the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities? Education Policy Brief. Volume 4, Number 11, Fall 2006. Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University.

Salend, S. J. (2001). Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and reflective practices (4^th ed.).UpperSaddler River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.

U.S. Department of Education (2008) Education and inclusion in the United States: An overview. Polciy Brief.