...Attitudes toward Inclusive Education in the Cayo District. Student Karen Cruz University of Belize Submitted to: Dr. Somanadevi Thiagarajan Lecturer, Research Methods University of Belize July 23rd 2014 Contents 1.Introduction 3 2.Statement of the problem &sub-problems ………………………………………………………………………………………….5 3. Hypothesis and Questions Hypothesis and /or Questions……………………………………………………………………7 4 Delimitations………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..8 5 Definition of terms……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8 6. Importance of the study…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 7. Literature Review .................................................................................................................................12 8. Methodology 16 9. Timeframe 18 10. Bibliography 19 Introduction For many teachers, students entering general education classrooms are just more difficult to deal with due to the many complex issues that they bring from different aspects of their lives. Teaching children who come to school hungry, stressed out, angry and sleepy interferes with the transfer of learning, even more, if the issues are compounded by other challenges such as language, speech, brain and other disorders. Today’s classrooms are more diverse as education is more inclusive (Mckay, 2012...
Words: 4115 - Pages: 17
...What Does Making Excellence Inclusive in Education Mean? Student’s Name Institution What Does Making Excellence Inclusive in Education Mean? In the current education system, the performance of students is to some extent influenced by their background. This influence is in terms of race, region, social class, language, and ethnicity. Students from underserved social backgrounds often perform poorly as compared to those in highly regarded social contexts (Kuh, 2008). To this end, there is no equality in the current education system. This act precipitates a growing need for making education excellence inclusive. Education excellence inclusive means that all students are guided and given room to prove they're potential irrespective of their social backing (Clayton-Pedersen, O'Neill, and Musil, 2009). Making excellence inclusive in the education system, therefore, means that race, cultural diversity, language, the color of the skin and ethnicity are disregarded. As variables for influencing education performance and achievement in schools (Tierney, 2007). Performance is solely based on merit and not on cultural background as it is been the tradition. Cultural diversity has always had negative impacts on the education system, as race and background have been used to gauge the potential of certain students (Tierney, 2007). This fact means that it is erroneous to pronounce a particular student who hails from a minority group or culture as the top performer...
Words: 673 - Pages: 3
...topic in all educational systems nowadays. It refers to placing students with disabilities in age-appropriate general education classes in their home schools, and ensuring that they receive the specialized instruction described by their individualized education programs (IEP's). According to PD Dr. Friedhelm Pfeifer a senior researcher at ZEW and a lecturer at the University of Mannheim School, inclusion is intended to give all children and adolescents, including those with disabilities, the opportunity of participation in the highest possible quality educational services in the community. Nobody should be left out. In fact, this is a worthy societal objective. It essentially seeks to take these two worlds, regular...
Words: 1731 - Pages: 7
...Faculty Of Education At The ………..University YEAR: 2015 THE CANDIDATE’S NAME THE NAME SCHOOL Declaration This study is my original work and has not been presented for a degree or any other award in another University or institution of higher learning Signature…………………………………… Date………………………………… Name of the Student: Registration number of the student: I confirm that the work conveyed in this proposal is carried out by the candidate under the guidance of my supervision. Signature……………………………………… Date ………………………………. Name of the Supervisor Name of the University Name of the Department Dedication I dedicate this proposal to my parents, Mr. and Mrs. ………… for modeling me into who I am and for their moral and financial support throughout the whole process. Contents Declaration 2 Dedication 3 Abstract 5 Acknowledgments 7 Chapter One: Introduction 8 1.1 Background of the Study 8 1.2 The Purpose of the Study 9 1.3 Significance of the Study 9 1.4 Research Problem 10 1.5 Research Questions (Quantitative) 11 1.6 The Theoretical Model 12 1.8 Definition of Terms 13 Teacher Perspective-Refers to the view and opinions of teachers based on the special education services provided to students with disabilities. 13 1.7 Research Limitations 14 1.8 Summary 14 Chapter Two: Literature Review 15 2.1 Education System in Saudi Arabia 15 2.2 Overview of Special Education in Saudi Arabia 17 2.3 Saudi Legislations of Special Education 18 2.4 Teachers'...
Words: 9510 - Pages: 39
...Inclusion, or organized placement of children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms (Cook, 2001), has certainly been one of the major topics in education for the last two decades (Avramidis, Bayliss, & Burden, 2000). However, it was not until quite recently that teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of children with special educational needs (SEN) became the focus of extensive research (Avramidis & Kalyva, in press; Jobe & Rust, 2006). The major reason for this change in research interest could perhaps be traced to more contemporary approaches to education, which claim that in order to gain valuable insight into the practice as well as the dynamics of the inclusive classroom, there is perhaps no better method than to evaluate the attitudes of those who form an important part of that dynamic system; namely, the teachers (Rose, 2001). Indeed, teachers’ attitudes have been found to affect the process and the outcome of inclusion to a great extent (e.g., Avramidis et al., 2000; Richards, 2009). More specifically, teachers’ positive attitudes towards the inclusion of children with SEN could facilitate inclusion in a mainstream setting (e.g., Cook, 2001; Richards, 2009), since positive attitudes are closely related to motivation to work with and teach children with SEN. Teachers’ motivation in this case is of utmost importance because inclusion demands time, organisation, and cooperation with a pupil with SEN who is not customarily willing or able to participate in classroom...
Words: 1510 - Pages: 7
...ntroduction Financial inclusion is the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to sections of disadvantaged and low income segments of society. Unrestrained access to public goods and services is the sine qua non of an open and efficient society. It is argued that as banking services are in the nature of public good, it is essential that availability of banking and payment services to the entire population without discrimination is the prime objective of public policy. The term "financial inclusion" has gained importance since the early 2000s, and is a result of findings about financial exclusion and its direct correlation to poverty. Financial inclusion is now a common objective for many central banks among the developing nations. Financial Inclusion Includes Accessing Of Financial Products And Services Like, Savings Credit Insurance Remittance facilities etc Savings facility Credit and debit cards access Electronic fund transfer All kinds of commercial loans Overdraft facility Cheque facility Payment and remittance services Low cost financial services Insurance (Medical insurance) Financial advice Pension for old age and investment schemes Access to financial markets Micro credit during emergency Entrepreneurial credit The Reserve Bank of India has set up a commission (Khan Commission) in 2004 to look into financial inclusion. In India, Financial Inclusion first featured in 2005. India, being a mostly agrarian economy, hardly has schemes...
Words: 918 - Pages: 4
...INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: CHALENGES AND PROSPECT IN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE ABSTRACT Inclusive education is process of strengthening the capacity of the education system to reach out to all learners, irrespective of their abilities, disabilities, ethnicity, gender and age, and receives quality education. The purpose of the study is to ensure that all children gain access to quality education that will prepare them to contribute to country’s progress. Recommendations to send children with disabilities to mainstream schools were first made in the Sargent Report in 1944 and thereafter the Government of India has created numerous policies around inclusive education since the country’s independence. Despite the promotion of inclusive education, Govt. has focus on inclusive education as being about inclusion in the education system, but not specifically in the mainstream. We have adopted qualitative approach and secondary information on the status of inclusive education obtained from government documents, reports and available literature for the study. The review concludes although India’s remarkable progress to provide inclusive education, there is need to bridge the gaps in education system to build a strong system of inclusive education and must continue to improve the lives of its citizens. The study will help us have holistic perspective with respect to dealing with inclusive education. Keywords: inclusive education, legislation, India Introduction: Inclusion is an educational approach...
Words: 3582 - Pages: 15
...classroom setting. A teacher’s role and teaching methods need to change in an inclusion classroom. Inclusion provides the diversity of processing special education children in with the mainstream children to enrich the learning environment. Inclusion means the act or practice of including students with disabilities in regular school classes (Merriam Webster, 2011). Although research on the long term effects of inclusion may be sketchy, there is some evidence of the positive effects of inclusive education on the students who are not disabled. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated that children with disabilities be educated with the children who did not have a disability, education in the United States changed (ED.gov). Before this act, few classrooms included students with disabilities. As late as the middle 1970s, an estimated one million children with disabilities did not even attend school (Inclusion Confusion, 1999). Special education changed with the passage of the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and its 1997 amendments. This legislation moved children with special needs from their separate rooms into regular classrooms. To meet the demands of the IDEA, schools must provide students with a chance to be in a mainstream classroom environment before placing them in a special education classroom. Recently there was a reform movement passed by Congress that requires schools to a level of standards by the school year of 2013-2014...
Words: 2035 - Pages: 9
...The institution even sets aside a day dedicated to inform students of the importance of inclusive excellence, and how to embrace diversity. We must treat diversity as an opportunity to educate ourselves on all sorts of different types of people. It is my personal experience that Lebanon Valley College has opened up my eyes to appreciate differences between myself and other people. In contrast to Catholicism, the institution does not want you to only tolerate differences, but they encourage that you actively engage in conversation about the differences that you may have with other people. The main difference being that you have interfaith dialogues, and not intrafaith dialogues, where you are only acting as a bystander. Inclusive excellence is especially important within the residence halls, since students live in communities that share common space. If students can recognize and become informed about the differences between each other, it can lead to having an understanding of one another on a deeper level. Being inclusive is an important skill to have because after graduation, once you encounter the real world, you will come across people from a variety of backgrounds, religions, and cultures. Inclusive excellence seems to overlap with religious pluralism by having similar definitions. Both are ideal skills to have in...
Words: 1398 - Pages: 6
...original sources and / or more up to date texts. This essay should not be reproduced either in part or whole.) Background and introduction Students had written card to their tutor; ‘Merry Christmas’ was the message and in a variety of languages: English, Italian, Chinese, Polish, African, German, Malaysian, Spanish and others, which remained unidentified (tutor’s limitations). It was touching, but more than that it was a sharp reminder that for teaching to be relevant and meaningful to students, course design and teaching has to take into account the issues, needs and opportunities presented by learner diversity and increasing globalisation. An inclusive definition of diversity A personal, anecdotal recognition of the importance of student diversity is backed by weight of evidence and research. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (2005), identified that of all first degree students in 2003/4, at least 6.4% were known to have a disability, c. 56% were female and 16% part time. Numerous references, projects, papers and discussions are dedicated to the topics of diversity and its stable mate ‘widening participation’. They have emerged, not only in specialist HE channels such as the HEFCE website but also, as noted by Watson (2006 p.2), ‘into the general conversation and discourse of our wider society.’ As well as nationality, language, culture, race, gender, modes of study and disability, learner diversity can and does cover: family circumstances, dependents, finances...
Words: 1697 - Pages: 7
...which I am most strong. Diversity can be defined as any attribute relevant to an individual that creates or reinforces a perception that he/she is different from another individual (Williams, 1998). Managing diversity is an on-going process that unleashes the various talents and capabilities which a diverse population bring to an organization, community or society, so as to create a wholesome, inclusive environment, that is “safe for differences,” enables people to “reject rejection,” celebrates diversity, and maximizes the full potential of all, in a cultural context where everyone benefits. Multiculturalism, as the art of managing diversity, is an inclusive process where no one is left out. In an age of cultural pluralism, multiculturalism is needed to manage diversity effectively. In essence, then, multiculturalism is nothing more than the art of managing diversity in a total quality manner. One area regarding managing diversity in which I am most strong is the focus on the individual, concerned with embracing and valuing differences. This area is of tremendous importance, since staff and administration that do not get along, nor understand each other, are not able to maximize their greatest potential for optimal excellence. Here is where workshops on prejudice, cultural awareness, cross-cultural communication and conflict resolution are most helpful. (Lorde, 1993) The purpose of valuing diversity and appreciating differences is not simply to make people feel good about...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...I agree with Hunter’s focus on the importance of education in Texas. Poverty and economic status are strongly related with the level of education individuals have, and the Texas government should focus on advancing its education programs in order to benefit the African and Hispanic communities that are struggling. With Texas’ low rankings for being the 44th in high school graduation rate and 47th in average SAT scores compared to the rest of the nation, this is a clear indication that Texas needs to improve its school systems (Brown). Texas should look past its conservative nature and focus on what the state really needs, instead of rejecting participation in federal education grants, such as the Race to the Top, in 2010. As for the standardization...
Words: 346 - Pages: 2
...others succeed, for the book is as much about success as failure – are not – as earlier authors have argued - economic policies, geography, culture, or value systems – but rather institutions, more precisely the political institutions that determine economic institutions. Acemoglu and Robinson theorize that political institutions can be divided into two kinds - “extractive” institutions in which a “small” group of individuals do their best to exploit - in the sense of Marx - the rest of the population, and “inclusive” institutions in which “many” people are included in the process of governing hence the exploitation process is either attenuated or absent. Needless to say Acemoglu and Robinson’s theory is more subtle than this simple summary. They argue that for any economic success political institutions must be sufficiently centralized to provide basic public services including justice, the enforcement of contracts, and education. Given that these functions are carried out, inclusive institutions enable innovative energies to emerge and lead to continuing growth as exemplified by the Industrial Revolution. Extractive institutions can also deliver growth but only when the economy is distant from the technological frontier. These extractive institutions will ultimately fail, however, when innovations and “creative destruction” are needed to push the frontier. Hence, while success may be possible for a while under extractive institutions...
Words: 5886 - Pages: 24
...DEVELOPING AN INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM: “EVERY TEACHER MATTERS” Keith A. Humphreys Centre for Advancement in Special Education University of Hong Kong The development of inclusive education practices have led to worldwide discussion of how best to deliver a more equal education opportunity for all. In Hong Kong this has led to the development of the concept of an inclusive curriculum for special schools. This paper looks at the implications of writing an inclusive curriculum that has common curriculum content for all pupils that is based on the State curriculum. Over a four year period, nine special schools for pupils of different designated disability collectively pooled their resources to work for one common curriculum goal. In doing so they discovered that the biggest challenge was to the teacher’s hearts and minds. Over 130 teachers were involved in the project. It required a significant paradigm shift in the way the teachers thought both about what they taught and how they taught. It required a common team effort within and across each school. It was apparent that providing equal opportunity to raise standards of education for the all the pupils required the recognition that every teacher had to change their way of thinking, every teacher matters. Introduction Four years ago, nine special schools embarked on a development program to work out an inclusive curriculum. When they met the schools were all designated with different disability responsibilities...
Words: 6262 - Pages: 26
...a special education teacher and Mr. Agustin Luna, a regular education instructor. Both of these teachers are co-workers of mine at Cigarroa High School in Laredo, TX. Mr. Villalobos is completing his fifth year teaching and worked as a paraprofessional for eight years prior to becoming a certified teacher. Mr. Luna is a veteran teacher with over thirty-five years of experience at the middle and high school levels. I first sat down with Mr. Eduardo Villalobos to discuss the issues related to this assignment. Mr. Villalobos is a Functional Living Skills (FLS) teacher for grades 9-12th. We began with a discussion about the various terms associated with students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). He explained that in the past mental retardation was the accepted term for students with mild to severe intellectual deficiencies and lack of adaptive behaviors. He continued to explain that now the term mental retardation is considered a taboo word and no longer acceptable among reputable professionals in related fields. Regarding laws protecting students with ID, Mr. Villalobos advised me that legislation over the years has evolved to provide students with a much more inclusive environment that seeks to provide this population with as many opportunities as those students in general education programs. He advised me that this is accomplished through allowing ID students to participate in mainstream classes when appropriate. Mr. Villalobos stressed the importance of the Individual...
Words: 1005 - Pages: 5
