INTERNET RESOURCES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND INCLUSION

Title: Internet resources for special educational needs and inclusion Vrasmas, Traian, Ovidius University Constanta, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Bd. Mamaia Street No.124 Email: traianvrasmas@yahoo.com Vrasmas, Ecaterina, Bucharest University, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Sos. Panduri nr.90, Email: ecaterinavr@yahoo.com ABSTRACT Introduction The importance of educational and social inclusion for all children and adolescents is clear in the modern world and particularly in Europe, with an emphasis on marginalized and vulnerable groups. Children with special educational needs (SEN) are one important group in this social and educational area. Main objectives: 1. Explore the internet resources in connection with the SEN and inclusion (criteria based), in order to identify the amplitude and the main meanings of the two concepts 2. Built lists of publications available on internet from major resources and making short reviews for some of these Methodology and process Based on the two key words (special educational needs and inclusion) hundreds of websites and blogs were explored, during the first phase. In the second phase some of them were selected – on a short list - according to the consistence to the key words: special educational needs and inclusion. This short list – including resources in English, French and Romanian language - was explored more in depths, following the indicators of: a) Terminology and meanings – for the two main terms b) Coverage (components) for special educational needs c) Linkage between the two terms In the third phase internet resources from UNESCO and European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (EADSNE) was reviewed, in order to build - for each one - a short list of publica-tions and studies. Findings The main results are presented in synthesis. Objective 1 There is huge amount of web sites and blogs connected with SEN and inclusion. Of course this is more obvious from the internet sources in English. Due to the dynamics and complexity of internet communi-cation (direct and linked sources) is very difficult to make a quantitative estimation, but there are certainly thousands of links in the international arena. From a qualitative approach some major findings were: a) In the English sources from Europe SEN and SNE (Special Needs Education) are by far the most frequently used words. In the USA and Canada SEN is used interchangeably with ‘special needs’ and/or ‘spe-cial education’. In Europe SEN and SNE have a wide usage, particularly in the UK, Spain, Portugal but also at the level of the EADSNE (2 countries from EU as members). In the French sources there is less usage of SEN and SNE terms, but the term “besoignes educatif particuliere’ (particular educational needs) has emerged recently (EADSNE, 2009). In the Romanian sources there is a mixture of using SEN (a little bit of SNE) and also traditional terms as handicap, impairment, learning and language disorders etc. b) There is some variety in Europe, when scrutinizing the coverage (components) for SEN, but the tendency is to take the OECD definition from 2000 (IE: Hungary). Some countries have made recent changes in legislation in connection with SEN meaning and coverage (Scotland and Spain). There are similarities between the content of SEN in Europe and that of ‘special needs; or special education beneficiaries’ in USA. An interesting term in USA is “exceptional children’ (The Council of Exceptional Children), which refers both to children with disabilities and to gifted children. In Romania a pilot project was undertaken by RENINCO in 2007 – in cooperation with the Education Ministry - using the OECD definition of SEN. This definition is also present in a draft strategy for special needs education in the context of inclusion, posted on the Ministry website since April 2010. c) In all languages and geographical entities explored there is a clear and strong connection between SEN (or SNE) and inclusion. UNESCO and the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education are two important leading organisations in this field, also emphasising a strong connection between SEN and inclusion. Objective 2 After reviewing various resources two of them where selected for a thorough inventory of relevant publications and other resources. UNESCO (www.unesco.org.) is offering, in particular, a lot of information on inclusive education, like for instance the following publications and eReports: - Open file on inclusive education, 2001 - Case studies on inclusive education, 2001 (comprising Romania too) - Guidelines for inclusion. Ensuring education for all, 2005 - Positive discipline in the inclusive, learning-friendly classroom: a guide for teachers and teacher educators, 2006 - Policy guidelines on inclusion in education, 2009 EADSNE (www.european-agency.org) offers resources both on SEN and inclusion, like for exam-ple: - Development of a set of indicators – for inclusive education in Europe, 2009 - Inclusive Education and Classroom Practices, 2003 - Multicultural diversity and special needs education. Summary Report, 2009 - Special Needs Country Data, 2008 - Thematic Key words for Inclusive and Special Needs Education, 2009 The paper presents a short summary for each of these publications. Conclusions The internet resources for SEN and inclusion are very rich and diverse. The idea of Inclusive Education for pupils with Special Educational Needs is widely spread and emphasised on the internet. In spite of the diversity, there are some important common features and clear tendencies in terminology and in the definition of the two terms. The UNESCO work posted on internet – particularly on inclusion – and EADSNE – both on SEN (SNE) and inclusion – are very important and could be wider accessed and better valued in this context.

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