One Simple Question......

Falkorre

Do you think, if you are 100% honest, that so-called "special schools" for people with disabilities, should be scrapped in favour of integrated "normalised" schools such as ballinteer community school?

B

DadaKopf

Yes.

Kappar

Do you think, if you are 100% honest, that so-called "special schools" for people with disabilities, should be scrapped in favour of integrated "normalised" schools such as ballinteer community school?

Yes, what’s wrong with B.C.S.? I used to go there (getting results on Wed) and I think it was an excellent idea to have everyone in the one school. I made friends with people with disabilities which if I didn't go B.C.S. I probably wouldn't have in fact I would probably have stared and people with disabilities but now they are just like anyone else to me.

The Corinthian

I would have thought that students with learning (rather than physical) disabilities would require a different approach to teaching that would make it unfair to those students without such disabilities.

Sangre

Are you talking about physical or mental difficulties?
Physical difficulties should certainly be integrated with normal schools that are accessable for them

Learning difficulties absolutely not.

Nevyn

most schools arent acessbile and that is the major stumbling block .

patch

If they could integrate both methods of teaching which are needed. It would be beneficial I'm sure for both groups to interact in some way.

The Corinthian

Originally posted by patch69
If they could integrate both methods of teaching which are needed. It would be beneficial I'm sure for both groups to interact in some way.

Would that be possible though? A child with learning disabilities learns at a different pace to one without. As such would it be feasible to integrate a curriculum for both a normal thirteen year old and a thirteen year old with Down syndrome who could have a reading vocabulary of only 100 words?

Chaos-Engine

Originally posted by patch69
If they could integrate both methods of teaching which are needed. It would be beneficial I'm sure for both groups to interact in some way.

Yes. I'd strongly agree.
As a sudent with A Learning Difficulty in a co-called normal school. I can pass a reasonable amount of first hand knowledge regarding this.
Teachers are the biggest problem. They aren't willing to learn how to teach special-needs students at all. If the Department wants to teach teh teachers how to teach. The teachers demand more pay. Well i say they should have to for teh same pay.
Why?
Cause I have a right to be educated just as everyone else and that shouldn't entitle anyone to make an extra euro for it.

Teaching methods have to change fundementally.
ALL STUDENTS. Not just students with specific learning difficulties. Require a different method of teaching to gain most from their education.
Above all else I must commend Montasory Schools. They have coninually shown their will in this regard. For that reason I believe that all Primary SChools in this state at least should aspire to the model of the Montasory Schools and possibly become Montasory SChools in themselfs

note: Down with remedial education. It is segragation and acceptant of under performance due to a teachers inability to recocnise a student with learning difficulties when rather it is a teacher with poor teaching abilities at fault(e.g. on average a Dyslexic student has an IQ of above-average compared to that of his/her non-dyslexic counter-part)

oscarBravo

Chaos, you'd probably agree with one of my favourite Richard Bandler quotes: "there are no learning difficulties, only teaching difficulties."

Yoda

In the UK there are problems with the over-integration. One of these is the notion that every child has to be able to do exactly the same curriculum as every other.

For nonspeaking people, who use Blissymbols or other symbolic communication systems – arguably their native languages alongside English which they learn to understand but cannot speak – find that too much emphasis is placed on the O-Level exam curriculum as opposed to work on more practical – for them – skills.

Obviously it is a more complex situation than that, and generalizations are hard to make. But the idea that society should act as though people with disabilities didn't have disabilities, and didn't need special training and facilities, is a bit shortsighted.

This is certainly the case for the Deaf. Full integration into hearing schools is usually disadvantageous to them, because they receive less education through their native language (Irish Sign Language here).

So to answer your question, no, special schools should not be scrapped. Special schools provide the best service for people with special needs. It depends on the needs, of course. Integration is great for many. But it's not appropriate for all.

Kolodny

Originally posted by patch69
If they could integrate both methods of teaching which are needed. It would be beneficial I'm sure for both groups to interact in some way.

This is where it would get too complex if students have specific learning needs. I work in a special school for children with learning disabilities with huge numbers of new students enrolling each year as they have struggled to progress in their mainstream schools. The IEP (Individual Education Plan) system is used, which means all the class teachers and heads meet with the parents or guardians at the beginning of each term and compose an IEP that's specific to each student. They all still take classes together, and the class groups are small (usually 6 to 10 students), but would be given homework and individual time with teachers or special needs assistants to give them help with their weakers areas e.g. maths, reading or social skills. The level of individual work done couldn't be integrated into a mainstream school system in this case.