Let´s talk about inclusion - Personal Reflection on Special Needs Students

Picture from http://www.jssa.org/services/specneeds

"For me, inclusion is about a community where everyone is recognized for their differences and everyone is recognized as belonging – not only in our schools, but in our communities."
Dr. Joseph Petner, Educator

Special needs students are those people that "may need support in the physical, cognitive, emotional or social areas of development or in the development of skills for varying periods of time. It is important to identify and define the child’s individual opportunities to act in different environments and in different educational situations and to also define related need for support and guidance. The aim is to prevent the child’s need for support from accumulating and becoming prolonged."

Finnish system works cause the cooperation between municipalities, schools and health care is in harmony. The children are followed since early stage: earlier the problem is identify bigger is the possibility to act on time.
At education level, special needs students have same rights that not special needs ones. This includes the possibility for them to get an education and a degree exactly as same as others. The students must provide an IEP (Individiual Education Plan) a pedagogical written document based on national curriculum where is written the provision of education and other support in accordance with the decision on special support issued for the pupil.

At Vocational level this plan must set out details of the qualification to be completed, the national core curriculum or the requirements of the competence-based qualification observed in education and training, the scope of the qualification, the individual curriculum drawn up for the student, grounds for providing special education and training, special educational and student welfare services required for studying as well atr

One issue that came out after reading some of the reflection paper from my fellows teachers students collegues it was: what is the support that special needs students got after the ended schools?
I truly believe that people in general should work on the word of "inclusion".
Inclusion is the key word of Finnish system: with this strategy they give possibility to special needs students to partecipate and learn in same classes with others. Therefore special needs students develop skills they canuse in and out of classroom.
Inclusion education system has inside 2 different kind of approaches:
1) Full time inclusion: is not world wide accepted: The students with special needs are always educated alongside students without special needs, as the first and desired option while maintaining appropriate supports and services. In wider point of view the "inclusion"is a concept that the whole class learn.
2) Part time or regular inclusion: the special needs students participate for several hours to the activity of the class: nearly all of the day, or at least for more than half of the day. For this kind of approach maybe more suitable is the word "integration" than "inclusion".
Both approaches requires some basics and practical elements in a classroom. It´s also extremely important to have a strong community behind that support the work of teachers that need to create an enviroment  "diversity" is not a minus but a "plus". In this issue Finland wins again. The cooperation between the municipalities, schools and health care centres helps to build a community around everybody not only around special needs people.
According to Wikipedia, teachers use a number of techniques to help build classroom communities:

• Using games designed to build community
• Involving students in solving problems
• Sharing songs and books that teach community
• Openly dealing with individual differences by discussion
• Assigning classroom jobs that build community
• Teaching students to look for ways to help each other
• Utilizing physical therapy equipment such as standing frames, so students who typically use wheelchairs can stand when the other students are standing and more actively participate in activities
• Encouraging students to take the role of teacher and deliver instruction (e.g. read a portion of a book to a student with severe disabilities)
• Focusing on the strength of a student with special needs

The inclusion positive aspects are quite many and easy to find: benefits for everybody, easier riching IEP goals,post schools adjustmens.
Challenging for the inclusions of special needs students in normal classes are quite many and include educators, administrators and parents. As a parent, if my son would be special needs students I might be worried that he will be ridiculed by other students, or be unable to develop regular life skills in an academic classroom.

According to UNESCO, inclusion “is increasingly understood more broadly as a reform that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners.” Under this broader definition of inclusion, steps should also be taken to eliminate discrimination and provide accommodations for all students who are at a disadvantage because of some reason other than disability.


References:

UNESCO (2009) Policy Guidelines on Inclusion in Education. UNESCO: Paris. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0017/001778/177849e.pdf

All publications about special needs students and their inclusion in Finland are retreived on:
http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/finland/publications-fi  

Entrepreneurship task 1 and 2

Core questions:
1. What is meant by intrapreneurship?
2. What are the teaching and assessment methods that will enhance development of the student’s intrapreneurship?
3. How to further/aid the process from intrapreneuship/internal entrepreneurship towards (external) entrepreneurship?
4. How to teach entrepreneurship in the best and most effective manner in vocational education?

Intraneurship and entrepreneurship even though they are similar in many ways they do have some differences. Intrapreneurship is when a person inside a bigcompany take responsibility to make an idea into a profitable product. This people who are intrapreneurs are more ready to take risks. For them is easier to apoligize for a mistake then prevent the mistake itself.
Entrepreneurship is when a person is not working for a big company but has the same attitude to make an idea into a profitavle and durable business. In a way the intrapreneur has got "easier" life cause he/she will get the financial support from the company where they are working. If we consider that point of view I could say that intrapreneurs use less creativity than entrepreneurs (or actually they use it differently). The entrepreneurs use creativity for getting OWN idea realized ; intrapreneurs they use the creativity in the sense that they want to make their company profits.
I think that both can be taught. As a teacher we should keep on to those students that are for instance very practical personalities, who like to take risks and those who are not that good in some subjects ;)
The question in my pointof view is: how we can teache to the teachers that this is an importan issue? the world is constantky changingand so the jobs available out there. Teachers who don´t teach this issue won´t give to their students anything else that their own subjects. I think we should start to teach and to push the future "entrepreneurial" and "intrapreneurial students from the elementary schools.For the Espoo days we had to make a SWOT analysis to different kind of schools/ institutions that educate the students to different kind of schools/institutions that educate the students to be an entrepreneur. That experience and also my teaching training (where we did speak about " intrapreneurship" more than "entrepreneurship") made me think: how much time we spend usually in school learning theories on theories instead to give the students practical examples! If I would work in school I would probabily make the exercises mentioned in your "Teaching the entrepreneurship". I think it gives to the students always the idea that the plan B is always out there. They should just find the right idea and the attitude to make into practise. 

Task 2

I found this video really inspiring as a parent and as a teacher:
http://www.ted.com/talks/cameron_herold_let_s_raise_kids_to_be_entrepreneurs.html 

Cameron Herold is an entrepreneur since childhood and in this video gives some advices as a parent and as a teacher how to raise kids to be an entrepreneur.
In my opinion he pointed out that the traditional schools want to uniformity and not diversity. In this video I liked how he describes different kinds of entrepreneurs in the same person and to develop creativity in business matters.
The bottom line is that entrepreneurs create value where others don't recognize it. This includes capitalizing on present market opportunities. This can result in exploitation or win-win arrangements, depending on the motive or application. Perhaps Cameron is being criticized for his examples, but the principle I think he's getting at is this: we need to re-kindle an entrepreneurial spirit in our culture. Such creativity is the promise of tomorrow and affects not only business, but also science and the arts. Sure, it needs to be governed by principle, but the entrepreneurial gift always starts out in raw form while it develops. Beside my video (which underline the creativity) I think also Katariina´s material was really good and I could take that as an example how I applied during my teacher training. You will find the practical application from my part during my teaching training in red.
I was teaching in Diaconia Univeristy of Applied Science - Bachelor of Social Service - English Orientation.

• communication skills, especially persuasion > we working on that all the time starting with an activity called "how to bring the person to own side". It´s pretty simple and practical activity. The goal is to bring physically the person to your side using words, gestures and all the tools you have to get into the goal. 
• creativity skills > every day the students in group of 3 should start with something creative in order to use their English. In add we had quite many problem solving and they have to think how to present the solutions in creative way in order to get the other group sure that your solution is the best.
• critical thinking and assessment skills > during the lesson on adoption students were forced to think critical and assess the situation to avoid the risks of failure (like in business)
• leadership skills > there was always a group leader even though I didn´t ask them to choose one. 
• negotiation skills > when we spoke about family and adoption they had to figure out how to negotiate some rules between for instance the foster families and biological families in order to make the interest of the child
• problem-solving skills > I mostly presented them cases in order to cover different clients. .
• social networking skills > we had one day POPPLET day: they had to answer all together in order to solve several questions about a case study on alcohol problem pregnant woman
• time management skills > they did have a strictly timetable to come out with good solution and its presentation

Global and Culture Competence - task 2 - 2nd part

Task: In pakistan your will be working in a school with a group of students who aspire to pursue studeis in states or similar countries in the west. How will you plan your course to help them to acclimate into the culture?

I would organize a training of 6 meetings where students can express themsleves and if it´s necessary share with others their feelings about different cultures. I would choose working in small groups, discussions, sharing own personal experience. I would choose traditional presentation for giving practical information about working policies of different countries, case studies for deeping a specific situation, role play and simulation for processing identification in real life situation and personal limits in different contest. I would add energizers (to build the group) and creatives activites to stimulate also other communicative ways of approaching.

1st lesson: Working on getting to know each other, presentation about the course methodology, the programme and definition of the time, the way and the work places. Expectation about the course.

2nd lesson: Starting from students ideas: where would you like to go to work and why? Differences and similarities on those ideas. The role of a foreigner worker in west countries and working policies of the chosen west countries/states.

3rd lesson: what do you think will be your working day? comparison with the expectation and real day routine. Reflections of moving abroad.

4th lesson: Comparison and exchange on culture peculiarities of home country and west countries/states.
Why the dialogue is important in different cultures. Prejudices and Stereotypes. Why differences in culture are positive.

5th lesson: Tollerance and integration: reflection on own membership and nationality (in this case Pakistan)
Case study: analyse a concrete situation and different modalities of adaptation and integration.

6th and last lesson: analyse of the real opportunities on western markets. Reflection on ideas, projects, organizations and evaluation of own idea. Looking for already implement projects and analyse them from the culture point of view.

Global and Cultural Competencies - Task 2 - 1st part

The Global and Culture Competencies asked to give a short answers (Around 250-500 words) on these questions:
How I will prepare myself for a group of students from different cultures? (Finnish language teacher)
What I will do to help the student that speaks only arabic to learn Finnish?

To have a multiculture classes is a challenge but it´s not impossible to deal with students from different cultures. I would at the beginning find out their personal information (for instance where are they from, what schools they attended and so on) and then organize a previous meeting with them and/or with their families.
If it is absolutely necessary I would ask the help of a translator, but at the beginning I would probabily find out their knowledge in Finnish language.
In order to do that I think would be enough have an informal conversation. After that I could divide them in 3 different levels:
- beginners
- intermidiate
- advanced.
With the beginners I would start working on pronunciation: using a lot my body language and try to do as much as I can to involve them. One good activity might be in group to write (and it doesn´t matter if it´s not written correctly) a list of Finnish words (including names of famous Finns, food, cities and so on..) I would then with them start to work on the pronunciation of those words. If necessary I could use as a language  support English/French and Italian ;)
Probabily in this group will be also that student that knows only arabic: she will be treated as the rest and if necessary I could ask help for a translator. Putting her with beginners won´t let her/his motivation going down if she/he will be if would be with advanced or intermidiate.
With the intermidiate: I would start with a simple conversation on daily routines in order to check what are their speaking skills. I would ask them also to write down a small presentation on themselves (in order to see their written skill). Based on this I could carry on a tailor made course for them too.
With the advanced: Conversations, discussions on newspapers articles, about cultures. Movies. Comments on national happenings. Same strategy than intermidiate course: build a tailored course for them.


In all of three I would teach them the Finnish culture: showing them videos (according to their level), receipts (according to their level) and everything what included the Finnish daily culture routines.
I would also recommend to have a book, an exercise book and cd that they could listening at the different dialogue and pronunciation during their spare time.
For teaching culture I would also spend some time during my lessons to let the students express themselves and talk about their own culture. I would work (beside the language itself) on the concepts of:
- communication between different culture
-  expectations on the other culture actions
 - building a group and a community
- the advantages of no violence approach but see the idea of conflict as a constructive opportunity to have a dialogue
- culture shock

I would use for cover this part the material used by the National Agencies from different training programmes. One of it you can find in here: salto-youth.net  

Make the move video

Our assignment was to watch a video about substanbility. Many pictures that cover different themes. Some of them were for me clear what you meant and other not. (for instance...Colosseum) but I will try to share my thoughts while watching the video (is this what you asked right?)
The youth unemployement rates are scary and is one of the biggest reason why I moved here. In my home country there are not jobs available so I was "forced" to seek opportunities somewhere else too. To favourite mobility should be more programes that let people go abroad for working or studies. I don´t know how many they are out there, but when I was studying, we had only Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Comenius and they are NOT for everybody. (meaning that in Italy to parteciapate in one of them you need to be good in school... ;) )
How balancing social economic and environment for the future generations?I read in internet few days ago that most of the ideas to save the world seems to be quite tecnological: sun shelter for instance is one of them(more in here http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/ten-ideas-to-save-the-world.html)
but I am thinking something more practical and why not? more fun.
First of all we should give to solving the world problems a lot of time in terms of hours per week and change the attitude: we should have exactly the attitude to achieve the goal, ready to take all the risks that a mission would include... it´s the same attitude that we have when we play games. I have been inspire from this video that actually give us an idea how to save the world using games:  http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html .
Now in here she used the World of Warcraft but think about to transfer this kind of games in normal day situations starting from kindergarden: simulation activities with young children, youngsters and so on. Starting with a tasks that you and only you can solve (the others give you a task and they trust you in saving the world): the task is suitable for you capability and you are able to achieve it with some effors and go to the second level and so on. What about using simulations on line games to support the collaborative aspects and help the future generations to litlle by little making the gap smaller and smaller?
Similuation games can be done also in real life not only on line: starting with the youngest generations:in kindergarden why we don´t   for instance play games according to the children´s age, personalities that helps to saving the world?
Giving children/youngsters tasks in the game that they think is reasonable for them and they can solve. This will give them motivation to go on until they can get the goals. Playing a game together is also give the player the feelings that the other players won´t leave the game until the end. They will be there playing with us until the goal.

Would it be enough as crazy ideas?

iVet saving the world - Individual task

1.   The main points of my workplace's sustainable development program
I am working in Community Colleges and I am working in so many of those that I decided to keep as an example my previous employer: Mc Donald´s. The Community Colleges they don´t have a specific strategy as far as I know. Mc Donald´s instead they have really specific sustainable program and they involve the workers from the very first working day.
These the main points:
In packing:  minimizing weight, maximamizing use of recycles materials, preference for renewable raw materials from third-party certified sources, minimizing the amount of harmful chemicals used in production, reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions,maximizing end-of-life options such as recycling or composting.
Recycled paper: they use it in tray liners, napkins, bags, sandwich containers and other restaurant materials such as shipping containers. All the packing is anyway made approximately 80% of the  from renewable (paper or wood-fiber) materials, and nearly 30% of consumer packaging is made from recycled materials. 
In food: in Mc Donalds we were using for instance palm oil in some products straight and in some other just small quatity. The oil plan plantation increased a lot especially in some areas that were left without any forests. The use of this oil and the conseguences plantation helped to restablish the eco system in some areas. 
They cooperate with WWF(World Wildlife Fund): every year Mc Donalds gets an analysis from WWF in order to know in what area they should improve the sustainable development. In every region/state is different results so they are working according to their areas results. Example: in Europe they might work in sustainable coffee and America on different issue. 
Here you are a picture that summerize the main points that I didn´t mention but it´s part of 2012 sustaunability highlights: 
http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/content/mcd/sustainability/sustainability_highlights/_jcr_content/genericpagecontent/everything_0/file.res/2012_Global_Sustainability_Highlights_Infographic.pdf%2c%2c%2c


2. How does it affect employees' day to day life or does it?
Yes it does. Every evening for example workers have to save the oil in a big cointainers. They were using for recycling. Also the fact that every worker is trained to cooperate for recycling as much as possible is also very effective. Of course as a company they are focused in increase effecienty and dicrease the wasting. Achiving those goals it reduces the costs and also make them in the eyes of the workers and custumers a trust brand. In different countries they use different strategies but with the same goal. In my personal experience here in Finland I can say that in matter of saving energy for instance they were regulating the kitchen equipement perfome to improve the use of energy. Also they were adjusting the ventilation system according to the number of the custumers helped to save energy. As a worker there for instance this system make me confortable with the temperature in every situation. 
 
3. What are the challenges in sustainable development in my field of work?
As I language teacher/ history teacher I think it´s to show the students in practical way what means sustainable development. Beside the recycling of paper and turn off all the electronic equipments what else I could show them? Now that I am doing my teaching training I am using more and more the computer and less copies. Yes it helps in one way but what about in the other?  I think what I miss also is practical example for instance in issues such as: understading completely the word sustainable development and be able to explain as good as possible, shating the complexity of the actions to make a better world; in more practical ways how to be able to build a human capacity for implementing a new education in sustainable development. 

4. How could I teach the principles of sustainable development in my own subject? 
 As an history teacher I could teach the concept of sustainable development during the past years and help the students to recognize the changing. As a language teacher I could help the students to recongnize what is behind a message and analyze it.  I would like them to think about the deep meaning of sustainable develpment, to take part to the local community activities where stakeholders can also partecipate and say their opionion about  s.d.


References: 

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSqIzZpfCqs&list=PL308D62066232AFA0&index=1&
• feature=plpp_video 
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvQKAXQbcko&feature=BFa&list=PL308D62066232AFA0&lf=plpp_video 
• http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/content/mcd/sustainability/sustainability_highlights/_jcr_content/genericpagecontent/everything_0/file.res/2012_Global_Sustainability_Highlights_Infographic.pdf%2c%2c%2c 
•  http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/sustainability.html
• http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001524/152453eo.pdf 

 

Vs 1 - Voc 2

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7v3HpTk4u0ZEDkNPQczmK9GbNOSyZZfx0BUVBZeryDWCvYzuNH8qmNwWUybvJk80SNGTsN1mrelKF7bJPtKmcmSwqeF1Unekzstte3Kp9q2tcL5g6hOsQtTPJqjLwaVpbDpTbXXgPkO8/s640/confusione.jpg

VOC 2 Starting day_poem

...so here we go.

Pictures!
personal
specific
appropriate
entertain
reinforce
wram up
Pictures!