Diversity and inclusion. Shared meanings between Italy and Lithuania. International comparative analysis of inclusive trajectories in educational policies and practices

The meaning of inclusion is complex and related to every form of diversity; it needs to be defined in a broad context, within and beyond the school context, to overcome all forms of exclusion and discrimination. The concept of inclusive education concerns proper and appropriately agreedon terminology and meanings expressed in the 2006 UN Convention ratifying the need to recognize the same rights for all individuals, as human beings, beyond stigma and labels. The paper aims to show the trajectories of inclusive education policies and practices in the historical and educational contexts of two European countries, referring to the social-constructivism and bio-psycho-social pedagogical constructs, valuing the contribution of national and international scientific literature. This article investigates cultural approaches, law evolutions and management policies that make an educational institution inclusive in the Italian and Lithuanian systems. To identify and share the developments towards inclusive education in two historically different countries' contexts, the methodology of this article refers to the relevant literature, document and research reports review

Teaching Diverse Learners in Europe: Inspiring Practices and Lessons Learned from Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden

Teaching in inclusive settings may be considered a new, challenging task; however, successfully supporting diverse pupils in their learning process has always been at the heart of outstanding pedagogy. Vast differences both in the extent and the quality of inclusive schooling exist between and within European countries. Promoting comparison and cooperation among countries with long-institutionalized inclusive schooling and countries with less inclusive structures, cultures, and practices proves crucial in education research and reform. Building upon a multi-year collaboration, we synthesize lessons learned about inclusive education reforms and “inspiring practices“ in inclusive education in partner schools in Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Spain, and Sweden. Contemporary practices take the diversity of groups of learners into account, building upon diversity as a resource; this served as the framework for our collaboration. The TdiverS consortium—as an EU-funded Comenius Network Project “Teaching Diverse Learners in (School-)Subjects“ (TdiverS)—was built on the following principles and goals: (1) diversity in theory and practice, resulting from collaborations of practitioners and scientists exchanging knowledge about teaching in inclusive settings; (2) strengthening awareness of the diversity of frameworks, conditions, and determining factors of teaching inclusively in varying cultural contexts; and (3) inclusive education research uniting multilevel, multicultural, and multidisciplinary perspectives. We highlight the values of inclusive education, map its contemporary European geography, summarize contemporary country-level education reforms and the local development of inclusive practices in six countries, and discuss lessons learned across Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Europe

Zusammenarbeit zwischen pädagogisch Tätigen und Eltern in der Frühförderung in Litauen

Šiaulių universiteta

Predisposition of collaboration between parents and professionals

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas ankstyvosios reabilitacijos tarnybų specialistų ir tėvų, auginančių neišnešiotus vaikus, bendradarbiauti išankstinis pasirengimas, kuris gali būti vertinamas kaip vienas pradinių ir svarbiausių bendradarbiavimo santykių kūrimo etapų. Analizuojami tokie tirti tėvų ir specialistų nuomonių apie bendradarbiavimą aspektai: tėvų pasitenkinimas teikiama pagalba, tėvų ir specialistų bendradarbiavimo santykiai, veiklos organizavimo prioritetai, vaiko pažinimo pobūdis, specialistų profesinis tobulėjimas. Tėvų ir specialistų nuomonių apie bendradarbiavimą įvertinimo metodika sudaryta atsižvelgiant į aprašomojo tyrimo tikslą - sisteminį objekto kokybinį ir kiekybinį aprašymą. Gauti tyrimo duomenys reikšmingi ART bendradarbiavimo su šeima modeliui kurti bei veiklai optimizuoti.The survey data - based article presents the results of predisposition of collabouration between parents and early intervention service (ERS) professionals. The author of the research intended to assess professionals' and parents' predisposition to collabourate in the situation of early intervention. Taking into account the aim of the descriptive research - systemic qualitative quantitative description of the object, the methodology of the evaluation of the parents' and professionals' attitudes towards the collabouration, based upon the relation between the preliminary opinion and attitude, has been given. Parents' and professionals' opinions showed, that majority of families, coming to the ERS with a child, were poorly informed about the work of the ERS, the role of professionals and parents themselves, do not participate in common ERS activity. The emphasis on disabilities/disorders of a child and purposefulness of the professional improvement to the therapies of the correction, common for professionals, showed predominating medical approach. The ascertained tendencies of predisposition to collabourate showed that parents' and ERS professionals' opinions on the essential questions of the ERS activity were similar. In specifying the priorities of collabouration, opinions of the respondents of various groups differed. The diversity of opinions was ascertained both in parents' and professionals' groups. The diversity of opinions is determined by limited experience of ERS teamwork, unformed traditions of early intervention, lack of methodological background of activity and systemic approach towards a child. On the other hand, parents do not have enough information about their role in the ERS, about support and relationship with professionals. Because of personal and usually negative experience of communication with specialists, parents tend to feel guilty and to accept conditions, proposed by specialists, without stipulation. The analysis of the situation helps to understand, that the traditional orientation to early intervention, prevailing in the ERS, is adverse to a family, but the insufficiency of the work, admitted by the professionals showed latently existing striving for changes

Socialinės rizikos sampratos interpretacijos ikimokyklinėje ugdymo įstaigoje

The article contains the research completed in 2004 according to the project of the Nordic Council of Ministers “Development of cooperation networks in providing early preventive psychosocial help to vulnerable families, raising children with disabilities”. The aim of the research is to evaluate the discussed opinions of the educators and specialists in institutions of pre-school education on the following issues: how the social risk is understood, how social risk families are recognized and how the problems arising due to the social risk are solved. The following problem issues are raised: To what extent is the formal definition of the social risk environment comprehensive? Does it coincide with the context of the everyday application of the concept of social risk? Can the social risk environment be identified with the social risk family? How are the risk factors negatively influencing the development of the child’s personality evaluated? It is disclosed that the formal definition of the social risk environment is not comprehensive, the social risk is identified with the social risk family and there is the lack of the methodical ecological approach, basing on which the social risk could be valued while taking the wider social context, interactions and relationships into account. The preventive measures are formal and not specific and the main attention is paid to interventions. In practice the social risk factors, which negatively influence the development of the child’s personality and predetermine the problem issues in the child’s behaviour, are evaluated by taking into account very evident external indications

Towards learner-oriented teacher and educational support professional education through personalized learning

Straipsnyje su skaitytojais dalijamasi esminiais rezultatais, pasiektais kuriant, diegiant ir išbandant inovatyvią personalizuotu mokymusi grįstą pedagogų rengimo praktiką. Ši praktika sukurta ir įgyvendinta bendradarbiaujant Lietuvos pedagogų ugdymo centrams – Vilniaus universiteto Šiaulių akademijai, Vilniaus universitetui ir Vytauto Didžiojo universitetui, Islandijos universitetui ir Korko universitetui Airijoje. Straipsnyje dalijamasi pasiekimais, susijusiais su sukurta personalizuotu mokymusi grindžiamo pedagogų ugdymo koncepcija bei šios koncepcijos pagrindu atnaujintomis pedagogų rengimo studijų programomis, su įdiegtos pedagogų ugdymo studijų programose personalizuotu mokymusi grindžiamos koncepcijos raiška. Tyrimo metodologija grindžiama antrine duomenų analize ir projekto INTERPEARL pasiekimų ataskaitų analize. INTERPEARL projekto metu įgytos žinios ir patirtis patvirtina prielaidą, kad į besimokantįjį orientuotoje paradigmoje mokytojo vaidmuo keičiasi, bet tampa kitaip svarbus. Mokytojas labiau veikia kaip pagalbininkas, taikydamas lankstų mokymosi tempą ir diferencijuotą vertinimo praktiką, o ne tiesiogiai perteikia žinias. Kartu su kitais aktualiais klausimais į besimokantįjį orientuotame mokymosi procese svarbiausi yra du aspektai: gebėjimas parinkti ir pasirinkti veiklą bei tinkamus vertinimo metodus, besimokančiojo gebėjimas prisiimti atsakomybę už savo mokymąsi, darantis didelę įtaką mokymosi pasiekimams.The article shares with the main outcomes that were achieved while developing, implementing and testing innovative practices of personalized learning within the teacher education systems through strategic partnership of teacher education centres in Lithuania, e.g. Siauliai Academy of Vilnius University, Vilnius University, and Vytautas Magnus University, in cooperation of University of Iceland and University College Cork, Ireland. In this paper, the author shares with the main issues of the achievement related to: developed innovative teacher education approach through adopting personalized learning-based framework; updated teacher education study programmes based on the PL concept; and manifestation and evidence of the implemented personalized learning-based concept in teacher education. The methodology of this study is based on a secondary data analysis, including analysis of the INTERPEARL achievement reports. The knowledge and experiences gained within INTEREARL project prove the supposition that in a student-centred paradigm, the role of the teacher changes but becomes otherwise important. The teacher acts as a facilitator, employing flexible pacing and differentiated assessment practices rather than transferring the knowledge to students. Together with other relevant issues, two aspects are most important in a student-centred learning process: the ability to choose activities and assessment methods, and the willingness to take responsibility, which has an impressive impact on the outcomes

Early childhood intervention in Lithuania: organisation and challenges

Šiaulių universitetas, [email protected]

Content of professional training in the field of early childhood intervention

Šiaulių universiteta