OU Inclusive Education - Special Needs Course
8 Nov 2007
‘E243 Inclusive Education - Learning From Each Other’ is a 30 point higher education level 2 course which can contribute towards degrees in Early Years & BA in Health & Social Studies. It also contributes to the post graduate Advanced Diploma in Special Needs. UNISON is sponsoring a number of places on this course for members who work in an educational setting with children/adults with special needs
The course begins with a course guide and an introduction to the language and positions adopted throughout.
The first block of units explains the social model of disability and presents the concepts you will need to critically engage with the material. You are introduced to the history of special and inclusive education and to the human/disability rights framework.
The second block of units outlines a range of perspectives on inclusive education. How inclusive education has been envisaged and called for by academics and activists, how it is viewed by parents, and how it is experienced and understood by pupils and educational professionals, are all explained. A case study of one school illustrates some of the decisions and practices involved.
The third block is about diverse contexts. You will examine schools in transition and inclusive schools as communities. A range of proactive work to enhance the inclusiveness of educational environments and responses to children and young people who are pushed to the margins of educational life, or excluded, is also considered.
The final block addresses making good inclusive practice happen at societal, school and classroom levels. In a culmination of learning from one another, the final project requires you to interview someone with a different position from your own and to discuss their perspective.
The course readers and video footage on DVD provide you with illustrative examples of the themes and issues raised in the course. The assignments enable you to explore your own position and that of others.
The course will run from February - October 2008 and UNISON will be providing funding for the £315 fee. Further details on course content is available here. If you are interested please complete contact Fidelma at f.carolan@unison.co.uk or 028 90270150
