Perspectives on Inclusive and Special Education
Full time Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Part time Master in Education (MEd)
The main aim of this Masters Route is to provide an in-depth and critical engagement with the development of, and current issues in, special education and inclusive education around the world. This will entail an examination of a range of different theoretical orientations, definitions, identification and assessment procedures.
The route is designed for people who hold, or seek to hold, positions of responsibility for the education of children and young people who experience difficulties in learning. It will be relevant to those who come from a range of backgrounds including SEN Co-ordinators, local authority officers and practitioners. Each student will carry out an individually negotiated investigation of a specialist topic, in addition to undertaking set assignments.
Route members' backgrounds are expected to be diverse, and conceptualisations of inclusion, special education and marginalisation will vary. The route will therefore seek to build on participants' understanding of the educational systems and approaches operating in their local and national regions and provide them with opportunities to compare and contrast with developments from across the globe.
The main purposes of the Masters route will be to:
- develop members' understanding of the range of provision for children and young people who experience difficulties in learning;
- compare and contrast special education provision in a number of contexts and countries;
- enable students to understand issues related to meeting educational needs as they emerge from different theoretical, cultural and national perspectives;
- understand the relationships between equal opportunity, social justice and policy formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation;
- enhance capacities for professional reflection, judgement, decision-making and action to make effective provision for all aspects of individual need
- develop ability to critically engage with the literature on special and inclusive education
- develop ability to use theory to critique, evaluate and understand practice
Students follow a single unified route with four core modules.
Module 1: Defining key terms: inclusion, disability and special educational needs
Module 2: Meeting special educational needs - curriculum, teaching and learning
Module 3: Engaging with key debates in special and inclusive education
Module 4: Inclusive pedagogy and school cultures
Module 1 Definining key terms: inclusion, disability and special educational needs
This module introduces key concepts, perspectives and theoretical models relating to inclusion, disability and special educational needs. The history and development of special and inclusive education is explored, including evolving notions of difference, changing classifications and processes of labelling. Factors which influence learning are also considered and the relationship between inclusion and exclusion is examined. Module 1 also raises critical questions around notions of choice, quality of life, self-advocacy and participation, for children, young people and adults with disabilities.
Module 2 Meeting special educational needs - curriculum, teaching and learning
This module provides an introduction to key concepts in the development of the curriculum for pupils and students with special educational needs. The nature and purpose of different models of curriculum are discussed in the context of an historical overview. Ideas about the curriculum both facilitating learning and presenting barriers to participation are explored. Two sessions are devoted to the development of meaningful access to learning: through processes of curriculum adaptation and differentiation and through an examination of aspects of the assessment process. Later sessions offer introductions to key learning theories and review the implications of these theories for teaching, learning, policy and practice.
Module 3 Engaging with key debates in special and inclusive education
This module will develop students' understanding of a range of provisions available to safeguard the inclusion of children, young people and adults who experience difficulties in learning and/or who are vulnerable to processes of marginalisation. It will assist students in comparing and contrasting various forms of educational provisions to shed light on their own local and national contexts. Various discussions undertaken will explore different theoretical, cultural and national perspectives and facilitate student's understanding of the relationships between disability, poverty, equal opportunity and social justice as well as between understanding of inclusion and achievement.
Module 4 Inclusive pedagogy and school cultures
Module 4 builds on previous learning about the meaning of inclusion and the factors which influence learning in school. It also relates closely to earlier sessions on classroom participation, access to learning and theories of how people learn. The focus is centrally on the nature of 'inclusive pedagogy' in classroom-based learning and teaching for children and young people. This is set in the context of the wider culture and practice of the whole school or college, bearing in mind the many different aims, beliefs and values of those involoved. Questions arise about what, if anything, is special about teaching students identified with special education needs and how pedagogy for all students may be informed by the principles of inclusion. We also examine how students experience their formal education and the associated transition. Consideration will be given to inclusive ways of responding to students' personal needs and interests, particularly in relation to the teacher's ongoing engagement in reflection, decision-making and orchestration of classroom activities and resources.