In the German discourse on special needs education I see a remarkable tendency to temporalize pedagogic issues. Children with special needs are seen as "not yet" sufficiently developed and, thus, need a form of "catalyzer", an educational practice that accelerates development (in German: Förderung). It seems to me that the temporalization of differences between persons is an (too) easy way out of the ambivalences and paradoxes regarding difference and equality: "We're all the same (If you give us some time)". Just two points: First, it helps to attribute differences to the individual, psychological level (developmental deficits) -- (cynically) ascribing the responsibility for lesser participatory chances to the individuals and the facticity of their genetic programs (that make them "slower") or their limited effort (learning disposition). Second, this idea of a catalyzing, development-fostering education (Förderung) is almost inevitably bound to prevent children from living and enjoying their presence in the name of a future they are being prepared for (already criticized by Rousseau and Dewey).
My questions to you: Do you see comparable discursive tendencies in whatever country you work in? What would be the key concepts and semantics connected to such a discourse? Is there any criticism of ideology of the special needs education?
Sorry for the long introduction!
Hi Franz,
It is an interesting question. In Mozambique there is a discourse about special needs and inclusive Learning. But, unfortunately I can not help you because I am not working in this field.
My research interest it is in pedagogy of higher education and I am discussing the introduction of a student-centred Learning in Mozambican higher education.
I hope you can get an answer of your question.
Marta
This is a very interesting discussion and parallels some of what we see in schools in North America. I teach courses in inclusive education pedagogy, or psychopedagogy as referenced above, for general education and special education teachers in training. A small number of general education teachers in training take these courses, but I am always thankful for those who do. We are seeing a trend towards combining special education and general education in our school system (especially for mild to moderate disabilities) and the students who study both at the university appear to be most qualified and most marketable in the emerging system. As you stated Traian - individuals with disabilities have the right to a fully inclusive education but, like your nation, I'm not sure our teacher training has prepared our teachers to fulfill this right. We have made great progress but we still have a ways to go!
Dear Marta, dear Trajan, dear Tracy,
thank you a lot for taking the time to deal with my questions! Your remarks helped me to formulate more precise and more to the point:
The construction of "disabilities" and "special needs" obviously depends on the concept of "normality". Since inclusive approaches reject the notion of normality for very good reasons and claim the full recognition for everyone without difference, concepts like "disabilities" and "special needs" are paradoxical constructs. What I meant with temporality was: Is the temporalization of this paradox (all differences are just a matter of how long one takes to do something and how long it takes to teach somebody) is a prominent solution in the pedagogic discourses you observe?
Inclusion in the southern United states where I have worked the most is considered to be: lets bring children along as far as they can go in the least restrictive environment. It presumes that they can grow without devaluing who they are as humans.
Franz... There are so many questions here and I do not have time to get to them all. I currently homeschool a boy with mid-severe Autism because the school system here failed him and his family. The teachers, let alone the special needs teachers are not trained to deal with the influx of students with special needs entering our school system. I am currently finishing up my Maters and I'll attach a paper I just finished addressing this issue.
As far as the issue of "normal," this is something I struggle with daily because their is no such thing as normal, only societal normalcy. I struggle with trying to pigeon hole so many different student with so many different talents into this "normalcy" so that they may exist in our capitalistic world. I am not sure if teaching them to fit in is a service or disservice. I think this needs to be a major area of thought and future speculation when it comes to education with all children and adults.
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