Students with mild to moderate specific learning disabilities (hereinafter SLD) and students with pronounced SLD or with deficits in individual areas of learning – the latter being eligible to guidance and inclusion in the adapted physical educational programs together with additional professional assistance (hereinafter APA), should also receive adjustments in natural science subjects due to their additional needs in social, educational, physical and organizational areas. This calls for team cooperation of special and rehabilitation pedagogues with teachers of natural science subjects, who can, with their expertise, contribute to better teaching of their subjects, greater sensitivity as well as greater understanding of students with learning disabilities. Among the natural science subjects we chose environmental studies, engineering and technology along with home economics. The purpose of the master’s thesis was to investigate to what extent and in what way do special and rehabilitation pedagogues cooperate with teachers of the selected natural science subjects in the second and third educational period when working with students with pronounced SLD or deficits in individual areas of learning. We were also interested in ways in which special and rehabilitation pedagogues evaluate their cooperation with teachers of the selected natural science subjects when working with students with pronounced SLD or deficits in individual areas of learning, to what extent they feel qualified to counsel the teachers and implement APA in selected natural science subjects, then how those teachers assess their ability to work with students with SLD or deficits in individual areas of learning, inasmuch as in what areas would they need additional professional support of special and rehabilitation pedagogues. The data were obtained through a survey questionnaire.
The results of our study, which includes 40 special and rehabilitation pedagogues who teach students in regular primary schools in Slovenia and also offer APA and 40 teachers of the selected natural science subjects, show that both, special and rehabilitation pedagogues as well as teachers of the selected science subjects, consider mutual cooperation as very important. Special and rehabilitation pedagogues feel adequately competent developing compensatory strategies in APA classes for the selected natural science subjects, they collaborate with teachers of environmental studies as well as those who teach engineering and technology on a weekly basis, however; most of them did not yet collaborate with teachers of home economics. Their cooperation predominately happens due to the need of getting acquainted with the difficulties of the students with SLD, yet lacks in team teaching. Teachers of the selected science subjects do not feel competent to teach students with dysgraphia and dyscalculia; most of them would need the help of a special and rehabilitation pedagogue when it comes to the student’s acquisition of procedural skills, graphomotor skills and with planning of their school work. Special and rehabilitation pedagogues would need the help of teachers of the selected natural sciences when it comes to students’ implementation of practical work and content. Team teaching is thus the area where teachers of the selected natural science subjects and special and rehabilitation pedagogues work together the least, however; both sides would like more cooperation as the latter could equip teachers with diverse approaches and adaptations to help them guide the students through their practical work, help them prepare their work environment, enable them with ideas of multisensory teaching, assist in group work and at assembling instructions as well as at designing handouts, and not least of all; getting them acquainted with students who have specific learning disabilities and those with pronounced SLD or deficits in individual areas of learning.
|
