The change in legislation for including children with special educational needs in modern schools requires that teachers gain a higher level of qualification for a more effective treatment of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities, who fall under the category of children with special educational needs. With the renewal of the schools’ curriculum frameworks and with the accompanying new legislations and regulations, the deeply embedded patterns of transferring knowledge have also started to shift. The most important principle of the following research was the desire to create modern guidelines with which art teachers teaching the subject of Fine Arts could positively influence the social adaptability of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities and thus better prepare them for life in modern society.
The research aimed to identify the influence of Fine Arts on interpersonal relations and the responses of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities. Our two round action research was carried out through drawing and painting in two 7th grade groups in an adjusted primary school programme with lowered educational standards. In doing so, the interpersonal relations and the responses of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities were improved. The research was based on the constructivist theory of teaching, which stresses active and creative building of knowledge, the pupils’ mental activity and gaining knowledge from personal experiences. As well as individual work, group work and work in pairs was predominantly used. The following active work methods, which correspond to the ideas of constructivist teaching, were used: the verbal method (explanation and discussion), productive dialog, short discussion, short debate, presentation, demonstration, visualisation, observation, video presentation, listening presentation, sets of ideas, brainstorming, word association, data collection, exploring, researching, tests and testing, practical work, experiential learning, cooperative learning, role-playing/simulation, problem-based lessons, the method of expanding and actualising artistic sensibilities, the method of aesthetic communication, the method of transpose and alternative, the method of complexity and interconnection, the method of realising one’s own sensibility, the method of independent perception and the assimilation of artistic technique with the help of one’s own experiences, the method of artistic-pedagogical concept, problem solving, project-based learning, portfolio, class presentations and exhibitions (creative notes, posters, key words, visual symbols, drawings …). All of the methods were adjusted to the special educational, social-emotional and biological needs of the individuals. Because of the distinctiveness of special needs, certain methodical-didactical adjustments (personal relations, allowing personal accomplishment, care for the pupil’s self-image and socially beneficent status within the classroom) were implemented. The goals of our research were aimed at introducing and assessing the influence on the improvements of the students’ interpersonal relations and social adaptability. The opinions of people involved were examined using an individual, partially structuralized non-standardized interview. All empirically gathered data was interpreted according to previously published theoretical findings on the population of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities. These findings were also included in the training section, in which social abilities were being developed.
In the theoretical part of the master’s thesis the definition and characteristics of pupils with mild intellectual disabilities were presented. The special needs that they require were defined from an educational, social-emotional and biological point of view. The current bases of the constructivist theory were listed and applied to the subject of Fine Arts.
A constructivist model of teaching the subject of Fine Arts was developed on the basis of our collected data. This is important because through its concrete systematic recommendations, which were developed by synthesising empirical results, it can help improve interpersonal relations and the way pupils with mild intellectual disabilities respond. A tested model that is capable of successfully changing the process of teaching Fine Arts can be of great help to teachers in implementing a modern way of teaching Fine Arts and in shaping their own teaching strategy that they use in their everyday work with pupils with mild intellectual disabilities. It guides teachers towards acquiring fundamental skills that will ensure better orientation in a new situation. At the same time, it gives additional insight into fine arts and the important part it plays in modern teaching and learning. Besides using the model in the subject of Fine Arts in primary schools with lowered educational standards, it can also be used for fine arts in other educational institutions that include pupils with mild intellectual disabilities.
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