Special Needs Education

In Finland everyone has got the right for education. In my opinion this is very important and makes a difference in one’s life. 

Each education provider is responsible for organising special needs education and training and services for students in special needs education and training. The aim is to ensure educational equality and equal educational services to everyone. (The Finnish National Board of Education, 2012.)

In vocational education and training, students with special needs have several possibilities to undertake their studies. They are integrated in the mainstream education if possible. If one is not capable to follow the "ordinary" educational path, there are many alternative ways to be educated. The students may be:

• studying in special needs groups
• studying in vocational special education institutions
• or learning through apprenticeship training. (The Finnish National Board of Education, 2012.)

The starting point, when planning special needs education, should be the student. What is good for this individual? What are his or her personal targets? How can we support him/her to achieve those goals? Does he/she need any other forms of professional help?

Each student in need of special education and training will have an individual education plan (IEP) drawn up. The plan follows the student through his/her education. The plan set out details of:

• the qualification
• the national core curriculum or the requirements of the competence-based qualification observed in education and training
• the individual curriculum
• grounds for providing special needs education and training
• special educational and student welfare services, as well as other services and support measures provided for the student. (The Finnish National Board of Education, 2012.)

My Experiences

Previously I have had students with learning difficulties, hearing disabilities, mental problems and students who have needed an assistant for moving around in the premises. There may have been many other special needs, too, which I have not been aware of. It is up to the student to decide how openly he/she is happy to talk about the special needs. 

I personally think that openness would be good in order to get all the possible support from each staff member. But I can understand that some students do not want to share their personal issues with each teacher.

Some of our special needs students apply through the related flexible application procedure. We decide who we invite for an entry exam or interview. We also offer the study places to those students. Sometimes special needs students may apply through the ordinary procedure. The need for special help may arise only once the school has started.

I am assuming different kind of mental problems play the biggest role in many vocational schools in Finland. Therefore it is great that we have a new law stating that each vocational school should have a psychologist.

I have had a chance to make a short questionnaire for local companies concerning their attitudes towards special needs students and their on-the-job learning. According to the results, there is still a lot to do to change attitudes. An extended on-the-job learning period could be very helpful for some of the special needs students, but first the businesses should be assured that the students are capable to carry it out.

References

The Finnish National Board of Education. (2012) "Special Needs Education." Retrieved March 17, 2013 from http://www.oph.fi/english/education/educational_support_and_student_wellbeing/special_needs_education

The 4th Virtual Session: Special Needs Students; Co-operation between Schools and Enterprises; Teaching Entrepreneurship

The fourth, and the last one for now, virtual session is over. What a relief! It has been a tough autumn. It is not time to relax just yet, but at least we, as a team, achieved one goal. Well done us - all of us!

Today's topics were interesting. I wish we had have more time for discussion. I still do not know how much time we should use for the actual presentation (delivering knowledge) and how much for discussion. I think we should have at least the basics before we can really discuss, but what is enough?

One group had great discussion questions concerning teaching students with special needs. What a pity that we had time to cover only one of them.

I think this topic is important. How can I as a teacher help my students with their studies? When I think about students aged 16-19, the biggest challenges are probably caused with their age, and the sudden freedom some of them get once they start studying. Or how many of us would have got up for morning lessons at age 18, if our parents had not been there for kicking us out of the bed? Some students may move out from their childhood homes once they start their studies in a new town. Do they have a proper support network there? Do they have an adult, who cares there? (Unfortunately some of them do not have one even when living with their parents.)

Can I be the one as a teacher? At least to some point? I cannot start a school taxi system for the ones who find it difficult to wake up in the morning, but could I be the one who believes in them, no matter what? Isn't that what we all need: someone believing in us?

I will never forget how I made one student's day by telling him that I can see his potential even though he mainly likes drawing cartoons in my lessons. After that he actually wrote a really good answer to a task I had given them. Next time I will do it differently though. I will ask him to deliver the message in a form of cartoon. Maybe not every time, but I will give them alternative ways to show their knowledge for sure.

That would support creativity, too, which takes me to today's other topic: Developing entrepreneurship in vocational education. This is my baby! In my MBA studies I got to know Jeffry Timmons' New Venture Creation. I like his way to define entrepreneurship, and the fact that he believes in educating people to adopt entrepreneurial mindset. If only the teachers would have this mindset first! I will probably write more about entrepreneurship education later on.

Our third topic dealt with co-operation between schools and enterprises. Interesting topic once again. I think the main problem here is the lack of knowledge about all the possibilities. Schools should make it easier for small enterprises to find out information about f.ex. on-the-job learning. I think that would be the most natural way to start the cooperation. Once the entrepreneur becomes more familiar with the vocational qualifications, he/she could then get even more involved (f.ex. in planning curricula).

Teachers should learn to network with the local companies (entrepreneurial skill by the way). Maybe we need some kind of organization such as Business Oulu linking us together with the enterprises? But before that I think teachers should learn to network with their colleagues. I seriously think we are lacking in cooperation between each others when it comes to teaching. Why cannot we have long projects for our students, where different courses and even enterprises are involved in? A start up company could ask students to run a marketing campaign, which they would first plan at school in different subjects. Or a company could ask students to give quotations for laying a wooden floor. Students should make calculations (profitability - once again entrepreneurial skill), write a quotation (Finnish lessons) and the winners would even buy the material and do the actual work (floor installing). This way the students would network with the local companies, too, and find training placements and/or summer jobs a bit easier.

All in all, today's presentations went well. Tutors asked us to think about new ways to teach though. I think it is good to get more interaction in the lessons, but one should not use different teaching tools only for "fun". I mean making f.ex. a video just for making one is not good enough! The video should be justified. And the same with other teaching tools, too. Anyway, AC is not the greatest environment for testing out different tools... So we need to consider really carefully, what tools are not just justified but also working.

Because I'm a Girl!

I have a dream. 

I want to be a clown. 

Or maybe a firemangirl. 

I'm 3.5 years old. 

Everything is possible for me! 

I can climb up as high as I want to. 

And most importantly: 

I can dream without facing violence or threat!

Because I'm a girl in Finland.

We want that every girl all over the world can say the same!

Day of the Girl

Because I am a Girl : Girl facts: sources : Plan International

There is still a lot to do before education reaches girls all over the world. My dream is to be working on education for girls in the future. At the moment I am just donating monthly. One day I want to be involved in the actual work!

What about you? What are you doing / would like to do on this matter?

Ps. Do not tell my husband that I have found a really interesting Master's programme in Globalization and Education..