What's So Special About Special Education in Finland? - Taught by Finland - 0 views
www.taughtbyfinland.com/...special-education-in-finland
scandinavian education scandinavian special ed finland finnish special ed finnish education inclusive education special education
shared by izz aty on 21 Nov 14
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Up to half of those students who complete their compulsory Finnish education at the age of 16 will have been in special education at some point in their school careers. Just chew on that for a moment. Given this reality, Pasi Sahlberg -- the author of Finnish Lessons -- concludes that special education “is nothing special anymore for students.” (Sahlberg, 2011) When students witness many of their classmates receiving extra support, special education loses its stigma. It’s not just the children who think differently about it. Teachers are more comfortable with the idea of students receiving extra help when they need it.
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aided by a special education teacher for two hours of lessons each week. Although this teacher constantly has his eyes on students with documented special needs, he’s regularly working with other students in my class. The special education teacher works flexibly. Sometimes he’s circulating around the classroom, offering help to those who need it. At other times, he’s working with a student one-on-one at a desk in the hallway.
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my colleague is not a paraprofessional. When I worked at a public school in Massachusetts, paraprofessionals were the ones who most commonly worked with students with special needs in the general classroom.. Oftentimes, these were adults without formal teacher-training. Furthermore, they were paid about half as much as classroom teachers. These two factors seemed to make it difficult for teachers and paraprofessionals to see eye-to-eye and collaborate. Although they were both expected to care for the students in the class, one adult had more professional authority than the other.
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It’s a different story with my colleague. He actually has more formal training than me. Finland is famous for its highly selective 5-year teacher-training programs. A master’s degree is required of special education teachers, too.
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it’s expected that classroom teachers collaborate with special education teachers. Primarily, we discuss ways to better support those students with documented learning needs. These meetings help me to make sure that I’m not letting any of my students fall through the cracks.
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In the United States, I worked with many students who had individualized learning plans (IEPs), which are similar to ILPs.
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Although an American classroom teacher has a role in crafting an IEP, the plan is largely determined by professionals outside of the general classroom (e.g., occupational therapists, speech pathologists, etc.). At my Finnish school, I have more ownership of individualized learning plans since I’m writing them with my special education teacher. This does not mean that other professionals are excluded from the process of crafting this plan. It just means that the classroom teacher (along with the special education teacher) has the responsibility of writing the first draft
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common at my school for teachers to offer remedial teaching sessions for students who are struggling
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I'm assisted though a student-welfare team, in-class support, after-school meetings, and remedial teaching sessions offered to my students. I'm experiencing special education that addresses the needs of students and teachers.