May 2012


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Special Education on display

By Dr. Elna Carrington-Blaides

The School of Education (SOE) at The UWI St. Augustine Campus held its first open day in November 2011, titled “An Educational Showcase: New Directions in Teaching and Research.”

The Inclusive/Special Education display featured students’ work in the master’s level course I deliver: “Introduction to Special Education.” The course was designed to give teachers advanced-level preparation in key areas of special education teacher training such as leadership, advocacy, and collaboration. Students were exposed to 13 categories of exceptionalities and the many cross-categorical issues that affect teaching and learning in inclusive and special schools in the Caribbean.

Inclusive Education is an approach that seeks to respond to the diversity of learning needs in the classroom, so that the most appropriate and least restrictive environment for students would be the general education classroom. On the other hand, Special Education is specially designed instruction and related services tailored to meet individual learning needs. There are obviously some needs we just cannot meet in the general education classroom, either because the necessary supports are not in place or the need will be best served in a special setting. Schools need both an inclusive approach and specially designed individualized instruction.

The display consisted of nine display booths, which covered a range of exceptionalities that included: the gifted and talented, autism, learning disabilities, communication disorders, intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, emotional and behavioural disorders, hearing impairments, and visual impairments. The display was the culmination of an assignment that challenged students to create, in collaboration with a non-governmental organization (NGO) or individuals, an informational display for the assigned exceptionality. Students, in collaboration with the Caribbean Gifted and Talented Association, the Autistic Society, the Dyslexia Association, and other NGOs, engaged in consultative collaboration that resulted in an exciting display of student work including posters, brochures, bookmarks, and t-shirts.

Students produced websites and engaged in outreach activities in their schools and communities.

This showcase provided an introduction to the Master of Education (Inclusive and Special Education) programme. The programme is a part-time two-year programme, and it will be delivered utilizing a blended mode (face-to-face and online). The programme is currently receiving the attention of various university committees as part of the process of approval for delivery, and the SOE is aiming to launch the programme during the upcoming academic year. Additional information about the programme can be obtained from the SOE, St. Augustine Campus, UWI.

Visitors were exposed to some of the new programmes at the SOE—the Bachelor of Education (BEd) Primary (General); the Postgraduate Pre-Service Diploma in Education (DipEd)—and prospective and current graduate students were invited to join selected research clusters at the SOE—“Culture and Schooling,” “Equity in Education,” “ICT and Education,” “Educational Evaluation,” and “Factors Impacting on Students’ Learning.”

The work of the Multimedia Production Unit (MPC) and the Continuing Professional Development and Outreach Unit were also featured and, in addition, the SOE showcased new developments in the areas of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and Inclusive/Special Education.

Dr. Elna Carrington-Blaides is a Lecturer (Special/Inclusive Education) at the School of Education, UWI, St. Augustine.