Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Diversity Needs in Inclusive Schools
Other languages of instruction: Catalan,
Teaching staff
Professor: Cristina Pons
Via email: cpons@uic.es
Introduction
This course provides the historical, conceptual, regulatory, and psychoeducational framework necessary to understand the evolution and current configuration of the inclusive education system and the different models of educational support for students. It adopts both a retrospective and a prospective perspective, enabling students to analyse where we come from, understand the transformations that have shaped the current model, and identify the challenges and opportunities that inclusive education presents for the future.
The course begins by examining the evolution of conceptions of difference, diversity, and educational needs, as well as the different models of educational response that have emerged over time, leading to the consolidation of the inclusive education paradigm. This historical and conceptual journey makes it possible to understand the implications of this paradigm shift for the way students, their needs and potential, the role of schools, and the responsibilities of the different agents involved in educational processes are understood.
Particular attention is given to the Catalan regulatory framework, which is addressed not only from a descriptive perspective but also through an analysis of its educational, organisational, and professional implications. Within this context, the course explores the key concepts underpinning inclusive educational practices, including human variability, barriers to learning and participation, specific educational support needs (NESE), educational supports, accessibility, participation, equity, and personalised learning, among others.
Finally, the course addresses the different areas of intervention — educational, social, and health — by analysing their respective roles, responsibilities, and forms of coordination. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of networking and shared responsibility among professionals, services, and other stakeholders, with the aim of understanding how to develop a comprehensive, coherent educational response that is appropriately tailored to the needs of each student and their context.
Overall, the course aims to provide students with a comprehensive, critical, and evidence-based understanding of inclusive education, enabling them to understand the principles underpinning it while developing the criteria needed to analyse and transform educational practices from a perspective of equity, participation, and inclusion.
Pre-course requirements
To be able to study the subject. Attention to Diversity, the student needs to be able to:
- To understand the educational and learning processes in the 0-12 year age period, in the family, social and school contexts.
- To become familiar with the basics of early care.
- To recognize the characteristics of the stage and its cognitive, psychomotor, communicative, social and affective features.
Objectives
- Understand and compare the different educational models and approaches to educational support for diversity, identifying their principles, characteristics, and educational, organisational, and professional implications.
- Know, interpret, and critically analyse the Catalan, Spanish, and international regulatory frameworks governing and guiding educational support for diversity, with particular emphasis on Decree 150/2017 concerning educational support for students within an inclusive education system.
- Analyse the principles underpinning the inclusive education paradigm and understand their implications for how students are conceived, the organisation of educational institutions, educational practices, and the shared responsibility of the different stakeholders involved.
- Understand and appropriately use the main psychoeducational concepts and principles underpinning inclusive educational support, including diversity, variability, inclusion, equity, participation, accessibility, barriers to learning and participation, specific educational support needs (NESE), educational supports, and personalised learning.
- Critically analyse educational policies, resources, and organisational approaches to responding to diversity, assessing their implications for educational equity, participation, and inclusion.
- Identify and understand the different services, professionals, and resources within the educational, social, and health sectors, both general and specialised, involved in supporting students, as well as their functions, competencies, and areas of responsibility.
- Analyse forms of coordination and networking among educational, social, health, family, and community stakeholders, understanding the importance of shared responsibility and cooperation in ensuring a comprehensive response to students’ needs.
- Develop a critical and prospective perspective on inclusive education, identifying current challenges and the lines of transformation needed to move towards more equitable, accessible, participatory, and inclusive education systems.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CET-1 - Interpersonal responsibility: to be aware of professional performance and influence on students. To have the skills and knowledge to manage group processes and communication for good collaboration with and between students.
- CET-2 - Pedagogical responsibility: to have the knowledge and teaching skills required to create a safe learning environment for both classes and groups, but also for individual students, in order that children can become responsible, independent adults.
- CET-5 - Collaboration with colleagues in the profession: to have the knowledge and skills required to make a professional contribution to the teaching environment in the school, in professional relationships, and to achieve a good school organization.
- CET-6 - Collaboration with the professional environment at the school: to have the knowledge and skills required to establish good relations with the people and institutions dedicated to child welfare or belonging to the school's professional environment.
- CET-7 - To promote responsibility in terms of professional development: to analyse, reflect on and develop points of view about the profession and teaching skills, to know how to make these clear and how to bring them up to date.
- CG-01 - To integrate information and communication technologies in teaching and learning activities, teaching management and professional development.
- CG-02 - To communicate clearly and correctly in the language of instruction (Catalan and Spanish), orally and in writing, in accordance with level C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).
- CG-04 - To promote and facilitate attention to the unique educational needs of students, gender equality, fairness and respect for human rights, in the contexts of learning and social harmony, both in the school and in relation to the surroundings.
Learning outcomes of the subject
The student analyses the concept of diversity needs and the current legal frame of attention to diversity.
The student knows different models of educational response to diversity.
The student performs a deep study of educational or social services, and analyses them critically.
The student understands the need of cooperation between education agents.
The student promotes respectful attitudes about children, their families and other education agents.
The student develops a methodology including bibliographical research and carefull elaboration of works.
Syllabus
PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT FOR DIVERSITY
BLOCK 1: Conceptual Framework
BLOCK 2: Historical Framework
BLOCK 3: Regulatory Framework
PART TWO: AREAS OF INTERVENTION AND SUPPORT NETWORKST1: Intervention in the Educational Context
T2: Intervention in the Social and Community Context
T3: Intervention in the Health Context
T4: Networking and Cooperation among Stakeholders
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| COMPETENCES | METHODOLOGY | TRAINING ACTIVITY |
|---|---|---|
| CEM-08 CEM-09 CEM-20 CEM-28 CET-1 CET-2 CET-5 CET-6 CET-7 CG-01 CG-02 CG-04 | Cooperative learning Case studies Presenting method / lecture Problem and exercise solving | Practical classes Theory classes Individual / independent study and work Group study and work Seminar-workshops Tutorials |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The proposed learning activities are divided into training activities, which are intended to provide opportunities to practise and develop knowledge and skills, and assessment activities, in which students are expected to demonstrate the competences associated with the activities. These assessment activities are linked to the assessment criteria and learning outcomes (LOs) and together constitute the course assessment system.
The assessment system comprises two types of assessment: continuous assessment, which is linked to the monitoring and development of learning throughout the educational process, and final assessment, which serves to demonstrate the integration of the competences developed throughout the course. Both types of assessment are compulsory. Therefore, students must successfully complete all the proposed activities in order to pass the course.
The assessment system is structured as follows:
-
Assessment 1: 30%
-
Assessment 2: 30%
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Assessment 3: Integrated and Competency-Based Assessment: 30%
-
Pedagogical Debate and Classroom Learning Activities: 10%
Bibliography and resources
Bibliografía
Ainscow, M. (1999).Tendiéndole la mano a todos los estudiantes: algunos retos y oportunidades. En Francisco de Borja Jordán de Urríes Vega y Miguel Ángel Verdugo Alonso (Coords.). Hacia una nueva concepción de la discapacidad : Actas de las III Jornadas Científicas de Investigación sobre personas con discapacidad. Amarú.
Atenció a la diversitat. Document de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Ensenyament.
Caixa d’eines 08. (2008). Llengua, interculturalitat i cohesió social. Cap a un currículum més inclusiu. Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Educació. 1a edició. Octubre de 2008
Domínguez, M.C:, Luna, M., Prieto, Lidia, Rodríguez, Mª L. y López, S. (2008). Manual de servicios, prestaciones y recursos educativos para el alumnado con necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo. Junta de Andalucía. Consejería de Educación. Dirección General de Participación e Innovación Educativa. ISBN: 978-84-691-8121-8.
Echeita, G. (2005). Perspectivas y dimensiones críticas en las políticas de atención a la diversidad. Alambique, Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales, 44. 7-16.
Fernando, G.(2012). Pueblo gitano, género y educación: investigar para excluir o investigar para transformar. International Journal of Sociology of Education, 1(1): 71-92.
Florian, L. & Black-Hawkins, K. (2011). Exploring inclusive pedagogy. British Educational Research Journal. 37 (5): 813–828.
Giné, C., Durán, D., Font, J., Miquel, E. (2009). La educación inclusiva De la exclusión a la plena participación del alumnado. ICE-Horsori.
Informe de valoració de les unitats de suport a l’educació especial (USEE). Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Educació.
López, I. y Fernández, A. (2006). Hospitalización infantil y atención psico-educativa en contextos excepcionales de aprendizaje. Revista de Educación, 341: 553-577.
Macarulla, I. Y Saiz, M. (2009). Buenas prácticas de escuela inclusiva. La inclusión de alumnado con discapacidad: un reto, una necesidad. Graó.
Parrilla, A. (2002). Acerca del origen y el sentido de la educación inclusiva. Revista de Educación, 327: 11-29.
Resolución del Parlamento Europeo, de 2 de abril de 2009, sobre la educación de los hijos de los inmigrantes Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea.
Resolució de 19 de juny de 2012 per la qual s’aprova el document per a l’organització i el funcionament de les escoles i dels centres públics d’educació especial, i les instruccions de recollida de dades a efectes estadístics, per al curs 2012-2013. Document de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament d’Ensenyament.
Roldán, C. (2010). Educación especial e inclusión: aportaciones desde la investigación. Revista Educación y Pedagogía, 22 (56).
Stainback, S., Stainback, W y Jackson,J. (1999). Hacia las aulas inclusivas. Narcea.
Tovías, S. (1995). Teresa San Román: Una societat multicultural, una societat complexa.(Entrevista). L’Avenç, 198.