Universal Learning Systems Drs. Alan Bruce & Michelle Marmé

NCRE Spring Conference 2013 San Francisco, California

Including Families:

Education, Transition Support And Comparative International Emerging Professional Practice

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FAMILIES. EDUCATION. TRANSITIONS. STUDENT SUCCESS. COMMUNITY SUCCESS.

• Pervasive cultural messages about education & work, from earliest days

• As children join “systems,” those messages about where they fit in the world/what they have a “right” to expect become altered by interactions with others

• Fundamental belief: study hard, do a good job and you will have a good job/life, in the end.

• Another paradigm shift…US Department of Labor (March 2013) unemployment data (civilian population, 25 years and older by education):

• If < high school education 11.2 % unemployment• If high school completed, no college 7.9 % unemployment• Some college and/or an associates degree 6.7 % unemployment• Bachelor’s degree and higher 3.8 % unemployment• No indication provided as to whether or not pwd have been included

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FAMILIES. EDUCATION. TRANSITIONS. STUDENT SUCCESS. COMMUNITY SUCCESS.

• Focusing on 13 years old and beyond, “invisible” disabilities, but

• May be best served to re-think when to start: youngest ages (importance of “success identities”)

• Education: beyond the regular, in class, school day: • In therapies, neurofeedback sessions, vision therapies, • With tutors, LAPs, socialization groups, tests/medication changes

• Proper supports at key transition* points• Big ones: school transitions, moves, losses, returning to school after

breaks• Incremental, critical ones: between classes, teacher changes, Halloween

parades, sports days, …

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CURRENT PRACTICE ISSUES IN US & EU

Child

Legislation & Educational Policies intended to increase opportunities for CWD and improve attitudes of “service providers”

Increased understanding of neurological/educational/social/developmental factors

Employment of staff with specific training in pertinent areas of education, psychology

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YOU MIGHT EXPECT …• Coordination

• Multidisciplinary linkage

• Shared perspectives

• Meaningful progression

• Family engagement

• Flexibility

• Satisfaction and engagement

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BARRIERS TO

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES IN U.S. CONTEXT:

Unnerving peek into 504 training for school psychologists, Fall 2012

• Lack of consensus• Turf issues• Mixed messages• Attitudes• Misinterpretations

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DEFINITIONAL ISSUES• Student = child, young adult, CWD, not “the problem”

• Transition = continual process, • not JUST an annual event or every 3-4 years; • begins at earliest times; may be many times within a day

• Parents = 1guardians/representatives of student• 2 not the enemy, annoyance, intrusion

• Complicating factors• Real shared, understanding of goals• Membership in multiple marginalized groups …• Parents have background in rehabilitation, education, medicine

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TRANSFORMED SOCIETIES - TRANSFORMING EDUCATION SYSTEMS• Models of schooling under critical review

• The re-positioning of purpose – Ivan Illich

• From industrial model to emancipatory discourse

• Hierarchy, control and managed behavior

• Appropriating competence in a multipolar world

• From teaching to guidance and learning support

• Integration and inclusion – the shifting paradigm

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EUROPEAN FRAMEWORKS• From Common Market to political Union

• Managing the national frameworks – education in 27 Member States

• From curriculum to competence – the Lisbon Agenda (2000)

• The four pillars:• Innovation• Adaptability• Entrepreneurship• Equal Opportunities

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DEVELOPING THE FIESTA NETWORK 2011-2014SCHOOLS - PARENTS –TEACHERS – POLICY MAKERS

Facilitating Inclusive Education and Supporting the Transition Agenda

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• Ireland (Enable Ireland; Universal Learning Systems)

• Bulgaria (Center for Inclusive Education)

• Romania (EuroEd)

• Greece (Platon School)

• Netherlands (CMO; CSG)

• Scotland (University of Edinburgh)

• Cyprus (University of Nicosia)

• Finland (Context Learning)

• Spain – Catalonia (Pi del Burgar)

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EUROPEAN STRUCTURES & CONTEXTS

• EACEA

• EU Life Long Learning Program

• Comenius Program

• Issues:• Youth unemployment• Mobility• Social inclusion• Skills, and adaptability to social change• Languages

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SUPIOT REPORT (2000)• Major risk factors for

unemployment: • Poverty • Social exclusion• Marginalization• Illiteracy• Poor education levels• Inadequate guidance.

• Success Factors:• Educational attainment• Social mobility• Adaptable schooling• ICT and digital competence• Languages• Meaningful assessment

systems.

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A WORD ABOUT PISA• PISA (Program for International Student Assessment)

• International study launched by the OECD in 1997. It aims to evaluate education systems worldwide every three years by assessing 15-year-olds' competencies in the key subjects: reading, mathematics and science.

• To date over 70 countries and economies have participated in PISA

• Impact of Finland

• Impact of competence vs. content

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ECHOES OF VOCATIONALISM‘Job model’ ‘Employment model

Standards based Non-linear

Devoid of context Adaptable

Passive Learning to learn

Routinized Creative Communication

Model behaviors Multidimensional

(F. Taylor) Active > empowering(Slavoj Zizek)

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SUPPORTING LEARNING• Focus of motivation

• Problem solving focus

• From curriculum to competence

• Content to meaningful action

• From formal teaching to creation of bonds and links

• Mentoring

• Models of best practice

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TRANSITION IS RELATIONAL• Change

• Diversity

• Security – uncertainty

• Befriending

• Networks

• Mutual interdependence

• Family critical – so is social identity

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DYNAMICS OF TRANSITION• Defining needs

• Defining required supports

• Developing teams: communication

• Avoiding traps – the standardized label

• Critical and reflective thinking and practice

• Empathy

• Sensitivity and clarity – goal setting

• Evaluative review

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RECENT ISSUES: FIESTA WORKSHOP, KATERINI, GREECE (MARCH 2013)

Dyslexia• Pieria 5% of 28,500 pupils• Parents understanding• Impact of ‘diagnosis’ – rejection• Teacher skills/training• Lack of comparative analysis

Autism• Fear, stigma, guilt• Challenge• Teacher competence• School• Medicalization

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SUPPORTING TRANSITION• Modelling

• Empathy

• Compassion

• Roles

• Responsibility

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POINTS OF CONVERGENCE FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE IN EU & U.S.

Definitional issues

Core Value: Society is responsible to ensure equal opportunities for everyone & taking care of weaker members of society.

Rationale:Social exclusion is extremely expensive for any society.

Key Success Factor:Concrete collaboration and coordination among all participants essential.

Goals:Develop skills in reasoning, problem solving, nurture intellectual curiosity, working through frustration

Challenges:

European Union

FIESTA X X X X X ?

U.S.

X X X ? ? ?

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PRELIMINARY REVIEW, IMPRESSIONS & PLANS• Need for networks

• Need for international best practice

• Breaking barriers

• Facing a new future

• Beyond the ‘normal’

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RECONCEPTUALIZING U.S. PRACTICES

TRANSITION

• Begins at earliest age

• Reconsider as stepwise process, of increasing complexity

• Not inherent; strategies to learn & reinforce

• Recognize as multi-dimensional

FAMILY ROLE

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INCLUDING FAMILIES

• Communicate that parent input valued

• As valued observers

• As perceptive reporters

• As tutors, coaches, cheerleaders, therapists,

consultants,

• As collaborators throughout the process

• As “case managers”

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TEACH PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS FROM EARLIEST DAYS, TO HELP PREPARE CHILDREN TO RESPOND TO TRANSITIONS WITH MORE CONFIDENCE AND SKILL:

Shure, M.B. (2000). I Can Problem Solve An interpersonal cognitive problem-solving program. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

Shure, M.B. (2005). Thinking Parent, Thinking Child How to Turn Your Most Challenging Everyday Problems into Solutions. Champaign, IL: Research Press.

Escher, 1948, Drawing Hands

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RESOURCESwww.ulsystems.comwww.changelearning.eu

www.opendiscoveryspace project.eu

www.fiesta-network.eu

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Thank you!and keep in contact…

abruce@ulsystems.commarme1@rcn.com