TET Study Materials - Charity Model of Disability

 

         CHARITY MODEL

v The tragedy/charity model of disability depicts disabled people as victims of circumstances who are deserving of pity.

v This model treats the disabled as dependent upon the society.

v It has an emotional appeal towards the disabled.

v The disabled are treated as helpless victims needing “care and protection”.

v Initial efforts of the government and individuals were based on this model.

v Government was allocating large chunk of fund for the welfare of persons with disabilities.

v The non- governmental organisations working for the benefit of persons with disabilities also relies on the donations and government grants.

v This model aims at providing care and protection on charity basis.

v Traditionally in the competitive business of fund-raising, ‘Children in Need ‘are illustrated as young victims of famine, poverty, child abuse and other circumstances.

v Over 4, 00,000 adults in Great Britain are affected by institutionalisation.

Functional model/economic model

v Person’s inability to participate in work.

 

v This model is directly related to the charity model.

 

v It also assesses the degree to which impairment affects an individual productivity and economic consequences for the individual, employer and the state.

 

v The economic model is used primarily by policy milers to assess distribution of benefits to those who are unable to participate fully in work.

Salient features of functional model of disability

v The reason for the inability is not their impairment but the physical or social barriers that exist in the society.

 

v This model argues that it is the society which has to undergo a change and not the individual with a disability.

Rehabilitation model

v This model regards the disability as a deficiency that must be fixed by rehabilitation professional or other helping professional.

v It regards the person with a disability as in need of services from a rehabilitation professional that can provide training, therapy, counselling or other services.

v It gained acceptance after WORLD WAR-II after when many disabled veterans needed to be re-introduced into society.

TET Study Materials - Multiculturalism and Education

 

Multiculturalism and Education

Meaning

v Multicultural education refers to any form of education or teaching that incorporates the histories, texts, values, beliefs, and perspectives of people from different cultural backgrounds.

v Multicultural education is predicated on the principle of educational equity for all students, regardless of culture, and it strives to remove barriers to educational opportunities and success for students from different cultural backgrounds.

Definition

v According to Elkin Multicultural Education is the philosophical concept which advocates all children should have an equal opportunity to learn in school, regardless of the children's race, social, class or gender.

v The National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) defined multicultural as a philosophical concept built on the ideals of freedom, justice, equality, equity and human dignity.

Purposes of multicultural education

v Ensure equal educational opportunities for entire students.

v It strikes a balance between cultural assimilation and cultural segregation.

v It provides a platform for the articulation of common concern and helps in achieving democratic values.

v Multicultural education is a process that permeates all aspects of school practices, policies and organization as a means to ensure the highest levels of academic achievement for all students.

v It helps students to develop a positive self-concept by providing knowledge about the histories, cultures, and contributions of diverse groups.

v It prepare all students to work actively

The goals of multicultural education

v Creating a safe, accepting and successful learning environment.

 

v Strengthening cultural consciousness.

 

v Strengthening intercultural awareness.

 

v Teaching students that there are multiple historical perspectives.

 

v Encouraging critical thinking.

 

v Preventing prejudice and discrimination.

Multicultural education in schools

The following are a few representative ways in which multicultural education may play in schools:

v Learning content:

            Texts and learning materials may include multiple cultural perspectives and references.

v Student cultures:

          Teachers and other educators may learn about the cultural backgrounds of students in a school, and then intentionally incorporate learning experiences and content relevant to their personal cultural perspectives and heritage.

v Critical analysis:

          Both educators and students might analyze their own cultural assumptions, and learning materials.

Multicultural Education in India

v According to Chakra arty (2001) it is two aspects:

Ø To make education effective and

Ø To ensure that education is available to all children in India.

v  According to India’s constitution, article 21A:

Ø “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years.”

v At present, Indian children, depending on their family’s status and wealth, may attend one of three types of schools:

Ø Private schools

Ø English medium schools

Ø  Public-school

v Children in India’s schools are taught to analyze information and to think critically.

The National Curriculum Frame work (2005)

The National Curriculum Frame work (2005) for the multicultural education in India, the following items should be developed:

v Strengthening a national system of education in a pluralistic society.

v Reducing the curriculum load based on insights provided in 'Learning without Burden'.

v Systemic changes in tune with curricular reforms.

v Curricular practices based on the values enshrined in the Constitution, such as social justice, equality, and secularism.

v Ensuring quality education for all children.

v A renewed effort should be made to implement the three-language formula, emphasizing the recognition of children's home language(s) or mother tongue(s) as the best medium of instruction. These include tribal languages.

v  The multilingual character of Indian society should be seen as are source for the enrichment of school life.

Benefits of multicultural education

v Helps to eradicate prejudice and racism.

v Brings different races together in harmony.

v Builds interaction between diverse cultures.

v Creates tolerance between two groups.

v It eradicates cultural barriers.

v Helps students develop positive self-image.

v Allows multiple perspectives and ways of thinking.

TET Study Materials - Curriculum Development From Top to Down

 

 

       CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT     FROM TOP TO DOWN

v Top-down policy is popular in many developing and developed countries to determine the nature of curriculum teaching and assessment.

 

v The top-down policy relates a hierarchical structure or processes that progress from a large to small parts curriculum development.

 

v Top-down approach in curriculum development begins the curriculum development from the educational administrators and brings it to the bottom people in the hierarchical structure of the administration.

 

v In this approach the topmost educational administrators or policy makers make the decision of how the curriculum should be developed.

 

v This approach is disseminated under their authority to lower levels in the hierarchy.

 

v Hence the educational administrators make curriculum changes and these changes are carried out by the various levels of administrators, and finally it is implemented in the classroom by the teachers.

 

v The teachers are supervised by the school administrators.

Advantages of top-down curriculum development:

v Uses of the curriculum and its implementation are realized easily.

 

v It enhances automation in the system.

 

v It is useful for the large number of learners.

 

v It enhances management skills and it broadens the organization.

 

v It is useful for a centralized structure of organization.

 

v Changes in the curriculum can be easily disseminated. 

 

v It enables the control of curriculum content by subject matter specialists.

 

v Central administration supports all of the subject matter concepts incorporated in the curriculum.

 

v It enhances the efficiency of curriculum development.

Disadvantages:

v Teachers and school managers who implement the curriculum in the classroom have no control over the subject matter.

 

v There is no opportunity for teachers input and feedback.

 

v The organizational structures have to be changed in accordance with the needs of the curriculum.

 

v It requires the greater co-operation of the entire structure of the administration.

TET Study Materials - Mental Retardation

MENTAL RETARDATION

 

Definition

v Mental retardation means having an IQ measured as below 70 to 75 and significant delays or lacks in at two are us of adaptive skills.

 

v Mental retardation refers to a chronic condition present from birth to early childhood which is characterized by both impaired intellectual functioning as measured by standardized tests and impaired adaptive to the daily demands of the individual’s social environment.

 

Definition of American association of mental deficiency

           “Sub-Average general intellectual functioning which originated during the development period and is associated with impairment in adoptive behavior”.

Identifying the mentally retarded children

v Teacher’s/school counselor, analyze with the help of parents the developmental tasks of students.

v Administer a standardized intelligence test and identify those with I.Q. less than 70.

v  Observation of general conduct of student by the class teacher’s.

v  Administer a socio metric test and identify those who are social isolates.

v  By taking evaluation from teachers parents and peers.

Categories of the Mentally Retarded

                               I.            Morons

                             II.            Imbeciles

                          III.            Idiots

 

Morons

 

v The morons or the educable retarded have I.Q. ranging from 50 to 75.

 

v  These children learn reading and writing skills with great difficulty and as such are not able to go beyond elementary education.

 

v Such children do not derive much benefits from general education offered in normal schools.

 

v If they are admitted in special schools and educated by individualized instruction and training they could acquire the basic knowledge and skills required to lead an independent life.

 

 

Imbeciles

 

v The imbeciles or the trainable Retarded are those with I.Q.  Ranging from 25 to 50.

 

v They have the capacity to take care of their physical needs and communicate them orally.

 

v Their disability is clearly visible and is unable to learn the skills of reading and writing.

 

v They are unfit to attend any school and acquire literacy.

 

v Through special education such children can be trained in the activities of daily life and also in simple vocational skills so as to make them economically productive and lead a normal life.

 

Idiots

 

v The idiots or the untrained retarded are those having I.Q. below 25.

 

v They cannot act on their own their own but they have to depend on others.

 

v They  cannot attend or even take care of their personal/ physical needs

 

v  They can neither acquire literacy nor be trained in the activated of daily life or vocational skills.

 

v They require the Custodial Care of the family, continuously.

TET Notes - Overcoming the Barriers in Inclusive Education

 

Overcoming the Barriers in   Inclusive Education

v Despite all the problems many countries are making efforts to implement inclusive education.

v Some examples of methods used to overcome barriers are summarised below.

Negative attitude to words inclusive Education

v Creating a more inclusive system requires a new approach in attitude.

v Simply placing children with special needs within the public school system will not lead to meaningful inclusion.

v The problem of implementing the inclusive education lies with the unwelcoming school system and not with the disabled children.

v In order to change the school system, there first must be change in the attitudes of the stakeholders.

v One way of improving stakeholder’s attitudes towards inclusive education is to raise awareness of the potential benefits of inclusive education for all students.

v It implemented well inclusive education benefits all the students through more focus on individual needs of every student, provision of intra-structural facilities

v Low teacher-pupil ratio, more child-centered teaching techniques and a diversity friendly environment.

v However to gain support from communities people must be made aware of the benefits inclusive education can bring to all children.

Easy physical Access and better learning Environment

v Where physical factors pose barriers to learning and participation they can be easily removed.

v Improvement in the physical environment of the centers of learning such as the design of the building provided with ramps, lifts, adequate space for wheel chair movement, door handles, special seating arrangement etc.

v Special learning materials required for the disabled children availability of water, electricity and toilet facilities will enable students to participate in the range of learning activities in and out of the classroom.

 

Curriculum and assessment of student achievement

 

v Curriculum needs to be relevant to the children and flexible enough to respond to all children’s needs.

v Teaching methods should focus on child-centered education and not on subject centered education.

v This required both the development of suitable teacher training and flexible rules concerning curriculum.

v The examinations should test what are all learnt by the students and not   what they haven’t learnt.

v They should be designed in such a way that all students gain success to some extent.

v The assessment of children needs to be related to the aims of the curriculum, the culture of the child and the way in which the curriculum is designed and delivered.

Increasing the family involvement

v Guardians or careers of students especially those of disabled children, must be made conscious of fully utilizing the benefits that inclusive education bring in.

v Teachers besides having rapport with the parents and careers of the disabled children must also converse with them in a language understandable for them.

v If the school management and the teachers establish rapport with the popular and prominent people in the neighbourhood of the school then the information about the school will spread easily.

Ensuring community involvement

v Meaningful inclusion necessitates community participation.

v The community leaders, parents and teachers by devoting their time and resources to establish inclusive education in public schools can ensure their support.

Retraining the Personnel within the Educational System

v To achieve change with in the education system towards inclusion, those with in the education system must first understand and support the concept.

v Therefore the development of a more inclusive education system requires training and retraining of all education personnel.

v Administrator’s and education manages from ministries of education, local governments, district services, voluntary organizations, NGOs, etc. need to be introduced to the principle of inclusion and its implications to the system at different levels.

Policy Changes of the Government

v Strong political will and government commitment is critical to achieve inclusive education.

v ‘Education for all’ should be viewed not only as ‘human resource development’ but as ‘enforcing human rights’.

v The government should make policies keeping in mind that all sections of people including the disabled have the fundamental right to education.

v If necessary the whole education system must be reformed.

v The government should understand that the ‘inclusive education’ ties closely together with the goal of ‘Education of All’.

v If the government plans to achieve inclusion it need to define a set of inclusive principles and more practical aspects to guide the transition process through those principles.

v Summarizing the above it could be concluded that the barriers to implement the inclusive education could be successfully won over only with the active cooperation of all the stakeholders in the education system.