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Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title Special/Inclusive Ed & Social Inclusion
Module Code ED4013 (ITS) / EDP1115 (Banner)
Faculty DCU Institute of Education School Inclusive & Special Education
Module Co-ordinatorAnn Marie Farrell
Module Teachers-
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite Not Available
Co-requisite Not Available
Compatibles Not Available
Incompatibles Not Available
Coursework Only
Reassessment on the basis of resubmitted coursework. Details of resit assignment will be available on Loop.
Description

This module aims to provide a foundation in the key understandings and principles of inclusion and inclusive practice for the different domains of special/additional educational needs and poverty, social inclusion in education Specifically, this module will focus on (a) inclusion of children with special/additional educational needs and (b) poverty and social inclusion, with a view to developing student teachers’ understanding of the factors that underpin and influence the creation of inclusive environments for all children.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critique legislation and policy in relation to the inclusion of students with a range of special/additional education needs to identify possibilities for and challenges to inclusion of these children across the school system with reference to the role and responsibility of key stakeholders (e.g. schools/teachers/policy makers/other professionals etc).
2. Identify, discuss and critique key issues in relation to inclusion of children with special/additional educational needs e.g. (a) Range of educational settings and curricula available for children and young people with S/AEN; (b) Implications for inclusive practice and changes in the educational system; (c) life-span perspective for people with S/AEN.
3. Explain and critique the role of individualised planning in effectively enabling inclusion and construct an individualised plan using a case study.
4. To develop innovative thinking in order to reform the education system through conceptual skills to integrate theory, policy and practice for social inclusion in education and to be aware of the needs of the most marginalized in our society
5. To develop students’ potential as an agent of change with regard to strategic policy making concerning equality in education at the school level, local community level, regional and national levels, including awareness of the importance of a community development approach to relations between the school and local community
6. To analyse strengths and gaps of current initiatives seeking to address poverty and social inclusion in education, including to analyse European and Irish policy developments for early school leaving prevention and develop teachers’ capacity to relate to other professionals’ viewpoints



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture36Plenary sessions (full cohort)
Workshop4Groups of 30-40
Independent Study40Reviewing relevant literature; preparation for and completion of assignment etc
Assignment Completion45Assignment (Hours included above under &#39;independent study&#39;)
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Overview
The strands and indicative content for module ED4013 are described below. The respective domains of a) Special and Inclusive Education Poverty and b) Social Inclusion in Education are distinct and discrete domains. Throughout this module, explicit links will be made within and across both strands in order to address the learning outcomes identified previously. Additionally, efforts will be made to support students to connect the content of this module with learning across the BEd programme to maximise their awareness of the factors that influence the creation of inclusive learning environments for all children.

Special and Inclusive Education (SIE)
Legislation and Policy for Inclusion: Relevant legislation and policy (national and international) informing and governing practice relating to the inclusion of pupils with special/additional educational needs (SEN) in Irish schools. Curricular Inclusion: Analysis of the role of the curricula other than the Primary School Curriculum in terms of curricular inclusion of children with SEN e.g. Curriculum Guidelines for Pupils with General Learning Disabilities; Post-Primary programmes etc. Role of individualised planning in providing curricular inclusion for children with S/AEN. Use of Universal Design for Learning Life-span perspective i.e. parents/siblings, dual enrolment, transitions (pre-school / post-primary / adult opportunities and services) with reference to relevant legislation and policy. Current Issues: Examination of current issues impacting on policy and practice in schools in terms of inclusion e.g. role of NCSE; new legislation, policy, budgetary decisions; teaching children for whom English is an additional language; deaf education; and, so on. Case studies and input from guest speakerswill be used through which analysis of the issues raised above will be discussed and examined.

Poverty and Social Inclusion
The focus of this course is to provide insights for working in DEIS schools and the wider communities in which they are located. It includes analysis of the various schemes and services for such schools and communities, including a focus on policy and practice gaps for pupil supports. Students will be engaged in a range of understandings of key principles and frameworks for social inclusion in education and for early school leaving prevention based on both Irish and international research.

Pedagogical Approach to Module
SIE: Multiple perspectives are explored through individual guest speakers and panels who share their insights, experiences, knowledge and understanding of inclusion and exclusion in the context of school and the wider community and life-span journey. Students are invited to share their own experiences also. Students who have completed specialisms in the area are sometimes invited to present their work to their peers in this module. Student engagement in the large class is enhanced through the use of quizzes, Q&A boards, roving mics. Inclusive pedagogical strategies are modelled throughout e.g. eliciting prior knowledge; active learning in class through tasks, think-pair-share etc; use of UDL throughout including in terms of assignment choices; authentic assessment utilised to allow students to apply their understanding by writing for a specific audience. Poverty and Social Inclusion: This course takes place in plenary sessions only of 400+ students. A strong focus is maintained on interactive discussions, in the assessment on how each individual student can set out their distinctive role and contribution to development of this area in future as agents of change. Students are encouraged to critique current initiatives in this area, not only focused on DEIS schools, as part of promoting future leaders in this area.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
AssignmentEssay based on a choice of core ideas explored in the Social Inclusion strand within this module50%n/a
AssignmentIn-class participation / engagement tasks, including development of an individualised learning/support plan (20%) Range of choices of assignment (80%)50%Sem 1 End
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories:
Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module.
Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Ainscow, M.: 2014, From special education to effective schools for all: Widening the agenda. In L. Florian (Ed.). The SAGE handbook of special education: Volume 1, SAGE, London,
  • Frederickson, N., & Cline, T.: 2015, Special educational needs, inclusion and diversity., 3, Open University Press, Maidenhead,
  • Westwood, P.: 2020, Commonsense methods for children with special needs and disabilities, 8 (or 7 - 2015), Routledge, London,
  • Downes, P., & Gilligan, A.L. (Eds.).: 2007, Beyond educational disadvantage, Institute of Public Administration, Dublin,
  • Donlevy, V., Day, L., Andriescu, M., Downes, P.: 2019, Assessment of the Implementation of the 2011 Council Recommendation on Policies to Reduce Early School Leaving. Commissioned Research Report across 35 countries for EU Commission, Directorate General, Education, Sport, Youth and Culture., Publications Office of the European Union., Luxembourg,
  • Freire, P.: 1972, Pedagogy of the Oppressed., Penguin Books, Harmondsworth,
  • Downes, P., Nairz-Wirth, E., Rusinaite, V.: 2017, Structural Indicators for Developing Inclusive Systems in and around Schools in Europe., Publications Office of the European Union/EU bookshop., Luxembourg,
  • Defeyter M.A., Stretesky P., Forsey A., Mann E., Henderson E., Pepper G.V., & Walters P.: 2020, Food and coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Policy Paper from the Healthy Living Lab & Feeding Britain.,
Other Resources

0, Loop page, 0, Videos and podcasts on Loop page, 0, Website, 0, research reports; database of Irish publications; statistics; parental and school guidance, www.ncse.ie, 0, Policy - Circular, DES, 2017, Circular to the management authorities of all mainstream primary schools: Special Education Teaching Allocation, https://circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/education/2017/13.pdf, 0, Policy - Circular (Accompanying Guidelines 13/17), DES, 2017, Guidelines for Primary Schools: Supporting pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools, https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/edf64-guidelines-for-primary-schools-supporting-pupils-with-special-educational-needs-in-mainstream-schools/, 0, Policy - Guidelines, National Council for Special Education, 2011, Inclusive Education Framework, NCSE, https://ncse.ie/researches/InclusiveEducationFramework_InteractiveVersion.pdf, 0, Policy, United Nations, 2006, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UN, https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html, 0, Website, Special Education Support Service (SESS), 0, Signposts, https://www.sess.ie/documents-and-publications/government-agencies/special-education-support-service-signposts, 0, Website, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, 0, Range of curricula, guidelines and programmes, NCCA, www.ncca.ie, 0, Legislation, Government of Ireland, 2004, Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act (EPSEN), https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2004/act/30/enacted/en/html, 0, Website, Educational Disadvantage Centre, DCU, 0, Range of publications and resources, EDC, www.dcu.ie/edc, 0, Policy, DES, 2017, DEIS 2017 Action Plan, https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0fea7-deis-plan-2017/, 0, Policy, European Commission, 2013, Reducing early school leaving: Key messages and policy support Final Report of the Thematic Working Group on Early School Leaving November 2013, 0, Policy, 2011, Council Council Recommendation on policies to reduce Early School Leaving., 0, Policy, 2011, Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the committee of the regions. Tackling Early School Leaving: A key contribution to the Europe 2020 Agenda., 0, Policy, UNESCO, 2020, Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and education: All means all., Paris, UNESCO, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000373718/PDF/373718eng.pdf.multi,

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