Professional Growth
University of Valencia
Inclusion for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Using Peer Tutoring Method and Mnemonic Strategy in Improving Postsecondary Word Recognition
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Effat Shugdar
In considering postsecondary transition, inclusion becomes even more important because once students exit the high school setting the challenge is for them to function successfully in the real world where they will be included as a part of society. Therefore, this study discusses the success of inclusion for students with intellectual disabilities in the general classroom setting by using peer tutoring and mnemonic approaches to teach postsecondary word recognition in Saudi Arabia. The study used experimental research design, which consisted of two groups: experimental group and control group. There were three eighth grade classrooms distributed in the schools with 15 students with 14-years old in each class. They consisted of students with and without disabilities, and each class has two students with intellectual disabilities. The experimental group applied two teaching methods: peer tutoring and mnemonic approaches to teach postsecondary word recognition. The control group was comprised of students who had been taught the postsecondary word recognition by using the traditional classroom method. As a result of the study, the peer tutoring group had been more effective for all the students also had a big effect on students with mental retardation. The students that receive mnemonic training had better scores than the control group. Students relate to other students readily, and the postsecondary word recognition helped them to learn faster, envision basic employment opportunities after exiting school, and engage not just in the classroom but also in the community setting, and other areas of life.
What Do Curriculum Developers Do in Private Schools?: The Case of Turkey View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Burak Cesur, Serkan Kelesoglu
In Turkey, curricula are developed by the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) and are aimed to be implemented for the same purposes in both public and private schools. In private schools curriculum development processes are carried out by units established under R&D or various names. These studies are conducted by curriculum developers in private schools. In addition to curriculum development studies in private schools, curriculum developers also perform different tasks such as preparing teaching-learning processes for existing educational programs, supporting measurement and evaluation studies. However, the expectations from curriculum developers in private schools differ from school to school. The aim of this study is to determine the roles of curriculum developers employed in some private schools and their opinions on their roles. The participants of this case study are 14 curriculum developers working in 10 private schools in Ankara. A semi-structured interview form consisting of 12 questions was used. The data were analyzed with the method of content analysis. It was concluded that curriculum developers generally work under school principals, mostly define themselves as teacher educators, and generally support teachers in the implementation of curricula developed by the MoNE, although most of them do not have defined tasks. In this process, curriculum developers encounter different problems in working with teachers. It is recommended that the roles and responsibilities of curriculum developers should be determined in this study. Also, ıt is underlined that professional competencies of curriculum developers should be defined and approved by the Vocational Qualificaitons Authority.
