Special needs education incorporates proven methods of teaching from which all children can benefit. This quotation is from the Salamanca Statement, published in June 1994 following a Conference attended by representatives of 92 countries and 25 international organisations. Unfortunately, the Statement did not specify what these 'proven methods' are. The consultative document "Schools for the 21st Century" published by the Commission of the European Communities on 11th July 2007 goes into more detail. It has much to say about equity and opportunity for all in the context of schooling. In respect of learning and teaching, one paragraph in section 2.5 (page 8) reads: The types of classroom practice that support the inclusion of pupils with 'special' needs include: co-operative teaching, co-operative learning, collaborative problem solving, heterogenous grouping and systematic monitoring, assessment, planning and evaluation of each pupil's work. Such approaches are likely to benefit all pupils, including children who are particularly gifted or talented. The whole document can be found here: http://ec.europa.eu/education/school21/index_en.html |