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Preparing Primary Teachers to Lead Inclusive Learn..
Preparing Primary Teachers to Lead Inclusive Learning
Start date: Oct 3, 2016,
End date: Oct 2, 2018
PROJECT
FINISHED
"Preparing primary teachers to lead inclusive learning" (PRETTi) is planned as a 24 months project that combines the efforts of 7 organizations from 4 European countries with the aim to equip primary education school teachers to participate actively in fostering inclusive education and decreasing learning outcomes' disparities. Our main objective is to equip the target group with skills and competencies to identify learning difficulties, irrespectively of whether these are formally categorized as SEN, "hidden", or still to be analyzed by relevant experts.-Context/backgroundThe project idea emerged from the experience of the participating organisations gained from collaboration with primary school teachers. The reality in the classroom shows that there is huge disparity in learning abilities of pupils, as well as unrealistic "screen shot" and monitoring of SEN across countries. Identifying students with learning difficulties is a complicated process, which can be easily mistaken for state of misbehavior. Additionally, resource teachers and SEN experts are not involved in mainstream education, until a problem has been formally recognized and registered voluntarily by parents. Hence, the school teacher is expected to achieve standards and maintain high attainment levels, irrespectively of the variety of needs and abilities among children enrolled in mainstream school education.The PRETTi project will work to support the development of teachers’ competences in the field of learning difficulties identification through designing, testing and implementing a specialized handbook. This will be achieved through cooperation between the Bulgarian National Association of Resource Teachers, one of the leading providers of professional and methodological literature - RAABE Bulgaria, 2 primary schools from Bulgaria and Slovakia, 2 universities offering degrees in pedagogy and inclusive education from Spain (Cordoba) and Romania (Bucharest) and the Slovak Research Institute of Child Psychology and Psychology. The development of the Handbook will be complemented by testing, validation and exploitation through national focus groups, specialized training to ensure wider direct impact and further multiplication, an extensive dissemination campaign, piloting, as well as thorough evaluation. Results and impact envisaged:*PRETTi Handbook for primary education school teachers in 5 languages;*large-scope international dissemination conference;*joint staff training;- key results for the target group: increased knowledge and skills to identify “hidden” learning difficulties among primary school pupils; increased awareness of the impact of learning difficulties on attainment levels and behavioral patterns; increased competencies to foster inclusive education;- key results for partners: increased public awareness on the topic of learning difficulties identification and inclusive education; reinforced cooperation with partners from other countries; broadened knowledge and practice in the field of learning difficulties; improved positions among current and future target groups/clients/business partners/peer institutions.- key results for relevant stakeholders: improved awareness of the importance to cooperate in the process of early identification of learning difficulties at primary mainstream school level and to foster inclusive education; increased synergies between schools, specialised institutions, Universities, policy makers and parents on the topic of addressing learning difficulties.Potential longer term benefits:-children with learning difficulties and/or SEN will receive higher quality education, develop the maximum of their abilities and achieve learning outcomes to allow for successful personal and (at a later stage) professional development.