A presentation of Wirngo Daniel Wirdoh RP/ET NORTH WEST

NOBODY IS A MISTAKE! Definition of key concepts A. Pedagogic supervision: An evaluation conducted by an external authority to ascertain the level of teaching/learning in an academic institution with the aim of appraising the level of work done, analyzing the difficulties in attaining required objectives and chatting a possible way towards improvement. Pedagogical supervision is supposed to serve improving the educational system and in accordance with the Education System Act it consists in:

1. Judging the state and conditions of teaching, educational and protective activities of schools, institutions and teachers; 2. Analyzing and judging effects of teaching, education and protective activities as well as other statutory activities of schools and institutions; 3. Giving help for schools, institutions and teachers in performing their teaching, education and protective tasks; 4. Inspiring teachers to pedagogic, methodological and organizational innovations. B. Quality: Quality simply stated is the degree of excellence of something or someone.

C. Inclusive education: This refers to education that places children at the centre of the educational system. Why inclusion? Lipski posits that the goal of inclusive education is to eliminate all barriers in order to achieve learning. This explains why in the Salamanca statement, page 6, inclusion stands out to promote quality and equity education for all without any type of barrier or exclusion, including those who may be potentially marginalized due to impairment, gender, emotional/behavioral problems, family background, ethnicity, giftedness, migrants, poverty, and language delays among others.

WHY PEDAGOGIC SUPERVISION FOR QUALITY AND INCLUSION IN EDUCATION? As teachers, who are some of the pupils we cause to lose a sense of belonging in our classrooms? Who are some of these children we feel have no place in our classrooms? aural, visual and kinesthetic learners, If we class pupils in your classroom into aural, visual and kinesthetic learners, how would your attain to their respective needs to meet their expectations.

Is disability a societal label given to the impaired, physically challenged, underprivileged, the marginalized or an actual limitation to performance? Worthy of note here is the fact that while impairment is a functional limitation, a disability is a participation restriction. Thus as clearly stated in, The World of Inclusion, “nobody is born with a disability but many humans are born with or acquire diverse forms of impairments.”

It is easy for all teachers to sit today and identify children with different forms of impairment; visual, auditory, neural, physical etc and try to map out strategies of coping with these in an inclusive classroom despite time restriction, but the greater difficulties may have to do with learning difficulties that primarily cause us to label these learners by their handicaps. This explains why if a child with poor eyesight performs well S/he is an object of praise by the teacher but if otherwise that presuppose normal child performs poorly any physical or environmental factor surrounding the one becomes an object of labeling to the said one.

Can blindness make someone to be poor in mathematics? Can the fact that someone can’t walk make the one to be poor in history? Can a female soldier’s bullet not kill a man because of her gender? Can one fail to be a good cook because s/he is dwarf? Can an engineer fail to build a house because of speech deficit? Etc Is cerebral palsy contagious? Is epilepsy contagious?

HOW CAN OUR CLASSROOMS BE INCLUSIVE WHEN LEARNING DISABILITIES ARE NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS?

Common Types of Learning Disabilities DyslexiaDifficulty reading Problems reading, writing, spelling, speaking Dyscalculia Difficulty with math Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money Dysgraphia Difficulty with writing Problems with handwriting, spelling, organizing ideas

Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder) Difficulty with fine motor skills Problems with hand– eye coordination, balance, manual dexterity Dysphasia/AphasiaDifficulty with language Problems understanding spoken language, poor reading comprehension Auditory Processing Disorder Difficulty hearing differences between sounds Problems with reading, comprehension, language Visual Processing Disorder Difficulty interpreting visual information Problems with reading, math, maps, charts, symbols, pictures

Other disorders that make learning difficult Difficulty in school doesn’t always stem from a learning disability. Anxiety, depression, stressful events, emotional trauma, and other conditions affecting concentration make learning more of a challenge. In addition, ADHD and autism sometimes co-occur or are confused with learning disabilities. ADHD – Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while not considered a learning disability, can certainly disrupt learning. Children with ADHD often have problems sitting still, staying focused, following instructions, staying organized, and completing homework.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Autism – Difficulty mastering certain academic skills can stem from pervasive developmental disorders such as autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Children with autism spectrum disorders may have trouble communicating, reading body language, learning basic skills, making friends, and making eye contact.autism spectrum disorders

HOW CAN WE REMEDY LEARNING DISORDERS? RTI – RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION Monitoring all students' progress closely to identify possible learning problems Providing a child identified as having problems with help on different levels, or tiers Moving this youngster through the tiers as appropriate, increasing educational assistance if the child does not show progress

Identify whether a child has a learning disability Determine a child's eligibility under Cameroonian law for special education services Help construct an individualized education plan (IEP) that outlines supports for a youngster who qualifies for special education services Establish a benchmark for measuring the child's educational progress A full evaluation for a learning disability includes the following A medical examination, including a neurological exam, to identify or rule out other possible causes of the child's difficulties, including emotional disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and brain diseases Exploration of the youngster's developmental, social, and school performance A discussion of family history Academic achievement testing and psychological assessment

How do I view children with impairments and those with learning difficulties? A learning disability is not a problem with intelligence or motivation. “Kids with learning disabilities aren’t lazy or dumb. In fact, most are just as smart as everyone else. Their brains are simply wired differently. This difference affects how they receive and process information.” (helpguide.org)

Conclusively, our classrooms should serve like a diagnostic laboratory where diverse learners are assessed using proper psychological skills to determine how best to handle them with regards to their study and the environment in which these studies take place. FOLLOW ON!

And for a souvenir take this!