1. Stockholm Institute of Education
is the only independent university college in Sweden specialized in teacher education
has students, 400 teacher trainers and 300 administrators
BUT from January 1st 2008
a part of Stockholm University

2. Organization Three departments with focus on:
Teaching and learning processes
The individual’s prerequisites for learning
Society’s influence on learning
Research is conducted in:
Educational studies
Curriculum studies
Special education
Child and Youth Science

3. New organization
From January 1st 2008 the institute will be part of Stockholm University.
Three departments will be eight
Child and youth science will constitute a new department

4. Courses and programs
Preparation of teachers from preschool to higher education (the program takes 3,5 – 5 years)
Bachelor programs in education (3 years)
Courses on master level
Separate courses
Courses in research education (4 years)
Ethics, Academic writing, Research process and Theory of Science (Compulsory courses)

5. Child and Youth Science
Child and Youth science is a subject in doctoral studies in Sweden since September 2004
The subject is interdisciplinary and multi-scientific
The approach includes a holistic perspective on children and adolescents
Children is defined as aging up to 18 years (UN)

6. Child and Youth Science A new academic discipline in Sweden
Brodin & Lindstrand, 2005

7. Child and Youth science
Focus is on play, development and learning as well as socialisation and living conditions
Many different theories , methods and technics are used parallell and in collaboration
The research includes aspects with consequencies for work with children and includes ALL CHILDREN

8. Central aspects
Focus is on children’s and adolescent’s perspectives on their experiences and living conditions
Culture, ethnicity and gender are areas influencing the area in a natural way
Child and Youth Science highlights the variety and differencies as important and developing.

9. Starting points
Children learn by participating in different activities outside the formal context (e.g. school)
Play and toys are of great importance in childhood and stimulate speech, communication and social interaction
Play is important for childrens health and well- being

11. Research groups in CYS Research on Play and Socialisation (LekSoc)
The Disability and Handicap research group
(FunkHa)

12. The Disability and Handicap Research Group - Ongoing projects
Computers and ICT as communication aids and play tools for children with disabilities
Children’s perspectives of habilitation, school and leisure
ICT as an integrating link for children with motor disabilities
Learning in Motion (EU-project)

13. Play and socialisation – ongoing projects
Global competencies in early childhood education (EU-Canada cooperation)
Chat-context as an arena for interaction between individuals
Social interaction and classroom climate in remedial classes – children with ADHD
Scouting – an arena for informal learning
A school for all

14. Play and socialisation
Adolescent’s experiences of emotional insecurity when growing up
Family support/family research
Identity development of muslim girls carrying shawl in Swedish schools
Play, toys and social interaction
Outdoor Education – playgrounds and outdoor environments

16. The Swedish school system
The state school system includes compulsory and voluntary schooling and tuition is free of charge
The compulsory school includes basic schools, schools for the Saami people, schools for children wih disabilities
Voluntary schools include upper secondary school, municipal adult education and education for persons with intellectual impairments

18. The Swedish Education Act
All children have the right to education of equal value, irrespectively of gender, place of living, social and economical background
EA:
“provide pupils with knowledge and skills, and, working together with their homes, promote their harmonious development towards becoming responsible human beings and members of society”.

19. Christmas holiday in December-January (3-4 weeks)
Education act cont.
EA provides adult education (Komvux) and for adults with intellectual disabilities (Särvux)
Curricula, national objectives and guidelines are defined by parliament and government
The school year begins at the end of August and ends in the middle of June (40 weeks)
Christmas holiday in December-January (3-4 weeks)

20. Preschool/day care 0-6 years (also preschool class for six years old)
education
Preschool/day care 0-6 years (also preschool class for six years old)
Compulsory schools from 7-16 years
(but if parents want their child can start at 6 years)
Many of the students continue to upper seconday school after the basic schooling
Almost every forth student continue in higher education at universities

21. A school for all!?? What does the concept a school for all mean?
Is inclusion just a social and political goal?
What opportunities exist for inclusion?
How do teachers meet the challenges in a school for all?

22. Support by international documents
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
United Nations Standard Rules on the equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities(1993)
The Salamanca declaration (1994)
The Dakaar agreement (2000)
National documents:
Pupils with disabilities in school. State investigation(1998)
Curricula and Swedish Education Act

23. All the official documents agree on
The right to education for all (both boys and girls)
To avoid special solutions (children with disabilities)
To stress placement in an inclusive setting which means a school for all
Education should be free of charge, compulsory and within reach for everybody. Parents should be allowed to chose other schools than state schools.

24. The Convention on the Rights of the Child
The convention includes 54 articles. The main principles are stressed in article 2, 3, 6 and 12.
Article 2 – all children have the same value
Article 3 – the best for the child should be in the first room

25. Cont 6 & 12
Article 6 – the right to life and development with focus on the early years and play
Article 12 – childrens’ opportunities to make their voices heard in order to influence their own situation

26. Article 23 concerns children with disabilities
A disabled child has the right to special
care, education and training to help him or
her enjoy a full and decent life in dignity
and achieve the greatest degree of self-
reliance and social integration possible

27. Article 28 and 29 concerns childrens education
The child has a right to education and the aim is to develop the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to full extent.
To prepare the child for an active adult life

28. United Nations Standard Rules
The rules 1, 2, 4, 6, 15 and 19 are the most relevant.
Increased consciousness, medical care and treatment, support and service, education, legislation and education of staff.

29. The Salamanca declaration
The main reasons for exclusion are:
Parallell systems of provision and categories of handicapping conditions exist
Costs to the education system and to individual schools; the nature of the assessment and decision making in schools; costs to family, religion, gender, attitudes and culture; lack of political and professional will; cultural factors, parental choice.

30. What are the obstacles to inclusion?
Lack of teacher training
Lack of human and material resources
Lack of co-ordination between regular and special education systems and schools
Lack of acceptance and understanding by society

31. Every child has a basic right to education on an acceptable educational level
Every child is unique and has unique interests, skills and learning needs
The educational systems should be adapted to the child
Pupils in need of special support should have access to regular schools with a pedagogy where the child is in focus

32. Regular schools with inclusive education is
the most effective way to resist
discriminating attitudes, to create a well-
coming environment and to build an i
integrated society

33. Inclusion - integration
Only a child who has been segregated can be integrated
If the child has never been segregated or excluded he/she is included
Inclusion means communication, community, mutuality and participation otherwise it is only a placement

34. Questions to discuss
What is the difference between integration and inclusion?
Can all children despite kind and degree of disability be included?
What steps need to be regarded if a child with profond and multiple disabilities shall be included?
For whom shall the child be included? Who is the winner?
How can the process be facilitated?
What is the situation today? Have we reached the goals or is there a backlash?

35. 31
NEW PRESENTATION
ICT

36. ICT as a Tool for Inclusion Equal Opportunities for Children with Motor Disabilities Can computers and ICT facilitate inclusion of children with disabilities?

37. One goal is to have access to existing services in society on the same terms as other citizens.

38. The aim of the study was to explore the importance of ICT as an integrating link in school settings
The research questions were:
Does ICT influence social interaction between peers?
What content is present in the activity?
Does ICT support the social development of the child?
How are the communicative aspects of ICT used to enhance interaction in different school environments?

39. Methods used for conduction of the study
Questionnaires were distributed to 26 families and 16 who had a child between years answered
Interviews with the children
Observations in the classrooms
The data collection was finished at the end of 2006.

40. In focus is the relationship between thought, feeling and activity
Limited meaningful activities are effected individually
Knowledge in an activity system is distributed among the members of the group and the society with which it interacts
Human knowledge is always situated in a complex socio-cultural world that influences the individual’s knowledge (cognition).

41. Results
All children experienced the computer available at leisure time and regarded the computer as a useful tool in the future both professionally and as a communication aid
Most of the children used the computer frequently both in school and at home although they stated that they had difficulties to use it in school

42. Results
The families needed more education about computers, software, technology and control systems
Fourteen of the parents wanted to learn how to create new programmes for their children

43. Results
The schools had old-fashioned technology, they could not afford to invest in new technology
The teachers low level of computer knowledge meant that they had not yet started to use the computer as an aid
The children reported that they at home communicated via Internet and had chat friends on the Internet.

44. Conclusions
Development is rapid but there are great difficulties in adjusting the technology in order to be used in everyday life.
One reason for this can be that communication is based on the links that are established between individuals, between individuals and nature, individuals and society, individuals and culture, and between individuals and the material world.

45. The computer works better in the home environment than in the school setting.
The school works towards a content of knowledge which does not include interaction between the children.

46. New study Parents’ evaluation of computer use in child development

47. Purpose of the Study
To increase the knowledge about the effects and consequences the use of computers has on child development
To give parents an opportunity to report on their experiences and expectations of computer use for their children.

48. Subjects
A total of 76 children with disabilities and their parents participated
The children were between two and 19 years old, all unable to read and write.

49. Children with different disabilities (N = 180)
Visual impairment children
Hearing impairment children
Motor disabilities children
Intellectual disabilities children
Autism children
Speech/comm children
Two disabilities children
Three disabilities children
Four disabilities children
Five disabilities children
Multiple disabilities children

50. Method
A questionnaire consisting of 34 multiple choice questions were designed
One section of the questionnaire was to rate parents expectations and experiences of the impact of the computer for child development
The rating covered areas as language, communication, play, training of skills, co-ordination, concentration

51. Results
Adaptation must be done to fit the individual prerequisites for each child
Parents provide us with unique information
Parents know from experience that knowledge can be achieved in different ways
Parents find alternative developmental pathways and compensatory mechanisms and strategies, including the role of the computer as a technological aid

52. Results cont,
The computer’s ability to stimulate concentration was highly rated by parents with children with all types of disabilities.
The importance of the computer in the development of play received relatively high ratings.
When the parent and the child went to the computer play center and met the expert, focus was placed on aspects involving training and learning.

53. Results cont
Parents of children with intellectual disabilities gave the highest average ratings followed by parents of children with autism.
Parents of children with motor disabilities gave relatively low ratings in comparison with the other groups.
Parents of children with vision or hearing impairments gave much lower ratings in average, except in areas as coordination, disability and language training.

54. Parents estimate the importance of computers within ten different areas of development (percentage of parents that give more than five points, possible 1-10)

56. A new way of thinking is needed
The family must get the opportunity to describe different aspects of what they associate with development.
The key to success in implementing ICT is for the professionals to understand each family’s special interests and culture.