Collaborative Practice for Special Needs - Essay Example

Introduction Strategic Management is the sum total of intended and emergent initiatives taken by managers in different organizations to utilize resources towards enhanced performance within the context of the environment in which the organization is operating. It includes the stated vision, mission and plan of action of the organization (Nag et al, 2007, 935), (Hamel, & Prahalad, 1994, 53). According to Johnson at al (2008, 55) successful Strategic Management depends on three factors namely: suitability, feasibility and acceptability. This means the manager must project if the plan will address the key strategic issues [suitability]; whether the resources required for it are available [feasibility]; and, whether it will meet the expectations of the main stakeholders [acceptability] (Buzzell & Gale, 1987, 44) ( Lynch, 2006, 38). On the other hand, Professor Tony Booth and Professor Mel Ainscow et al (2000) developed an index for inclusion utilized by educational institutions to ensure that the school optimizes the performance of its students, staff and stakeholders in the educational process. The aim of such an index is to build supportive communities and foster the highest possible levels of achievement among the school staff and students. This index when used in planning that the learning system is inclusive to all those involved and does not discriminate on the basis of cultural background or academic ability, but encourages all to participate and progress to the best of their ability based on their own unique circumstances. Meanwhile, Lanchat and Smith (2005, 333-349) postulate that an accurate and relevant collection of data in schools helps the teaching fraternity to improve the performance of students. This is because they can correctly predict what will help in improving work performance based on previous recorded experience. This approach eventually results in the improvement of the overall attainment of excellence by the institution. This paper is about an interview carried out by a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) with a teaching assistant concerning collaborative practice between the two parties to make special needs provision for a Child known as A. Child A, who is a grade 9 pupil at Dovedale Junior school, is from an economically and socially disadvantaged area of Liverpool and faces different challenges in trying to cope with the children from more affluent backgrounds in the educational system. This interview is based on the theories mentioned above in determining the successes and challenges encountered in the process of educating child A. The Interview SENCO: What is the stated mission of this school if any? Teaching Assistant: Dovedale Junior School aims at encouraging pupils to be knowledgeable, inquisitive, confident, trustworthy and respectful. The school goal is providing a safe, happy, secure, supportive and welcoming environment to pupils and their parents or caregivers. In addition the curriculum offered is broad and balanced for all the learners. The school encourages understanding and respect for fellow pupils and other persons despite their heritage, gender, religion or intellect. The school also inculcates self confidence in its pupils. In addition there is an active fostering of self-expression and creativity in whatever the pupils do. Finally the school actively caters for the different emotional requirements of individual children. All these are clearly stated in the school’s prospectus. S: OK, but is there any specific type of behaviour or interaction that the school aims to discourage? TA: Yes, the school has a clearly stated objective of discouraging certain types of behaviour. The school discourages racist and disruptive behaviour and attitudes. Physical and verbal abuse are also not tolerated here. All children must relate to one another in a civil and respectable manner. S: Have you had cases of such abuses or discrimination in the past? TA: Well there has been no major incident, but that is because we actively sensitize our pupils right from the moment they join this school against such unbecoming behaviour. However, isolated cases of discrimination on the basis of social status and race have been noted in the past. On average our records show that there are not more than three cases a year and all of them have been mild ones. This is of course with the exception of child A whose name we will withhold for the purposes of ensuring privacy. S: We shall talk about that shortly. But meanwhile, are parents involved in disciplinary matters in the school. Are there other stakeholders in the school and, if so, how are they involved in the running of the schools affairs? TA: Yes, we have a responsibility as parents to ensure that all parents are well informed at any one time about their children’s behaviour and any unbecoming habits by the child are punished with the full support of the parent. In this way discipline is a collective responsibility and that compels the child to follow the disciplinary route. This is because the child will see that the two most influential persons in his life, the parent and the teacher, agree on course of behaviour that he should adopt. The school also has a board of governors who convene to make decisions on major policy issues that guide to conduct of the schools affairs. Moreover, the teaching fraternity, including teachers and teaching assistants and the members of the supporting staff all work together in harmony to ensure that everything is run in an organized and timely manner. S: How about records, do you keep them to assess pupils’ progress and difficulties? TA: Yes we keep records of all the activities carried out in school for assessment and future reference. There are various types of records. These include the obvious ones like children’s attendance and performance in assignments to see which areas of which subjects give specific children problems. But there are other records the collect data on team-work, social behaviour , punctuality, cleanliness and dedication to duty. Any area that is found wanting is improved upon and the general improvement of the child noted down and reported at the end of each session. S: Now let as talk about the specific case of child A. Please tell us more about him. TA: Child A is a normal boy in Year 9 of learning in this school. He joined this school hardly on year ago after securing a private scholarship from well-wishers. The child is from a financially unstable background given that his father separated from his mother when he was only 2 years old. He has grown to the age of 11 solely under the care of his mother. His father ended up in Jail for robbery and is thus unable to support the child. The problem is the child has had a severely troubled background and this has greatly affected his education. Moreover the other children tended to treat him differently since he is from a poor background. They keep teasing him and this always elicits a strong and indifferent response from him that has made them avoid him at all costs. S: Has this affected his academic performance? TA: Initially his performance was very low. This is because he was a loner and tended to keep away from most group activities. He has come to a near fight with many children and since every time we intervened, he developed a habit of being a recluse. This gravely affected his performance. However, with time his performance improved since the teachers paid more attention to him and advised him on what to do. The other children have also become friendlier to him. We showed them that their discriminative behaviour was unacceptable and indefensible. Al the same the child himself did not make it any easier for them to be friendly since he was himself quite anti social. But as I said the relationship between him and the other children has greatly improved and so have his grades. We can now safely say that that he will eventually leave this school a better person than the time he came. S: From your records in which specific areas has he improved? TA: his academic performance has greatly improved. He once scored below average grades in all his subjects except science and Information Technology which he had a keen interest in even in the worst of times. Today, all his scores are very good including in Math which was once his worst subject. S: How about his relations with the other pupils? TA: This too has improved greatly. He is becoming more cordial and shares his experience with them more freely. However, I cannot exactly say that he has developed very intimate friendship with any of them, but they do not act as his enemies anymore either. Moreover, he has also developed a closer relationship with the teachers and opens up to them asking questions when he is bothered by one thing or the other. S: What does his mother say to all this? TA: Oh, she is very grateful and never fails to marvel at how the child has changed. Even at home he has become friendlier and is no longer involved in punch-ups with the neighbouring children. S: Thank you for your time sir. References Booth, T., & Ainscow Mel et al , 2000, Index for Inclusion: developing learning and participation in schools, Center for Studies and Inclusive Education, retrieved on 5/8/2011 from Buzzell, R. & Gale, B., 1987, The PIMS Principles: Linking Strategy to Performance, New York: Free Press. Hamel, G., & Prahalad, C.K., 1994, Competing for the Future, Harvard Business School Press Johnson, G, Scholes, K & Whittington, R., 2008, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 8th Edition, Essex: FT Prentice Hall. Lachat, .A., & Smith, S. 2005, Practices that support data use in urban high schools, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 10(3). Lynch, R., 2006, Corporate Strategy, 4th edition, New York: Pearson Education. Nag, R.; Hambrick, D. C. & Chen, M.J, 2007 September, What is strategic management, really? Inductive derivation of a consensus definition of the field. Strategic Management Journal. Volume 28, Issue 9. Read More