Role of Teachers in Provision of Collaborative Education in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example

Title: Role of teachers in provision of collaborative education in Saudi Arabia Name Institution Supervisor’s name Table of content Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Abstract 1 Introduction 1 Background of the study 1 Statement of the problem 2 Objectives of the study 4 Scope and limitations of the study 4 Definition of terms 6 Methodology 6 Data collection Process 6 Focus groups 6 Interviews 7 Observation 7 Respondents of the study 8 Statistical tool analysis 9 Ethical considerations 9 Chapter 2 10 Literature Review 10 References 12 Chapter 1: Introduction Abstract Collaborative education classrooms often have several students both with specials needs as well as the normal students who are fully integrated together in the same classroom. It is not surprisingly important to note that one or few students might spend sometimes in general classroom in one part of the day and the other part in a special classroom. It is therefore a role and duty of the teachers to provide an environment that will be conducive for all the students especially those with special needs in order to enable them meet both their academic as well as their behavioural objectives. It is very hard for single general teacher to achieve this. Specially trained teacher will have to work hand in hand with the general teacher to achieve the set goals and objectives of the learners in a holistic learning environment that will support the learning of students. This paper will research will find out the role of teachers in Saudi Arabia are working around the clock to have a collaborative platform to offer education to both general and special needs students Introduction Background of the study In the past, teachers used to work in isolation. This means that each teacher was allocation his or her own classroom. That drastically changed in 1970s when children with disabilities were incorporated into public schools (Flinders, Uhrmacher & Moroye, 2010). During previous period, they were isolated in their own classrooms with their teachers. As the time progressed, that is about three decades ago, students with disabilities have gradually been incorporated into classrooms of general/regular classrooms (Rifkin, 2009). Mainstreaming is the term that has been put forward to explain this gradual change. Nonetheless, the incorporation was only for partly basing on the subjects or the duration of the day. The present day philosophy is to incorporate all students in the same classroom leading to collaboration of special and general education teachers to work hand in hand cooperatively or collaboratively to merge the professional skills, knowledge and perspective (Reynolds & Fletcher-Janzen, 2007) One of the major changes that accompanied the new structure is the decision to share the responsibility was previously individual: classroom instruction assessment of students, sharing of decisions, goals, and responsibility of students, classroom management, problem solving and the assessment of student learning (Rifkin, 2009). This research therefore aims to explore the roles and responsibilities of each teacher regarding the self-determination in each and how to make special decision, teaching process and measurement Statement of the problem Globally, special need education underwent incredible changes in the last half of the last century. This is mostly observed as it shifted to a more inclusive environment from a segregated one Special needs education in the present day Saudi Arabia has been ushered into a new and productive era. Saudi Arabia is among the leading countries in coming up with policies and structures that put great attention on the concept of incorporating regular students with those with disabilities in the same schools countrywide. It is therefore important to note that incorporation of children with special needs in regular school is now a reality rather than fantasy in Saudi Arabia. This is shown by the recent trends that the number of students receiving education in special schools is less than those in regular schools (Sailor, 2002) In Saudi Arabia, such changes in the education policy, system and structure is believed to enrich the environment where the special needs student will access quality education which will enable them triumph in a society whose completion and advancement is beyond imagination (Rifkin, 2009) Teachers have been progressively executing education ministry policies targeting upholding collaborative policies in Saudi Arabia. Even as special continue to offer special schools targeting students with both hearing and visual impairments as well as those having severe cases of mental and physical problems (Al-Ajmi, 2006). Special schools also accommodate children having language and speech difficulties. As special continue to offer education for the above special cases, teachers in regular schools are now fully embracing special needs students. It is important to note Saudi Arabia agreed to embrace the long-term standard curriculum in the kingdom that states that all children should be in position to have access to national curriculum despite others benefit through a slow process (Al-Ajmi, 2006) The Saudi Arabian education ministry has put in place programmes that train teachers to offer inclusive education to both regular and special needs students. These programmes continue to develop so as to be more flexible, easy to implement and more practical (Mitchell, 2005)). Despite these programmes in place, teachers still face a lot of difficulties and challenges in attending organized trainings and workshops aiming to improve their service due to huge workload they have. In-service teachers receive less training in comparison with new teachers (Mitchell, 2005). The overriding for the coming years is to make sure that in-service and new teachers that these trainings and workshops instils all these Saudi teachers with inclusion to recognize the needs of the special needs pupils and students and too gain relevant skills that will enable them to offer best learning environment Objectives of the study The goals of this research study are to find the role of teachers in: 1. The self-determination regarding every learner and how they make crucial decisions 2. How teachers measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum 3. The process, mode and the way of teaching an all-inclusive classroom The study will also contribute to literature, overall knowledge regarding collaboration of special and general teachers in provision of inclusive education Scope and limitations of the study The study will target both special teachers and general teachers in public schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study will also show progress made in the education in the Saudi Arabia especially regarding students with special needs. Some of the limitations and constraints likely to be encountered finding enough time to get all the relevant data and information that will give the true picture of collaborative teaching between special teachers and general teachers in Saudi Arabia This research will offer the Saudi Arabian ministry of education with primary data concerning the how teacher do self-determination of every learner and how they make crucial decisions about their learning. Furthermore, this study will show how teachers measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum and the process, mode and the way of teaching an all-inclusive classroom. It is the findings from this study that will highlight the best practices that collaborative teachers employ while delivering of collaborative education by special and general teachers. The results will not only be replicated and modified here in Saudi Arabia but also across the globe especially in countries that are yet to employ put into practice (collaborative education). This study will also give teachers opportunity to understand the real meaning of collaborative teaching roles, how they measure students’ performance and how to integrate them all. It is also very important to note that there is lack of substantial amount of data and information regarding the collaborative education by offered by teachers in Saudi Arabia. This study will therefore give imperative information about the current status of collaborative education in Saudi Arabian public schools. The results will help in coming up workable solutions that help in advancing this kind of teaching method that not only encourages diversity in students’ development but also promote national integration. The findings from this teachers’ collaborative way of delivering education in Saudi Arabian schools will also help in coming up ways of motiving teachers in handling students with various challenges and disabilities and elimination modes by yet to be trained teachers (about collaborative teaching). Furthermore, this research will provide the kingdom especially the officials in the education sector with better understanding of more about resources at disposal that help the special needs students and other children towards the achievement of social as well as academic excellence as offered by well trained teachers Definition of terms Collaborative teaching: three decade ago, this kind of teaching was defined as an approach whereby special teachers work hand in hand with the general teachers in not only a co-active but also in a coordinated manner in order to cooperatively different kind of learners in a educationally incorporated learning environment. In this kind of setting, both the special and general teachers are present in the same classroom where they share responsibilities for the specified curriculum (Kim, 2006) Methodology This research is meant to develop a deep understanding on the role of teachers in self-determination of every all students regardless of the special needs or not. The study will also highlight of how Saudi Arabian teachers measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum regarding the collaborative teaching of special teachers and their general counterparts. The study will also shed light on the process, mode and the way of teaching in all-inclusive classrooms Data collection Process Focus groups The research will employ focus group to gather information regarding role of teachers in self-determination of every all students, how these teachers measure the learning process of their students and mode and the way of teaching. There researcher will conduct several focus group discussions to expound more about the research topic. The focus group of this study will consist of 8 participants. The rationale of using 8 individuals is that participants will have enough time and space for the discussion. Two of the members of the groups will have specialized knowledge of observation and extracting additional information from the target individuals during the discussion. Also, the method can do well with limited manpower and finance. However, moderators are expected to have good knowledge of observation and note taking in order to capture comprehensive data on circumstances, attitudes and opinions. Interviews The researcher will develop semi-structured questions for interview based on subjects to be examined. The interview questions will be administered to 120 participants from the selected schools in Saudi Arabia offering collaborative education by teachers in the country. The questions will target the following areas; 1. How teacher do self-determination of every learner and how they make crucial decisions about their learning 2. How teachers measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum 3. The process, mode and the way of teaching an all-inclusive classroom Observation Observation method will be useful in collecting nonverbal information which is very useful for the research. Observational data creates a holistic understanding of a phenomenon especially when given limitations. It will also support the survey process that will be conducted by field participants. It is for this reason that the study recommends observational method of collecting data: Helps the researcher to be more inclusive in the research particularly in facilitating research activities. Arabs have a unique culture therefore anyone conducting this study will feel comfortable since the knowledge of observation helps in judging taboos and social interaction aspects of the Arabs. It is only recommended for individual study since the second party will only rely on the information not as primary but as secondary sources. Limitations to observation method of collecting data include: people may change their attitude when they realize they are being studied. As a result, the study will ‘employ’ the mentioned data collection methods in order to capture data in different situations of the study. Respondents of the study The study will target teachers that teach collaboratively in Saudi Arabian schools. School management will also be included in the focus group discussion to shed more light on how they run the programmes regarding collaborative teaching. Officials and policy makers in the ministry of education will be included in the study to so that the can give the overall process, achievements made and how they intend to replicate ad expand the same in order to bring those who have not be captured in the capture in the program Statistical tool analysis The results of the research will be presented in percentage after thorough descriptive analysis of data collected has been conducted. Use of pie charts and bar graphs will also be used Ethical considerations Alongside the research on the how teacher do self-determination of every learner and how they make crucial decisions about their learning, how they measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum and the process, mode and the way of teaching an all-inclusive classrooms, the research will consider the application and ethics in contemporary platform of data collection process analysis and dissemination of information. This research will use Nicholas Hookway methodology in protecting the participants which involved. Chapter 2 Literature Review In the inclusive teaching, each kind of teacher plays his or her role by bringing their perspective training and skills on board. Their inputs are combined together to boost their effectiveness, methods, learning opportunities and effectiveness. One crucial advantaged obtained from this collaboration is that both special and general teachers have diverse expertise which boosts its effectiveness in achieving the needs of all their students (Stockard, 2001) Generally, the key responsibility of general education teachers is to utilize the knowledge and expertise to teach pupils and students Saudi Arabian school system curriculum. On the other hand, the key responsibility of special education is to offer education by matching and coming up with materials to meet special needs, strengths and learning styles of every learner. In many situations for special groups, the curricula often depend on the status and needs of individual student (Stockard, 2001) General teachers come with experience about the content into the classroom while the special educations add their rich adaptation and assessment specialization in the learning environment. Their collaboration therefore bring with them experience and training into the delivery of education and learning process. Their inclusive goal and objectives is to have the pupils in the learning environment get suitable homework and classroom assignments every student is learning either challenged or not is fully participating in the classroom learning process (Cole, 2008) For the success of collaborative education in Saudi Arabia, teachers have to adjust in order to accommodate the need of the special students. These adjustments help in determining what these students have learnt and make other assessments to determine their progress in the overall curriculum (Bolt & Roach, 2009). Studies have shown that instructional adjustments plays a key role in aiding students with special need to take part and have access to the general education curriculum (Wong, 2004). Other studies have also shown that adjustments in examination can aid students with special need to score high in the examinations. For instance, Morris & Mather, (2008) established that reading questions to students with disabilities in Mathematics exams improve their performance. (Wong, 2004) argues that extending examination time for learners with special needs will improve their performance. References Al-Ajmi, N. (2006). The kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Bolt, S., & Roach, A. (2009). Inclusive assessment and accountability : a guide to accommodations for students with diverse needs (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Cole, R. (2008). Educating everybody's children. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Flinders, D., Uhrmacher, P., & Moroye, C. (2010). Curriculum and teaching dialogue. Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Publishing. Kim, J. (2006). The influence of different types of teacher preparation programs on preservice teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, their self-efficacy, and their instructional practices. Mitchell, D. (2005). Contextualising Inclusive Education. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Morris, R., & Mather, N. (2008). Evidence-based interventions for students with learning and behavioral challenges. New York: Routledge. Reynolds, C., & Fletcher-Janzen, E. (2007). Encyclopedia of special education. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. Rifkin, J. (2009). The empathic civilization. New York: J.P. Tarcher/Penguin. Sailor, W. (2002). Whole-school success and inclusive education. New York: Teachers College Press. Stockard, J. (2001). Methods and resources for elementary and middle-school social studies. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press. Wong, B. (2004). Learning about learning disabilities. San Diego: Elsevier Academic Press. Read More

Saudi Arabia is among the leading countries in coming up with policies and structures that put great attention on the concept of incorporating regular students with those with disabilities in the same schools countrywide. It is therefore important to note that incorporation of children with special needs in regular school is now a reality rather than fantasy in Saudi Arabia. This is shown by the recent trends that the number of students receiving education in special schools is less than those in regular schools (Sailor, 2002) In Saudi Arabia, such changes in the education policy, system and structure is believed to enrich the environment where the special needs student will access quality education which will enable them triumph in a society whose completion and advancement is beyond imagination (Rifkin, 2009) Teachers have been progressively executing education ministry policies targeting upholding collaborative policies in Saudi Arabia.

Even as special continue to offer special schools targeting students with both hearing and visual impairments as well as those having severe cases of mental and physical problems (Al-Ajmi, 2006). Special schools also accommodate children having language and speech difficulties. As special continue to offer education for the above special cases, teachers in regular schools are now fully embracing special needs students. It is important to note Saudi Arabia agreed to embrace the long-term standard curriculum in the kingdom that states that all children should be in position to have access to national curriculum despite others benefit through a slow process (Al-Ajmi, 2006) The Saudi Arabian education ministry has put in place programmes that train teachers to offer inclusive education to both regular and special needs students.

These programmes continue to develop so as to be more flexible, easy to implement and more practical (Mitchell, 2005)). Despite these programmes in place, teachers still face a lot of difficulties and challenges in attending organized trainings and workshops aiming to improve their service due to huge workload they have. In-service teachers receive less training in comparison with new teachers (Mitchell, 2005). The overriding for the coming years is to make sure that in-service and new teachers that these trainings and workshops instils all these Saudi teachers with inclusion to recognize the needs of the special needs pupils and students and too gain relevant skills that will enable them to offer best learning environment Objectives of the study The goals of this research study are to find the role of teachers in: 1.

The self-determination regarding every learner and how they make crucial decisions 2. How teachers measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum 3. The process, mode and the way of teaching an all-inclusive classroom The study will also contribute to literature, overall knowledge regarding collaboration of special and general teachers in provision of inclusive education Scope and limitations of the study The study will target both special teachers and general teachers in public schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This study will also show progress made in the education in the Saudi Arabia especially regarding students with special needs. Some of the limitations and constraints likely to be encountered finding enough time to get all the relevant data and information that will give the true picture of collaborative teaching between special teachers and general teachers in Saudi Arabia This research will offer the Saudi Arabian ministry of education with primary data concerning the how teacher do self-determination of every learner and how they make crucial decisions about their learning.

Furthermore, this study will show how teachers measure the learning process of their students in adapting to the set curriculum and the process, mode and the way of teaching an all-inclusive classroom. It is the findings from this study that will highlight the best practices that collaborative teachers employ while delivering of collaborative education by special and general teachers.

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