Inclusive Education and Training for Angelides -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theInclusive Education and Training for Panyotis Angelides. Answer: Introduction Panyotis Angelides is an important scholar known for his contributions in the field of inclusive education. He is currently the professor and rector of University of Nicosia and has authored numerous books on the themes of inclusive and intercultural education. Angelides has discussed on the political history and political climate of Greece to make the understanding on education and inclusive policies in schools a more insightful and engaging discussion. Greece has maintained a balance between being Euro-centric and ethno-centric. He argues that the issues of citizenship and geo-politics influence the subjects to be taught at school, school curriculum and the pedagogical canon. The project of modern education is largely white, westernized, promotes the values of nationalism and Euro-centrism rather than adhering to multi-cultural values (Angelides, 2005). Therefore, the knowledge that is imparted to the students caters to the interests of the mainstream population and excludes the et hnic minorities. Drawing on the arguments of Ainscow et al., (2006), the paper commences with the connotations of inclusive education and follows it up with the documentation of Angelides work on collaborative artmaking. It is found that this technique has significance in reducing the effects of marginalization faced by children. The next section of the paper discusses on the different literature of Angelides on interculturalism, exclusion and inclusion, education system in Cyprus and the efforts of the state, teachers, peer-groups and the concerned students in response to marginalization and exclusion. What is inclusive education? The term inclusion has two different connotations. The descriptive connotation of inclusion indicates that the ways in which inclusion is used in our everyday life. On the other hand, the prescriptive connotation of inclusion indicates the ways concepts are used. The term inclusiveness has different implications for different countries. This philosophy is not limited to the placement or positioning of children with special needs in the special schools. It is also concerned with the effective and sustainable education of children under the special education programs. Special education is understood as the ways in which schools respond to the students as autonomous individuals who possess the right to education. According to Ainscow et al., (2006), inclusion embodies a set of values that emboldens all the learners to overcome the barriers experienced in the attainment of education. These barriers and hurdles include underachievement, marginalization and exclusion. They are of the view that traditionally literature on inclusion has a myopic understanding of the concept and are solely concerned with the special needs of children. However, in the present understanding of inclusion it has taken on a broader dimension as it addresses the aspects of nationality, language, ethnicity, gender, class composition and race to elucidate on inclusion. Experiences of marginalization can also emerge when children of one school do not wish to socialize with children of another school. Angelides in his paper with Michaelidou, (2009), conducted an interesting study on school children to understand the role of art in neutralizing the effects of marginalization. The universe of study was a multicultural school in Cyprus that comprised of 20 per cent of non-Greek speaking students. The authors found that art has a cathartic value when it comes to alleviating the effects of childrens exclusion in school. The study found that drawings created by children can reveal many unspoken aspects of their lives and help them to release them their experiences of pain. The use of collaborative art-making in the pre-primary school teaching techniques can reduce the impact of marginalization. It also has the capacity to promote participation of children from different cultures. The outcome of this is the access of children to full curriculum, a feeling of being accepted and included within the classroom and the empowerment that comes from decision-making. Collaborative artmaking makes children equal partners alongside their peers. Therefore, collaborative art-making combined with different kinds of innovative teaching techniques can reduce the experience of marginalization for the students from the marginal group. This method brings the students closer to one another, disintegrates the power structures and helps them see the problems of the others. In other words, collaborative artmaking is a step in the direction of empathetic education. The authors believe that this technique has cross-cultural value and can be replicated in other schools across the globe. This technique has the potential to make the outsiders feel as part of the group without ruining the core values of the classroom. Intercultural and inclusive education: Role of state, teachers and students Despite the popular view that the school are egalitarian spaces, studies have shown that the school space, pedagogy and the curriculum design can be replete with discrimination and exclusion. Cyprus has a special law. According to the provisions of this law, children with special needs should be provided with special education. The authors have explored the different ways in which the multiple stakeholders treat the children in special unit. Many governments all over the world have been involved in intensifying the efforts for integrating children who have special needs in the context of the neighbourhood schools. In Cyprus, the government has shown a proactive approach in integrating special children with the mainstream society. This can be manifested in the Education Act for children who have special needs that outline the statutory framework for the educational needs of children with special needs. Children with special needs have special unit which is a class that exists in a mai nstream school. These special needs cater to the special requirements of the children with special needs. The children for whom the program has been devised and implemented are children with serious problems (Angelides, 2012). Numbers of students who are part of these special units are five per class. The special units in the classroom address the following issues. The ways in which special unit function their programmes, children and staff of the organization, the degree to which their function is in consonance with the ethos of inclusive education and the way in which children feel about their environment. Inclusion is often conflated with the term integration. The term integration refers to the efforts of the able-bodied people for the disabled people according to their standards and the conditions. On the other hand, the term inclusion refers to bringing a marginalized group or individual to the mainstream section of the society (Angelides, Aravi, 2007). It further refers to a collective endeavour to bring an end to discrimination and provide equal opportunities for all the students. The objective of inclusive schools is to establish a system that includes all the students and ensure that everyones needs are met. Scholars have argued that inclusion and exclusion are part of participation and marginalization in the context of race, gender, sexuality, class, unemployment and poverty along with the traditional roles played by the school. Schools help children to attain education and tame their deviant behaviour. In Cyrus, the education system is completely centralized. The Ministry of Education is entrusted with the responsibility of designing, managing and controlling the curriculum, the resources and textbooks that are to be distributed. The Ministry in association with the inspectorate directly exert their control on the school. Teachers are also included in the framework of supervising the special schools (Angelides, Charalambous, Vrasidas, 2004). The p rovision for special school in Cyprus was implemented by in the year 1979. One of the features of this law is that it provisioned that disabled children should be taught in separate schools. However, this law has come under criticism for solely pertaining to the needs of special children. Over the past few years, the government in Cyprus has promoted the spirit of special education. The authors argue that the pervasion of special units and the pattern in which it functions poses challenges for the students (Hajisoteriou Angelides, 2013). Special classes that are targeted for the special children not only keeps them away from socializing in the mainstream society but there is another problem. It leaves room for subjective judgement as well as the possibility of high-handedness. To deal with such situations, the authors propose that the curriculum should be designed that is in conjunction with the curriculum of the mainstream schools. In the Cypriot society, the ideological and the p hilosophical pillars of the new curriculum were published in the year December 2008. According to Angelidas and Hajisoteriou (2013), an educator should listen to the children. Children are important actors and their subjectivity should be tapped in the designing of a curriculum. Studies have shown that children have the potential to act as catalysts in transforming their life chances. Paying attention to the articulations of the children would be helpful in recognizing the factors that pose constraints in the path of inclusion. Research on students understanding of racism will be helpful in understanding the impact of racism on the self-esteem of children. The voices and articulations of children should be taken into account for looking into the school policies and practises for intercultural education. In his study of the intercultural pedagogical practises among the immigrant children in Cyprus, Angelides examines the education policy in the Cyprian context. Angelides contends that interculturalism emphasize on the nature of cultures that represents the duality of commonality and difference in cultures. Interculturalism is premised on the principle of eliminating oppression through empathetic education, promotion of moral consciousness and understanding the experiences of discrimination from the viewpoints of the victims. The MEC (Ministry of Education and Culture) in Cyprus spearheaded ZEP (Zones of Education Policy) with the objective of dealing with functional illiteracy, marginalization present in the school curriculum and the failure of the school in integrating students of the migrant population. The MEC strived to eliminate the monocultural and ethnocentric elements that are present in the Cyprian education. The Ministry was also committed in promoting intercultural ideology that would connect the traditional values of Cyprus with the knowledge from other cultures. It is determined with to eliminate stereotypes from the textbooks and encourage schools to be conducive to the success of students irrespective of the educational background . The aim of schools would be to promote education that upholds the principle of human dignity. A school should be a be a bastion that do not exclude children from the pursuit of education based on their cultural identities. Coming over to the agentic role played by children in the sphere of classroom, children define intercultural classroom spaces as those that promote collaborative learning, learning of different languages and a classroom that is culturally responsive to the diverse population. Immigrant children in Cyprus believe that classroom becomes an important space for spreading awareness about the different identities along with the sharing of intercultural knowledge. The children believed that classroom spaces that celebrates the cultural differences and have porous boundaries would definitely promote interculturalism. The role of the teachers becomes important in promoting the spirit of interculturalism. Teachers in the schools of Cyprus take the upper hand to ease the cultural tensions that may emerge during the interaction between the native students and the immigrant students (Angelides, Stylianou Leigh, 2004). Students sometimes felt alienated in expressing themselves to their peers and such students expect the teachers to play the role of a mediator and help them with the situation. Studying and participating in culturally heterogeneous environment becomes a fodder for better communication nad problem solving. Collaborative learning encourages the native students to understand their immigrant counterparts better and help them with their everyday problems. However, language barrier can pose as a major constraint and therefore, it is important to revise and reformulate policies pertaining to multiculturalism. However, the present intercultural policies have been empowering for the immigrant st udents as they felt they were not mere receivers of knowledge but also had a more substantial role. Angelides argue that teachers should collect feedback from students and listen to their experiences of acculturation. These knowledge would enable the teachers for seeking better ways to promote intercultural education and upheld the principle of inclusion (Hajisoteriou Angelides, 2015). To promote inclusion, children should be placed in groups based on their ethnicity, language, style of interaction and different set of skills possessed by them. Collaborative techniques would reduce prejudice about foreign students and at the same time foster mutually responsive tasks. Teacher should take account of the suggestions of students and promote teamwork. Continuing the discussions on the role of teachers, Angelides, (2014) in his study of the role of teachers found that teachers, who are part of schools that comprises of disabled children, have to exert extra efforts. It is argued by the author, that the government needs to be more supportive in terms of resources for these teachers. Teachers in order to provide quality education should be given adequate support (Angelides, Stylianou Gibbs, 2006). Instead of allocating all responsibilities on a single teacher, more teachers should be appointed to make the task less cumbersome. Teachers should be provided with escort assistants who would cater to the requirements of the special children. The Ministry of Education needs to adopt community-oriented approach that would aid the teachers in providing education to the children with special needs. Learning is a participatory and collaborative process and the role of teachers is quite instrumental in facilitating this mode of education (Ange lides Ainscow, 2000). Multidimensional learning and group-oriented learning would be useful transforming the contemporary nature of education. Angelides and Gibbs, (2006), have found that there is efficiency when teachers work with vignettes. The term vignettes refer to the hypothetical person who comprises of all the characteristics of a real student the teacher would deal with in the future teacher-student interaction. The methodological advantage off using vignettes is that is characterized by communal enquiry and collaborative understanding. It attempts to integrate the various stakeholders in imparting of education like the school, policy makers, academicians and researchers. This method allows the teachers to reflect on their mode of teaching and continuously improvise on it (Evagorou, et al., 2014). Another advantage of using the vignette method by the teachers is that it enables to make a sense of the complexities of the school communities. And engage in better practises th at would develop the organization of the school. Hajisoteriou, Neophytou and Angelides (2015), in their study of the high-level officers attitude towards intercultural education in Cyprus found that they believe in the essence of equality, mutual respect and justice forming the crux of intercultural education. They believe intercultural education upholds the values of human spirit and democracy. Curriculum is understood to be a cultural and social construction. Curriculum designing is representative of the design of spaces of learning. The human agency that is involved in the construction of the curriculum is important to achieve the objectives of the curriculum. The design of the curriculum reveals the politics and social location of the people in charge of the tasks. The authors are of the opinion that autonomy of the teachers should not be the goal of the curriculum but rendering students the autonomy to participate in the decision-making should be the greater objective. There is an imperative to adopt the curriculum as a praxis approach. This approach would question the existing curriculum structure and promote a more ethical and inclusive curriculum structure. Not just countries like Greece but the leading powers of the world like united Kingdom have similar problems in schools. For example, gender, ethnic and class stratification are key issues that plague schools in UK (Angelides, Vrasidas Charalambous, 2007). It is ironical keeping in mind the diverse population of UK and the financial support it receives to improve its education system. It has been identified that the garb of neoliberal policies in United Kingdom exacerbates the exclusion of the ethnic minorities. There is a relationship between the educational attainment of minority children and the factors that impede their educational attainment. The Black students face several kinds of disadvantages and so as the Muslim minorities in UK. Family, lineage of the family, peer group and teachers together play an important role in the educational attainment of the child. Similarly, Muslims are the most vulnerable when it comes to the discrimination and exclusion in education (Faas, Haj isoteriou Angelides, 2014). Right wing and conservative leaders exploit this fear of the citizens and entrench their vote banks. In the wake of the Muslim students who have to bear the burden. They are either looked upon with suspicion due to their distinctive identity or they have to maintain the image of a victim in crisis. cartoon crisis in Denmark, growing fear of terrorism and the islamophobia, it is the minority. According Stalker, (2002), the working class, marginalized immigrant Muslim boys are represented as economic burden to the developed nations and at the same time encroaching on the employment opportunities of the citizens. Therefore, they are perpetually viewed as outsiders who are infringing on the interests of the country. Attempts at making hijab an unacceptable dresscode in schools are some of the attempts to otherize the Muslims and exclude them from the educational sphere. In this light, Irelands stand on hijab in schools underlines an inclusive policy by adopt ing a liberal framework. Studies have shown that peer group support plays a significant role in reducing the effects of exclusion or eliminating exclusion. Tracking system in primary school education and early streaming have been recognized as contributing towards exclusion. Conclusion The above discussion focuses on important issues of inclusive education, interculturalism and marginalization. Inclusive education can be achieved by understanding the dimensions and nuances of the term. The issue of marginalization faced by children is not limited to the context of Cyprus but is also evident in countries like UK and France. Marginalization can lead to a feeling of insecurity, alienation and exclusion from the space of classroom. To reduce the effects of marginalization, inclusive education policy should be the goal. For this, teachers, students, school authority and academicians all need to participate in a collaborative process. There is a need to understand the problems faced by the marginalized students from their perspectives and include them in transforming their condition. It s found that teachers play a crucial role in reducing the implications of marginalization and therefore, they should be sensitized to deal with the situation. Listening to the experiences of the marginalized students and engaging in collaborative artmaking can be important steps in promoting interculturalism and inclusiveness in the educational sphere. References Ainscow, M., Booth, T., Dyson, A. (2006).Improving schools, developing inclusion. Routledge. Angelides, P., Ainscow, M. (2000). Making sense of the role of culture in school improvement.School effectiveness and school improvement,11(2), 145-163. Angelides*, P., Charalambous, C., Vrasidas, C. (2004). Reflections on policy and practice of inclusive education in pre?primary schools in Cyprus.European Journal of Special Needs Education,19(2), 211-223. Angelides, P., Stylianou, T., Leigh, J. (2004). Reflections on Policy and Practice in Multicultural Education in Cyprus.International Journal of Educational Policy, Research, and Practice: Reconceptualizing Childhood Studies,5(2), 61-85. Angelides, P. (2005). The Missing Piece of the Puzzle Called.International Journal of Special Education,20(2), 32-35. Angelides, P., Stylianou, T., Gibbs, P. (2006). Preparing teachers for inclusive education in Cyprus.Teaching and teacher education,22(4), 513-522. Angelides, P., Gibbs, P. (2006). Supporting the continued professional development of teachers through the use of vignettes.Teacher Education Quarterly,33(4), 111-121. Angelides, P., Vrasidas, C., Charalambous, C. (2007). Teachers' Practice as a Marginalization Factor in the Process for Inclusive Education in Cyprus.Journal of the International Association of Special Education,8(1). Angelides, P., Aravi, C. (2007). The development of inclusive practices as a result of the process of integrating deaf/hard of hearing students.European Journal of Special Needs Education,22(1), 63-74. Angelides, P., Michaelidou, A. (2009). Collaborative artmaking for reducing marginalization.Studies in Art Education,51(1), 36-49. Angelides, P. (2012). Forms of leadership that promote inclusive education in Cypriot schools.Educational Management Administration Leadership,40(1), 21-36. Evagorou, M., Albe, V., Angelides, P., Couso, D., Chirlesan, G., Evans, R. H., ... Nielsen, J. A. (2014). Preparing pre-service science teachers to teach socio-scientific (SSI) argumentation.Science Teacher Education,69(39-48). Faas, D., Hajisoteriou, C., Angelides, P. (2014). Intercultural education in Europe: Policies, practices and trends.British Educational Research Journal,40(2), 300-318. Hajisoteriou, C., Angelides, P. (2013). The politics of intercultural education in Cyprus: Policy-making and challenges.Education Inquiry,4(1), 103-123. Hajisoteriou, C., Angelides, P. (2015). Listening to childrens voices on intercultural education policy and practice.International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,28(1), 112-130. Stalker, P. (2002). Migration trends and migration policy in Europe.International migration,40(5), 151-179.