The German Association for Special Education (vds) had invited young academics with SNE focus on both mental and physical/motor skills development to the second “Wurzburg Talk” on December, 8th 2012. Ten young researchers from Leipzig, Wurzburg, Munich, Augsburg, Giessen, Halle and Oldenburg universities had followed the invitation and were happy to use this platform created by vds for a lively exchange [of opinions].
National chairman Stephan Prändl welcomed the participants; the event was chaired by Prof. Dr. Clemens Hillenbrand.
The Wurzburg talk offers young academics the possibility of an exchange about current scientific questions and results, which also illustrate tasks and perspectives in Special Needs Education.
The two focal points of the event – namely “Research perspectives in inclusion” and “Co-operation of the professionals” – were each introduced by a participant with a brief scan of contents and subsequently discussed actively by all attendees.
Wurzburg University’s Dr. Christian Walter-Klose gave a brief introduction to the main subject “Research Perspectives in Inclusion”. He presented a scientific model of criteria for academic inclusion that offers a firm foundation to monitor their success and effects. The model makes it also possible to identify problems in scientific research of inclusive educational systems.
Some specific observations out of the respective SNE foci can be drawn from the subsequent discussion:
- In order to participate in an inclusive school, pupils in both SNE foci as well as their families must generate often costly adaptations (e.g. rides to and fro, organisation of therapies).
- Research rarely considers the judgement of pupils with special educational needs, which often turns out to be more negative than the judgement of academic staff, parents and fellow pupils.
- The state of health hardly ever attracts interest, which –especially in these particular SNE emphases – leads to considerable pressure on the overall development.
- The level of concrete tuition is hardly investigated –no matter what type of organisation is looked at.
- The standards for an evidence base of educational acting in these fields of SNE are difficult to fulfil, although research in this field is urgently required.
In the afternoon the debate concerning the question of a “Co-operation of professionals” was introduced with a brief impulse by Munich University’s Dr. Wolfgang Dworschak. Referring to his findings on the function of school escorts or integration assistants he highlighted the set of problems arising from the assignment of non-qualified personnel. The diversity of interests deriving from legal specifications and educational requirements leads to the issue of what sort of duty and significance a school escort should keep.
The issue was deepened in the subsequent discussion:
The significant increase of integration assistants and the simultaneous shortage of qualified SNE teachers could by all means be seen as a symptom for a dangerous decrease of SNE qualifications. However, co-operation of professionals is primarily directed at a collaboration of executive managers.
In order to fulfil these necessities within the fields of SNE – also by means of political changes of framework – one needs to establish the prerequisites for an exchange with experts in medicine, therapy or social pedagogy.
Fundamental knowledge of these systems of aids provides the necessary condition to succeed. It is not unusual that professional communication turns out to be a problem itself. To this purpose, according to the tenor of the discussion, the ICF of the World Health Organisation could represent a good basis.
However, other participants pointed out to the limits set by e.g. missing operationalisation for an increasing quantitative research or the little sponsored dimension of education.
After five hours of lively and committed discussion the national chairman was able to see off the young academics with the definite offer of putting the contents, questions and results as well as the mapped expectations into the German Association of Special Education’s [further] discussions.
The exchange with the young researchers is to be continued in various formats at vds’ future events. The Young Academics’ feedback showed the great appreciation of this rather unconventional form of expert interchange.
Translation: Ruth Stang
Wurzburg talk participants:
Dr. Wolfgang Dworschak, Munich LMU
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Britta Gebhard, Oldenburg University
Dr. M. A. Birgit Hennig, Oldenburg University
Dr. Jan Kuhl, Gießen University
Dr. Frederik Poppe, Leipzig University
Dr. Christoph Ratz, Würzburg University
Dr. Annett Thiele, Halle a.d. Saale University
Dr. Tobias Tretter, Augsburg University
Dr. Christian Walter-Klose, Würzburg University
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