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Preparing teachers for inclusive education (Prospects #159)

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0100

One of the main challenges for teacher education is posed by the demands of inclusive education but little attention has been paid to this important topic. Global disparities in educational provision, and differences in teacher education and teacher qualifications within and between countries, exacerbate inequality in educational opportunity. While the form and structure of teacher education may vary from one country to another, some common issues and challenges in providing a good quality basic education for all remain largely unaddressed.

The articles in this volume of Prospects focus on theoretical issues of curriculum, assessment, and teaching, and on issues of teacher professional learning. They explore how theoretical concepts associated with the development of inclusive practice are being addressed in different world regions. The issue will be of particular relevance to teachers, teacher educators, and policy makers around the world, as the role, value, and relevance of teacher education is being questioned, not only in terms of teachers’ professional preparation, but also because of questions about educational outcomes for students and the extent to which teachers are able to meet the needs of all learners.

PROSPECTS is UNESCO-IBE's Quarterly Review of Comparative Education.

Order Prospects No 159

More information on “Prospects”

New DVD on HIV & AIDS Education in the classroom

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:42:00 +0100

This film provides concrete examples of pedagogical interactions on issues related to HIV & AIDS education.

Many teachers today have access to academic and theoretical resources for HIV & AIDS education. However, even if teachers are generally highly motivated, they still need practical examples on how to speak about sensitive issues such as HIV & AIDS, and how to work with interactive and participative dynamics in the classroom.

Ideally, teachers would visit other schools to see practical teaching situations. As this is not possible on a large scale for technical or financial reasons, this documentary provides easy access to concrete examples of lessons on HIV & AIDS education and related issues. Therefore, this film will be a useful support for teachers, teacher trainers, future teachers or any other professionals from the education sector.

The film shows concretely how teachers address HIV & AIDS education in the classroom through different lessons in the framework of the Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) curriculum implemented in Guyana. The DVD is composed of 6 modules showing different classroom dynamics and levels. It also gathers teachers’ impressions and feelings regarding HIV & AIDS education delivery. All sequences also benefit from various comments from head teachers, school directors, local leaders, parents and experts from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education in Guyana and the IBE.

The sequences were shot in classrooms in Guyana with learners aged 5 to 13 and in a teachers’ training classroom. The situations are particularly adapted to the Caribbean context but are also useful in other cultural environments.

To order a copy, please contact: ibeaids@unesco.org

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IBE Programme for HIV & AIDS education

Inclusive Education in the Caribbean

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 13:00:00 +0100

How can we contribute to the development of inclusive policies and curricula for schools in the Caribbean region? What effective Caribbean practices of inclusion already exist and how they can be further developed?

Education officials will meet in Antigua and Barbuda on 21-24 November to discuss policies and curricula for inclusion. The “Inclusive education: Inclusive Policies and Curricula in the Caribbean” workshop is organized by UNESCO in close coordination with the Ministry of Education, Sports, Youth and Gender Affairs in Antigua and Barbuda, UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education (OREALC) and UNESCO HQ’s Division for Basic to Higher Education and Learning. The workshop aims to promote discussions on inclusive education policies and curricula in the Caribbean context, especially in terms of strategies, institutional arrangements and programmes, with a view to ensuring their effective development and implementation from a long-term, holistic perspective.

It will share international experiences in inclusive education, and build upon expert networks and knowledge, such as the UNESCO-IBE’s interregional Community of Practice in Curriculum Development and the UNESCO-IBE’s Resource Pack on Inclusive Education. The workshop will be tailored specifically to the needs and potentials of the Caribbean, as well as to the profiles of the participants. In particular, materials will include compiled various regional and interregional reports and articles about inclusive education in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of inclusive education, conceptual frameworks on inclusive policies and curricula in the Caribbean, and strengthened cooperation in the Caribbean for inclusive education.

Addressing Socio-Cultural Diversity through the Curriculum (e-Forum 2011)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:00:00 +0100

The International Bureau of Education will hold its 5th annual e-Forum from 21 November to 9 December 2011, on the theme “Addressing Socio-Cultural Diversity through the Curriculum”.

A curriculum that addresses diversity meets the diverse needs of ALL learners. Socio-cultural diversity in this context includes ethnicity, race, religion, values and beliefs, nationality, cultural background, age, gender, class, physical ability, different learning conditions and styles, sexual orientation, and other dimensions that make up the identity of the individual student and affect his or her learning experience.

This e-Forum aims to facilitate for participants to become aware of and learn about different educational contexts, issues and discuss different approaches and strategies to address socio-cultural diversity through curriculum around the world.

For more information:

E-forum 2011 website ENG FRE SPA RUS CHI

Composition of the IBE Council for the 2012-2013 biennium

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100

UNESCO’s Member States attending the 36th session of the General Conference have elected 14 new members to the 28-member IBE Council.

States are elected to the IBE Council for a term of four years. The new IBE Council members join 14 others elected during the previous session of the General Conference (2009), and whose mandate will expire in 2013. They are: Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Jamaica, Lebanon, Morocco, Norway, Pakistan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, and United States of America.

The elected countries, by electoral group, are the following:

Group I: Switzerland
Group II: Armenia, Bulgaria, Slovakia
Group III: Honduras
Group IV: China, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea
Group V(a): Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal
Group V(b): Bahrain

More information:

Composition of the IBE Council 2012-2013 (PDF, 15 KB)
About the IBE Council

Validation of the bilingual Zarma-French booklet and its teacher’s guide for the alternative rural schools in Niger

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Niamey, Niger, 10-12 November 2011

From 10 to 12 November 2011, a workshop to finalize and validate the bilingual Zarma-French booklet and its teacher's guide for alternative rural schools will be organized by the National Ministry of Education, for the literacy and the promotion of the national languages of Niger, the Director General for training and curricula and the Directorate of curriculum and educational innovations in Niamey, Niger.

Since 2010, the International Bureau of Education (IBE) has supported this project, which aims to make a bilingual Zarma-French booklet and reading guide available to students and teachers from 3rd to 4th grade in primary schools in the region of Dosso (south-east) in order to enhance the use of native languages as a means to introduce the official language and allow that way a more effective acquisition of knowledge and skills as well as better learning. Through the development and provision of such materials, the IBE intends to participate in the curriculum development of the country.

The objectives of this workshop are the following:

Presentation of the Zarma-French booklet and reading guide
Reviewing and finalizing the content of the bilingual French-Zarma guide book and booklet
Validation for use in 15 schools (pilot phase)

2011 Global Education Digest: coping with the demand for secondary education

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0100

The 2011 edition of the Global Education Digest, published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), presents a wide range of indicators on the extent to which girls and boys are enrolling in and completing secondary education. To enrich policy debates, the report also examines the human and financial resources that go into this level of education.

Contribution by the IBE

The International Bureau of Education (IBE) contributed to this edition of the Digest supporting the verification of information on the duration of compulsory education (about 110 country cases checked). The IBE also contributed to the proposed new definition of compulsory education for the UIS Education Surveys, ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) questionnaire and related glossary that will be used in 2012. The purpose of this initiative has been to identify inconsistencies across existing databases, enhance the quality and reliability of information provided through different sources, and improve data collection.

Building on this fruitful collaboration, at the beginning of 2012 IBE and UIS will launch a Global Survey on Instructional Time. This survey is expected to result in a standardized global database and improve the extent to which reliable data on instructional time is available for policy development, educational reform and research.

Consult the 2011 Global Education Digest (PDF, 7.2 MB)

UNESCO Institute for Statistics

UNESCO Press Release

Teaching fractions (Educational Practices 22)

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Understanding fractions is one of the most important skills that need to be developed in the mathematics curriculum. It is essential for understanding algebra and geometry and other aspects of mathematics. Yet, fractions have proven to be very difficult to understand for most students around the world.

This research guide provides suggestions for teachers and administrators looking to improve fraction instruction in their classrooms or schools. The recommendations are based on scientific research, along with the expertise and experience of successful mathematics educators, and include a variety of classroom activities and teaching strategies focused on improving students’ conceptual understanding of fractions.

• Download “Teaching fractions” (PDF, 240 KB)

• More on Educational Practices

Workshop on "GigaPan Dialogues: Diversity and Inclusion within the Community"

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Bamako, Mali, 12-13 October 2011

From October 12 to 13, a workshop will take place in Bamako, as part of the project "Dialogues GigaPan: Diversity and Inclusion within the Community" organized jointly by the International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-IBE) and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).

The project contributes to the empowerment of teachers and students to use new technologies (tools and processes) through photos taken with the GigaPancamera and shared on a common platform. It offers the opportunity to experience stimulating, participatory and productive learning, and aims to reduce the digital divide and bridge the distances between continents by promoting understanding and exchange between cultures.

This workshop has the objectives to develop an educational project among schools that are joining it (Niono, Bamako, Grandson, Pittsburgh) and the technical and pedagogical training of students and teachers through Information Techology and the use of the GigaPan camera to initiate an exchange among the schools.

The Agency for Information Technology and Communication (AGETIC) of Bamako supports the initiatives in the field of ICT and participates in the implementation of its universal access. The AGETIC will bring together the different participants, teachers and students who will meet for two days to take part in the activities and participate in the technical training and teaching.

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GigaPan Dialogues

International Congress: “Education for All, the Challenges of Educating in Diversity”

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0200

Bogotá, Colombia, 10-12 October 2011

Inclusive education promotes the Right to Education for all learners regardless of their background or social status, with consideration of their diverse needs. Governments, communities and stakeholders can contribute to identifying opportunities and challenges to achieving Education for All through conceptual and methodological discussions on inclusive education.

In this context, the Saldarriaga Concha Foundation is organizing the International Congress “Education for All, the Challenges of Educating in Diversity,” which will take place from 10-12 October 2011 in Bogota, Colombia, in partnership with the Organization of Iberoamerican States (OIE), UNESCO, UNICEF, Inclusion International through their representation in the Colombian Association of Down Syndrome (ASDOWN), the Latin American Forum on Educational Policy (FLAPE), the Project for the Commitment to Education of All and Compensar.

This relevant event aims to promote the reflection about the conditions and possibilities of implementing an education that takes into account and includes diversity in the classroom. It is addressed to teachers, school principals, researchers, and officials in public and private educational institutions, as well as members of the educational community in general. The congress will also feature prominent international guests.

The congress will cover various issues regarding inclusive education and inclusive curricula through expert panels, plenary sessions, and seven thematic panels.

For this occasion, the organizers have requested the expertise of UNESCO-IBE. Mr. Renato Opertti, Programme Coordinator for Capacity Building, is participating as a keynote speaker on “Teacher Education for Inclusive Education”. In addition, he will provide support in the workshops on “The Challenges of Inclusive Schools” and “Assessment and Curriculum”.

Documents:

Agenda of the International Conference (PDF, 30 KB, in Spanish)

Website:

International Conference: Education for All, the Challenges of Educating in Diversity (In Spanish)