UNIVERSIDAD MAGÍSTER

FACULTAD DE EDUCACIÓN

CARRRERA DE ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS

MEMORIA PARA OPTAR AL GRADO DE LICENCIATURA EN ENSEÑANZA DEL INGLÉS

DINIA QUESADA VARELAMANUEL GAMBOA CHAVES

30 DE SETIEMBRE, 2016

IDENTIFICATION OF APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL

NEEDS, AT COLEGIO TÉCNICO PROFESIONAL DE GRAVILIAS, 2016

  

INTRODUCTION

The elaboration of this research comes from the personal interest of English Teachers and the need of all the social and academic implications regarding Foreign English Language Instruction of Students with Special Needs, at Colegio Técnico Profesional de Gravilias, 2016.

The main challenge in this research will be to evidence the lack of guidance and support from the MEP to the educators.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

• HOW TO IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AT COLEGIO TÉCNICO PROFESIONAL DE GRAVILIAS, 2016 ?

 

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

• TO IDENTIFY APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AT COLEGIO TÉCNICO PROFESIONAL DE GRAVILIAS, 2016.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 1

1. To assess the school environment, in which Foreign English Language Instruction of the students with special needs occurs, at CTP de Gravilias, 2016.

2. To value the knowledge and competence of educators, for teaching EFL to students with special needs, at CTP de Gravilias, 2016.

3. To identify the special needs of the students, at CTP de Gravilias, 2016.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES 2

4. To determine the degree of effectiveness and level of integration reached by students with special needs, at CTP de Gravilias, 2016.

• 5. To design a methodological guide on useful strategies and techniques for EFL educators, to help them teach the students with special needs, with the goal of obtaining better school learning results, at CTP de Gravilias, 2016.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special education is the practice of educating students with special educational needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs.

For the Webster Dictionary the term Special Education means: classes or instruction designed for students with special educational needs.

SPECIAL EDUCATION IN COSTA RICA 1

Costa Rica has the strongest public education system in Central America. The 1869 constitution mandated a free, obligatory, and state-supported educational system, making Costa Rica one of the first countries in the world to pass such legislation (Biesanz, Biesanz, & Biesanz,1999; Creedman, 1991).

Costa Rica is equally progressive in educating children with disabilities. Special education services were first established in 1940 when the Fernando Centeno Guell School was created near the capital city of San Jose (Centeno, 1941, no page). The founding of the school, which initially provided services for students with intellectual disabilities, was a significant educational milestone for the country (Dengo Obregon, 2000).

SPECIAL EDUCATION IN COSTA RICA 2

Today in Costa Rica, special education services are functioning throughout the country under the direction of the Department of Special Education within a nationally centralized Ministry of Public Education.

Special education in Costa Rica has become increasingly inclusive. Through the 1960s, students with disabilities in Costa Rica typically received instruction at one of 20 segregated special education campuses (Bulgarelli, 1971).

INCLUDING IS NOT INTEGRATING

• According to the Oxford Dictionaries, to include means to make part of a whole or set.

• To integrate means to combine (one thing) with another so that they become a whole, or to bring (people or groups with particular characteristics or needs) into equal participation in or membership of a social group or institution, Oxford Dictionaries .

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTIONCONTENT, PROCEDURES,

PRODUCTS… For Tomlinson, C. A. (2000), Differentiation

means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.

TEACHERS AND SCHOOL’ S MISSION

The mission of teachers and schools is to provide their pupils with necessary tools to fight against their weaknesses, to fully and successfully achieve integration, in order to make the acquisition of English an easier process in this such an unbalanced world.

In the classroom, students can face all kinds of limitations. This list of disabilities can start by mentioning those of physical, emotional, and cognitive nature.

Those barriers previously mentioned, attached to many others, may lead to low grades and failure in the attempt for learning a foreign language.

GRAVILIAS HIGH SCHOOL

Located in Desamparados, San José.

Opened the special section in 1990, with forty- six students and 6 classrooms.

It hosts nine hundred students and forty- five teachers.

Subjects taught: Religion and Values, Music, Information Technology, Physical Education, Technical Drawing, Handcrafts and Cooking, in addition to the academic subjects , including English.

INSTITUTIONAL OBJECTIVES

To provide the community of Desamparados and surrounding areas, public and official education for high school levels.

To develop a friendly, harmonious and balanced development of the student´s personality, his or her well mental health, good physical conditions, in order to help and promote a positively incorporation to the social environment, by including the family, social and cultural aspects.

I. Methodological design: field research

This is mostly because the information is going to be gathered from the sources in their own environments.

II. Investigation type: mixed

This research will me mixed because it will use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data obtained.

III. Research level or scope: descriptive

Because it not only will explore the issue, but describe the phenomenon found regarding procedures and techniques used in the EFL instruction of special need students.

GRAVILIAS HIGH SCHOOLABOUT THE RESEARCH

IV. Sources of information

Population: school personnel, students and parents

The whole population of students with special needs at this place is of 102 students. For Fourth Cycle is 57 students.

Student Sample: Originally there were 15 students, but one left school so now there are 14 students, who represent about 25% of the whole population, 15 teachers, 3 administrative members and 30 parents.

Instruments: observation sheets (verification lists and ranking lists or rubrics), questionnaires, interviews, files of students and school records of students.

GRAVILIAS HIGH SCHOOLABOUT THE RESEARCH

V. Main Variables:

• 1. Assessment of school environment for Foreign English learners with special needs, at Colegio Técnico Profesional de Gravilias, 2016.

• 2. Valorization of the knowledge of the EFL teachers and their competence used for teaching students with special needs, at Colegio Técnico Profesional de Gravilias, 2016.

• 3. Identification of the special needs of students at Colegio Técnico Profesional de Gravilias, 2016.

•  •  

VARIABLESOF THE INVESTIGATION 1

VARIABLESOF THE INVESTIGATION 2

4. Determination of the degree of effectiveness of the teaching

methodology used with special need students, at Colegio

Técnico Profesional de Gravilias, 2016.

5. Determination of the level of Integration of the students with

special needs, to the conventional classroom, at CTP de

Garvilias, 2016.

GRAPH N° 1: KNOWLEDGE OF THE TEACHERS REGARDING 7600 LAW

100%

.

YESNO

GRAPH N° 2: TRAINING RECEIVED BY TEACHERS ON HANDLING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

50%50% YESNO

GRAPH N°3: ACTIONS OF TEACHERS TO THE LEARNING PROCESS

83%

17% The school provides me with a method-ological guideI elaborate my own proposalNone of the previous ones

GRAPH N° 4: CONSIDERATION OF THE CURRENT METHODOLOGY

SYSTEM FOR TEACHING

8%

92%

ObsoleteIt adapts to real-ity and needs.It requieres re-vision

GRAPH N° 5. DETAILED INFORMATION RECEIVED ON SPECIAL NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS

25%

75%

YESNO

GRAPH N° 6: CONSIDERATION OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION SYSTEM AT COLEGIO TECNICO PROFESIONAL DE

GRAVILIAS

27%

43%

30%successfulGoodNeeds im-provement

GRAPH N° 7: ADEQUATE USE OF THE ENGLISH TEACHING PROCESS BY STUDENTS

70%

30%

YESNO

GRAPH N° 8: IDENTIFICATION OF PROGRESS AND USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE BY

THE STUDENTS

30%

53%

17%

A lot LittleNone

GRAPH N° 9: LEVEL OF SATISFACTION OF PARENTS

WITH THE WEEKLY NUMBER OF CLASSES

70%

30%

YESNO

GRAPH N° 10. WAYS THE STUDENTS OBTAIN THE PRINTED MATERIALS USED IN CLASSES

7%

57%

37%It is given by the institutionThe teacher provides the resourceThe resource is provided from home

GRAPH N° 11: USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OUT OF THE

SCHOOL

17%

83%

A lotLittleNone

CONCLUSIONS 1

Most teachers and school staff are aware of the basic standards that protect and support the population of students with special needs.

There are no major changes or adjustments needed, regarding infrastructure.

Most teaching majors in education do not have specific subjects on Special Education, to make them better candidates for handling this population and teaching procedures.

CONCLUSIONS 2

English for students with special needs at Gravilias High School is also a rewarding task and a motivating topic for students.

Teachers have a great commitment with their jobs, their work, their delivery and attitudes, but they lack knowledge on preparation of better materials and tools to be used in class.

CONCLUSIONS 3

Under an objective and well guided process, students provide good and important information about their disabilities, that must be taken into account for planning and class development.

Global school performance is acceptable and very positive, since the school in general aspects has a good management of the program.

• More than 60% of the students with special need rank over 80 or higher in their grades

• Integration ,at least physically speaking , is not a barrier. Howeve,r more practices on emotional integration should be made.

• MEP should work on looking for teachers with Special Education knowledge, experience and practices that can be combined with the technical field (English, Social Studies, Music, and others).

CONCLUSIONS 4

CONCLUSIONS 5

The adaptation of materials, techniques, methodologies, and planning is definitely a need to be considered for a successful English program, for students with special needs. However, among these issues, the awareness of teachers of the school population and the different disabilities, are highly important.

PROPOSAL 1

Personnel training on special need issues, the law 7600, and protocols.

Special need training to EFL educators on how to do about with their students and their integration processes

Special need training to EFL educators on how to do about with their class planning (learning styles, multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction, Cooperative Learning, and TPR- total physical response)

PROPOSAL 2

Special need training to EFL educators on how to do about with material development

Special need training to EFL educators on how to do about with the implementation of technology in their classes.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!