Special needs education for inclusion and equality

The course enables students to understand, analyze and deal with complex interactions in school related to children and young people with learning challenges, and how this has an impact on their learning situation.

The course focuses in particular on children and young people who are challenged in reading, writing and calculation, social and emotional challenges and various developmental disorders and physical limitations.

The course emphasizes knowledge related to exclusion and inclusion mechanisms for these groups of students and how to develop the school as a democratic social institution.

Special needs education concepts, early preventive efforts and health promotion, values and legal and ethical issues are also included. In particular, there will be critical reflection related to various dilemmas that come with categorization and diagnosis with the student's best interests in mind, as well as participation as part of the special needs education chain of measures.

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge of the origins of special education and contributions for students with various learning challenges
• has an understanding of students with different learning challenges and how such challenges can arise and be reinforced in meeting the school's requirements.
• can reflect on the teacher's room for maneuver and opportunity for health-promoting work in school

Skills

The student

• can act in solidarity in relation to students who experience exclusion in school
• can reflect on the consequences of various special needs educational measures
• can create experiences of inclusion and facilitate student participation in the school's inclusion work

General competence:

The student

• has personal competence as a basis for being able to analyze and reflect critically on themselves, on their own values, choices and actions in meeting students with learning challenges and what is in the students' best interests
• can develop an understanding of inclusion and exclusion processes for students with learning challenges together with colleagues.

The course is completed with three physical sessions. Forms of learning: Lectures and workshops with good opportunities for participant activity, reflections, discussions in small groups and in plenary, exercises, and guidance related to written work. There will be digital meetings focusing on students' work between sessions.