<p>Internationally, the rights of persons with disabilities to participate as full members of society through inclusive education has become a high priority with the adoption of the first legally binding treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). In keeping with our culture of acknowledging the rights of all, South Africa has already made great strides towards fulfilling these rights and is in the implementation phase of Education White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001). In spite of this, the practicability of implementing inclusive education is questioned by many. The inclusion of learners who are blind in neighbourhood schools, as opposed to &lsquo / special schools&rsquo / , is a particularly daunting task. However, the more local cases we have from which to draw insights, the better our chances of making inclusive education both practicable and widely accessible across a range of local contexts. A public, mainstream neighbourhood school that included two learners who are blind was therefore investigated to learn more about how the learners who are blind were physically, socially and academically included in the local school community. Qualitative data collection methods including semi-structured interviews and observations were used to uncover useful strategies, challenges and enabling factors that contributed to their successful inclusion. The findings revealed that the participants in this study had very little knowledge or experience in building an inclusive educational setting at the outset, but engaged in the process with open minds, creativity and trust. By adopting a collaborative approach and an attitude of &lsquo / failing forward&rsquo / , the objective of social and academic inclusion was to a great extent achieved in the school.</p>

<p>Internationally, the rights of persons with disabilities to participate as full members of society through inclusive education has become a high priority with the adoption of the first legally binding treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). In keeping with our culture of acknowledging the rights of all, South Africa has already made great strides towards fulfilling these rights and is in the implementation phase of Education White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001). In spite of this, the practicability of implementing inclusive education is questioned by many. The inclusion of learners who are blind in neighbourhood schools, as opposed to &lsquo / special schools&rsquo / , is a particularly daunting task. However, the more local cases we have from which to draw insights, the better our chances of making inclusive education both practicable and widely accessible across a range of local contexts. A public, mainstream neighbourhood school that included two learners who are blind was therefore investigated to learn more about how the learners who are blind were physically, socially and academically included in the local school community. Qualitative data collection methods including semi-structured interviews and observations were used to uncover useful strategies, challenges and enabling factors that contributed to their successful inclusion. The findings revealed that the participants in this study had very little knowledge or experience in building an inclusive educational setting at the outset, but engaged in the process with open minds, creativity and trust. By adopting a collaborative approach and an attitude of &lsquo / failing forward&rsquo / , the objective of social and academic inclusion was to a great extent achieved in the school.</p>

Magister Educationis - MEd / Internationally, the rights of persons with disabilities to participate as full members of society through inclusive education has become a high priority with the adoption of the first legally binding treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006). In keeping with our culture of acknowledging the rights of all, South Africa has already made great strides towards fulfilling these rights and is in the implementation phase of Education White Paper 6: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System (Department of Education, 2001). In spite of this, the practicability of implementing inclusive education is questioned by many. The inclusion of learners who are blind in neighbourhood schools, as opposed to ‘special schools’, is a particularly daunting task. However, the more local cases we have from which to draw insights, the better our chances of making inclusive education both practicable and widely accessible across a range of local contexts. A public, mainstream neighbourhood school that included two learners who are blind was therefore investigated to learn more about how the learners who are blind were physically, socially and academically included in the local school community. Qualitative data collection methods including semi-structured interviews and observations were used to uncover useful strategies, challenges and enabling factors that contributed to their successful inclusion. The findings revealed that the participants in this study had very little knowledge or experience in building an inclusive educational setting at the outset, but engaged in the process with open minds, creativity and trust. By adopting a collaborative approach and an attitude of ‘failing forward’, the objective of social and academic inclusion was to a great extent achieved in the school. / South Africa

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_solange_hassan_fernandes.pdf: 2095291 bytes, checksum: a9375419a3c0274e2aa9f9ff8601997c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-09-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The aim of this study was to investigate the processes by which blind learners appropriate mathematical concepts. In the domain of geometry, symmetry and reflection were chosen because of their strong associations with visual experiences. Within a vygotskian perspective, the research was guided by the hypothesis that, given instruments that can act as substitutes for the eye, blind learners have the same potential as their sighted counterparts to appropriate notions related to these concepts. Adopting Vygotsky's method of double stimulation, task-based interviews were realised with two subjects, one blind since birth and one who lost his sight between the ages of 4 and 15 years. The first stimulus was represented by material tools and the second offered in the form of researcher interventions. Three dimensions were chosen for analysis: the stages of geometrical thinking, intra, inter and transfigural (Piaget and Garcia, 1987); the appropriation of mathematical voices (Renshaw, 1996) and the emergence and maintenance of the zone of proximal development (Meira, 2002). Analysis of the transition between the intra and interfigural levels indicated that the evolution of meanings for symmetry and reflection in blind and sighted learners follow similar trajectories. Intrafigural aspects were appropriated more easily than the interfigural, although characteristics of the tasks and tools may well have motivated the initial preference for the intrafigural. In relation to the appropriation of the mathematical voice, the stimuli enabled the articulation of pseudoconcepts, divergences in the meanings attributed by the participants to the mathematical objects. These had an important role in promoting argumentative discourses which together with connections between knowledge learners had acquired in the past, the present situation and new knowledge (for future situations) favoured conceptual change / Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar os processos pelos quais aprendizes cegos apropriam conceitos matemáticos. Do campo da Geometria, foram escolhidos os conceitos de simetria e reflexão por suas fortes associações com experiências visuais. Dentro de uma perspectiva vygotskiana, partiu-se da hipótese que esses aprendizes têm o mesmo potencial que os videntes para apropriar-se de noções ligadas a esses conceitos, desde que seu acesso seja viabilizado por instrumentos que substituam o olho. Optou-se pelo método da dupla estimulação de Vygotsky e o desenvolvimento de entrevistas baseadas em tarefas, realizadas com dois sujeitos, um portador de cegueira congênita e um de cegueira adquirida. O primeiro estímulo foi dado pelas ferramentas materiais e o segundo estímulo oferecido pela pesquisadora através de intervenções. Foram eleitas três dimensões para análises: etapas intra, inter e transfigural do pensamento geométrico (Piaget e Garcia, 1987), a apropriação das vozes matemáticas (Renshaw, 1996) e a emergência e manutenção da zona de desenvolvimento proximal (Meira, 2002). Análises das transições entre os níveis intra e interfigural indicaram que a evolução dos significados associados à simetria e reflexão para aprendizes cegos dá-se de modo similar a dos aprendizes videntes. Aspetos intrafigurais foram apropriados com mais facilidade que os interfigurais, embora, as características das ferramentas e tarefas possam ter motivado a predominância inicial da perspectiva intrafigural. Em relação à apropriação da voz matemática, evidenciou-se como os estímulos possibilitaram a articulação de pseudoconceitos, nas divergências dos significados atribuídos aos objetos matemáticos pelos participantes. Estas divergências assumiram um papel importante na promoção de discursos argumentativos que associadas às conexões entre os conhecimentos adquiridos no passado pelo aprendiz, a situação presente e novos conhecimentos (para futuras situações) favoreceram a produção de mudanças conceituais

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:58:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Solange Hassan Ahmad Ali Fernandes.pdf: 2963149 bytes, checksum: 093d2fb955be0398e4352008d5d49e44 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-10-23 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo / This thesis examines issues concerning the relationship body cognition in a scenario composed of visually impaired students, working with the sighted, with mathematical tasks and with material and semiotic tools. It aims to analyse the teaching and learning processes of students included within regular classroom when the object of study is mathematics, particularly geometrical objects. The study was divided into two moments. The first concentrated on constructing an understanding of the school mathematics developed in the school attended by our subjects and the systems of assessments they were expected to participate in. In a second moment, the study took a more experimental turn, with the introduction of material and semiotic tools into learning situations. Analysis centred on the identification of how these tools could be used to constitute new practices associated with learning mathematical knowledge and explored the importance of that which is perceived by the senses in the production of this knowledge. Theoretical support was drawn from the work of contemporary researchers who adopt perspectives rooted in the vygotskian tradition. Specifically, analyses were informed by constructs related to the appropriation of the mathematical voice (Renshaw, 1996), the cognitive and communicate potential of gestures (McNeill, 1992) and the process of objectification of knowledge (Radford, 2004; 2004a). The results indicate, on the one hand, that the current practices associated with school mathematics do not always enable the active participation of visually impaired students while, one the other, suggestion a possible route by which to create a more inclusive mathematics education. This route involves an approach which attends to the role of various instruments of mediation (material and semiotic) and activities based on explorations of and dialogues about mathematical concepts in forms fine-tuned to allow the learners to capitalise on their whole perceptive field / Essa tese destina-se discutir pontos relevantes a respeito da relação corpo cognição num cenário constituído por aprendizes sem acuidade visual dentro dos padrões normais, videntes, tarefas matemáticas e ferramentas materiais e semióticas. Nosso objetivo é analisar os processos de ensino e de aprendizagem de alunos inseridos em classes regulares quando os objetos de estudo são matemáticos, especialmente quando são objetos geométricos. As análises foram realizadas com base na investigação das práticas matemáticas dos sujeitos quando trabalham a matemática escolar em dois momentos. Num primeiro momento focamos a investigação no levantamento de dados que permitissem compreender como a matemática escolar desenvolvia-se na escola freqüentada pelos sujeitos. Num segundo momento, passamos a interferir nessas práticas introduzindo ferramentas materiais e semióticas criadas e testadas no próprio grupo de pesquisa. Procuramos compreender como as ferramentas semióticas podem ser usadas para constituir novas práticas quando o conhecimento em jogo é matemático e exploramos a importância do que é percebido pelos sentidos na produção de conhecimentos. Apoiamo-nos no trabalho de pesquisadores contemporâneos que se valem das teorias vygotskianas para discutir a importância do corpo no desenvolvimento cognitivo. Deste modo, o referencial teórico que sustenta nossas análises refere-se à apropriação da voz matemática (Renshaw, 1996), no potencial comunicativo e cognitivo dos gestos (McNeill, 1992) e no processo de objetificação do conhecimento (Radford, 2004, 2004a). Nossos resultados indicam, por um lado, que as práticas atuais nem sempre permitem uma participação ativa dos deficientes visuais e, por outro, mostram um possível caminho para criar uma Educação Matemática mais inclusiva. Este caminho envolve uma abordagem atenta para o papel de vários instrumentos de mediação (materiais e semióticos) e atividades de exploração e negociação de conceitos matemáticos de tal forma que os aprendizes tenham a oportunidade de capitalizar todo seu campo perceptivo

AIM AND OBJECTIVES The investigation aimed to determine how the learning of the life sciences is facilitated (mediated) in special schools for blind learners and to establish how the lessons learnt from this experience could be implemented to the advantage of blind learners in the Senior Phase and Further Education and Training Band in inclusive Outcomes-based education settings. METHODOLOGY Educators and blind learners were interviewed through the use of the Qualitative Inquiry methodology as well as its techniques and strategies for data gathering. Analysis of the transcripts resulted in the development of themes/codes discussed in the research investigation. RESULTS Educators spent a good amount of time and effort with blind learners in the biology and life sciences classrooms. It appeared as if the pastoral role of the educator predominantly exceeded the teaching of biology and life sciences to these learners. Further, it became evident that the emphasis did not fall strongly enough on the achievement of the outcomes envisaged with the biology curriculum but more on the establishment of a caring and supportive classroom environment. CONCLUSIONS Biology and other life sciences subjects have much potential for the blind learners in South Africa but they are not offered at some of the schools or efficiently mediated due to educators’ reluctance, lack of knowledge and resources. Learning mediation strategies to make biology and life sciences more accessible to blind learners could be explored. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted