Distance Learning according to Special Education Teachers: pedagogical considerations and educational instructions

Abstract

The consequences of the pandemic on the school system are currently being debated in the main international organizations, in the scientific and educational communities. Over the last year, several researches in the educational field have had the purpose, on the one hand, of analyzing the educational implications connected to the introduction of Distance Learning (DaD) then Integrated Distance Learning (DiD), on the other hand, to reflect on aspects related to initial and in service teacher training. The aim is to provide some suggestions for facing the educational challenges of the current situation. In this broad debate, a further focus of analysis concerns the impacts of DAD on the most fragile subjects of the school system such as students with disabilities. For this reason, the research aims to explore some aspects inherent to the teaching experiences carried out by a sample of support teachers of different school grades in the last two years. The research analyzed the strategies used in the perspective of inclusive teaching as well as the results achieved and the personal and contextual resources activated by teachers to face this educational challenge. In line with the results of the main international and national researches, the results here presented give back some pedagogical reflections and some indications for teaching. These considerations can be a further element to hoard the lessons learned from the current educational challenge also in relation to the initial and in-service training of teachers.

Keywords

• Distance Learning
• Educational Research
• Inclusive Teaching
• Initial and In-service Training
• Special Educational Needs