Teaching and communication in the training school – a cooperative project
This project takes place in united action between the educational setting for pupils with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities (PIMD), the training school (Sw. träningsskolan), and the research environment BUV at University West.
The project takes place in 2017, and the idea is that the teachers should develop their teaching strategies. For University West, this project is a research study which aims to answer questions regarding teaching within the training school. More specifically, the focus lies on teaching the subject of communication. The topic was chosen with the motivation that communication is a central knowledge for the students, which also provides chances of participating. The teachers explain that they want to give the students the possibility to express their will, and to be able to make choices.
Communication is a way for people to co-exist, and to exchange experiences and feelings. In the training school, communication is both a subject with content, as well as a way of transmitting and developing knowledge. The teachers of the training school use different ways of communicating with their students on a daily basis. They make plans and perform different activities, with the purpose of developing the communicative skill of the students. The training school is characterized by consisting of students who have physical as well as cognitive difficulties to communicate in speech and writing. To be able to communicate with people in an environment gives the opportunity of taking part to a large extent, and taking an own initiative, which is why it is urgent to develop this branch of teaching in the training school.
The aim of the project is to investigate if learning study can be used as a way of developing teaching and teaching strategies in the training school. The notion of learning study is a theoretical foundation as a way of choosing teaching content and to plan and evaluate teaching. Fundamental of the approach is that the content is defined by some critical aspects of the learning object that are necessary for the pupils to discern. Thus, the focus lies on the teachers teaching strategies, both when it comes to the school development project and the research study.
The project will be presented in two reports, one which turns to professionals within the training school and one scientific report. The reports will be produced in spring 2018.
Participating researcher at University West
Eva Johansson
Partner
Trollhättan City, Grundsärskolan
Duration
2016-2017
Contact
