Remarks at the Irish Learning Support Association (ILSA) Annual Conference
14th September 2012
I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak at the 38th Annual Conference of the Irish Learning Support Association, and I would like to thank the Chairperson, Catherine Sweeney, for the kind invitation.
Molaim cuspóir bhur n-eagraíochta faoi mar atá sé leagtha amach ar bhur suíomh idirlín, is é sin, feabhsú leanúnach ar an tseirbhís a chuirtear ar fáil do pháistí a bhfuil deacrachtaí foghlama acu, agus comhthionól bliantúil a chur ar bun mar uirlis i mbaint amach na bhfeabhsúchán sin do bhur gcuid mac léinn.
[I applaud the objective of your organisation as set out on your organisation’s website as “the continuous improvement of the service provided to children with learning difficulties” and the establishment of an annual conference as a tool in achieving those improvements for our students.]
The theme of this year’s conference ‘Teaching and Learning in the Creative Classroom’ is particularly apt. I said at my inauguration last year that we must together build a new citizenship for which we need a new discourse. That we must seek to build together an active, inclusive citizenship: based on participation, equality, respect for all and the flowering of creativity in all its forms.
What immediately springs to mind when one thinks of ‘learning in a creative classroom’ is an image of a busy, bustling, even noisy classroom, with children intently engaged in a variety of activities and exercises, perhaps with a common theme.
The essence of the modern classroom is where the teacher can facilitate the personalised learning styles and preferences of his/her students, thereby promoting fuller participation and engagement in learning as well as facilitating individualised support. In practice however, this is perhaps not an easy scene for teachers to create and to manage effectively. There are pressures that you are well aware of; time, the curriculum, exams, behavioural issues, expectations of parents, how to ensure that each student is learning to their potential, and so on.
That is why the work of Irish Leaning Support Association and the theoretical approaches, experiences and new ways of working that will be discussed at this conference, are so important. Like students, educational professionals are creative individuals who bring their own set of skills, expertise and unique imagination to their work. Each person here has something valid to share with, and to learn from, their peers and this conference provides a perfect opportunity to do just that. While many topics will be discussed today, there is a singular focus to the work of the conference: the achievement of the full potential of all pupils regardless of ability.
Tá Cumann Tacaíochta Foghlama na hÉireann féin ar cheann de na heagraíochtaí múinteoirí is mó sa tír, agus is é atá ann grúpa deonach de dhaoine gairmiúla ó chúlraí, earnálacha agus róil éagsúla oideachais atá tar éis teacht le chéile le cleachtas agus gairmiúlachas ar fud na hearnála a fheabhsú. Déantar cuid mhór den obair seo ar bhonn deonach, trí na craobhacha réigiúnacha, trí chomhthionóil réigiúnacha agus náisiúnta agus trí iris acadúil an Chumainn ‘LEARN’.
[The Irish Learning Support Association itself, as one of the largest teacher organisations in the country, comprises a voluntary group of professionals from a range of education settings, sectors and roles coming together to enhance the practice and professionalism across the sector. Much of this work is done on a voluntary basis, through the regional branches, regional and national conferences, and through the Association’s academic journal ‘LEARN’.]
The large number of attendees at this conference and the longevity of the organisation itself are evidence that the organisation’s work is valued, relevant, and appreciated by its members.
The collaborative approach adopted by Irish Learning Support Association is an effective way to leverage existing knowledge, dedication and willingness so that the experience of our educational system for those who require additional support for learning can be rich and positive. Linking with third level institutes, with the Special Education Support Service, education support centres and with teachers in classrooms provides a network of different professional inputs and perspectives which complement and inform each other.
Inclusion is a tremendous challenge: ensuring that school communities effectively respond to difference and accommodate diversity. For some young people, the education journey has been a natural progression through primary and secondary school and onwards but for others that experience may have been very different and a good deal more complicated.
There have been some important and positive moves towards inclusion in our education system in the past fifteen years. But we still have a considerable distance to go. These efforts reflect the now greater appreciation of the advantages of inclusive education, and the understanding of the disadvantages students with learning support needs face if not supported effectively in their early education: early school leaving, poor educational outcomes, low rates of participation in third level education, and a far greater likelihood of exclusion from the workplace. Improving the educational outcomes and experience of students with learning support needs is key to realizing their full inclusion as a citizen over their lifetimes. It is important that we continue to value and appropriately sustain and develop such learning assistance as has come on stream for those with special needs.
The fundamental acknowledgment within the 2004 Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act of the rights of a young student with special educational needs to be educated and supported in our mainstream schools is a vital achievement. The acknowledgement of this right reflects the vision we must all come to share. Reality in achieving that vision may be dependent on the resource environment but the rights base of the vision must be acknowledged. While at the moment there are obvious resource constraints across the system, we mustn’t lose sight of the vision and its’ importance, or of the need to give it as much effect as possible within current realities.
Central to the development of the inclusive education system is the teacher who ensures that all pupils access, participate and benefit from all activities and that each student’s unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs are catered for.
In addition we need to ensure that the work done in individual classrooms with individual students to promote their meaningful participation and access to the curriculum is echoed and supported in school policies and that Boards of Management endorse and promote plurality and accessibility in intake policies.
Teachers, managers and policy makers must actively seek, in consultation with students and their parents, to identify all the barriers to participation and to develop action plans to dismantle these to ensure the diversity of our society is reflected in all schools and to ensure that all those in our system have access to the kind of supports that enable them to reach their fullest potential.
Creative use of the skills, talents and expertise of the various resources available in the school community and local area can result in innovations and new solutions for individual students while also enriching broader society.
Learning Support and Resource teachers who enable the participation of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools have been central to many of the developments and progress in promoting inclusion over the past decade. That effort and the commitment to improving the educational experiences for children with special educational needs that characterises your work is to be commended.
The challenge we now face is to build on the progress that has been achieved in the past decade.
Before I conclude I would like again to thank the organisers for inviting me to join you today. I also wish to congratulate the Association’s executive committee, under the stewardship of Catherine Sweeney, for the work it does in putting together the conference programme as well as coordinating and supporting the ongoing work throughout the year. In particular, I also wish Mr Michael Gavin, your administrator, who is due to retire, the very best for this important next stage of his life.
I will leave you with some words associated with Leonardo Da Vinci, a forward-thinking genius in both the creative and the scientific fields. The phrase ‘ancora imparum’ is associated with Da Vinci. It means ‘I am still learning’. Da Vinci learned through curiosity, through study, through experimental creativity, through trial and error, through vision. I am heartened to see that after almost 40 years in existence, the Irish Learning Support Association is following Da Vinci’s lead – still learning, still curious and creative. I wish you all well in your endeavours to bring creative teaching and learning into your classrooms; you will be rewarded with the educational, social and personal benefits that this brings to your students.