The Special needs education – Towards the inclusive classroom course aims to help participants expand their knowledge and skills that relate to designing and managing the inclusive classroom and leads to  a Level 7 EQC Certificate, accompanied by a Europass Certicicate Supplement with 10 transferable ECVET points.

This course seeks to fill the gap and give the participants the skills and knowledge to handle students with special needs in their classrooms. In our approach, the focus is on teacher attitude and activity in the school.

During this course, the participants will have the chance to focus on international best practices regarding one or more of the following topics:

• Inclusion of people with special needs, problematic behavior, and learning difficulties
• Dealing with Roma students and other nomad communities
• Facilitating gifted students
• Reducing early school leaving

Participants will also visit and study a place of interest (e.g. ancient Messini, the historical center of Kalamata, etc) and prepare online lessons or another “product” on a topic of interest. That way the course will, secondarily, marry inclusion with basic ICT skills and European culture and history.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, participants will:

• be familiar with key terminology regarding inclusive education
• have actively engaged with state-of-the-art methods of teaching and living in the inclusive classroom
• have actively engaged with class-management in the inclusive context
• be familiar with peer teaching and collaborative learning methods
• have improved their communicative competence in English;
• have used technology to design lesson-plans or other activities
• have increased motivation and satisfaction in their daily work
• have improved their understanding of other European cultures
• have developed a sense of European citizenship and identity through participating in a community of European teachers and trainers
• shared experiences and best practices
• be familiar with the Europass.

Particular emphasis is given to:

• Disability /Special need identification
• Addressing the educational problems and psycho-pedagogical support of students who face problems such as:
  • Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia)
  • Communication Disorders (Language Expression, Phonological Disorder , Stuttering)
  • Intellectual Disability
  • Sensory Disabilities (Hearing problems, Vision problems, Mobility problems)
  • Attention Deficit – Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Autism, Asperger’s)
  • Mental and Emotional disorders
  • Down syndrome

Methodology

The main aspect of the course is to promote collaboration between participants. Lessons will be held in our centre’s classrooms and computer lab, as well as outside. Our approach is to base the learning process on practical rather than theoretical knowledge. The course is designed on active learning methods and, at the end of the course, teach participant should be able to use the taught techniques effectively.

Preparation

Every participant will have to fill a questionnaire which helps the trainers to customize the course to better fit their needs.

Attendants will get instructions and material which will help them to be prepared for the courses needs.

Content

Structured study visits

During the course, we may also organize study visits to a local school for participants that ask for one according to school availability. Popular study visits include:

• A special needs education school
• A school for adults from disadvantaged backgrounds
• A school with Roma mainstreaming classes
• Vocational secondary and post-secondary schools
• General primary and secondary schools

Each study visit is structured and accompanied by reflective activities. There is no extra cost for these study visits.

Outdoors learning

There are two outdoor learning activities: a gamified tour of the town and a visit to a local historical site. The onsite visit is accompanied by non-formal European history learning activities, as well as activities that link this history to the course topic. There is no extra cost for these activities.

Social programme

There is also an optional social programme for those interested. This programme may include an intercultural night, lunches and dinners at different restaurants, going out for a drink or coffee, or even an extra excursion – if there is time! These activities depend on participant needs and wants, and those participating in them will have to pay for what they choose to eat and drink. If there is an optional excursion, they will also have to pay van costs and any other expenses (e.g. museum tickets)

Follow up

The participants will get material which includes information about all the areas covered at the course, lesson plans, all the produced outcomes of the course, useful links and more.

The above material can be freely used by the participants at their school.

Target Group / Who is this course for

This course is for every teacher in primary, secondary, adult or vocational education and training.

Duration and cost

The duration of the course is 7 training days and the cost is 560€.

If you have received a grant for a shorter or longer course, let us know! There are options available.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need further assistance!

Available Dates

• 2024
  • 18.02.2024 – 24.02.2024
  • 14.04.2024 – 20.04.2024
  • 12.05.2024 – 18.05.2024
  • 30.06.2024 – 06.07.2024
  • 03.11.2024 – 09.11.2024
• 2025
  • 16.02.2025 – 22.02.2025
  • 04.05.2025 – 10.05.2025
  • 06.07.2025 – 12.07.2025
  • 02.11.2025 – 08.11.2025

Location

Kalamata is a nice sea-side city in the south of Greece. It’s a quiet top golf destination and the Telegraph has included it in Europe’s 13 must-visit cities.
During your stay here you can stay wherever you want. However, we do propose accommodation. Which we can book for you and from which we offer free transfers to all course sites and activities.

Application assistance

Assistance is available. Don’t hesitate to ask us for help!

Fill now the pre-registration form

Pre-payments and course confirmation

We do not ask for money upfront. You can pay whenever you want including when you arrive here.

We have never canceled a course. We offer our courses only at our headquarters in Kalamata and only a few times per year. As a result, on top of being able to offer quality services all around, we do not have to fly trainers all over the globe and worry about local agents and the extra costs that these incur.