Information about the course

Please bear in mind that this is NOT an English language course, but an introductory course in Special education presented to you in the English language. It has been prepared by a non-native English speaker for students who are also mostly non-native speakers of English. That is why the following texts may not be written in perfect English. Despite this fact, we believe that the text will be understandable to most students who use English as their second or third language. We also plan to have the text proofread and corrected by a native English speaker as soon as our resources permit.

The course Special Eduction 1 is focused on issues of disability, inclusion and different types of special education needs. It provides information about history, perspectives of disability, terminology, issues of integration and inclusion and education of learners with different types of impairments. The course concentrates on aspects of special needs education, legislature and counselling services with a special emphasis on the situation in the Czech Republic.

The content of the course is structured into eight main chapters. Each chapter consists of a list of vocabulary, short description of the main topics with links to further readings, pictures and videos, discussion themes and short homeworks, and finally the main study text and short quiz at the end of each chapter. You should be able to answer the questions after reading the main text of each chapter. 

The aim of the course

The main objective of the this course is to make students understand and become able to explain the basic terminology of special education, to gain information about the education, counselling and support of learners with disabilities. At the end of the course students should be able to understand and use knowledge about education and support of children and learners with different kinds of special needs, impairments or disabilities in mainstream schools.

Assessments methods

Written assignments, discussions with fellow students and short tests at the end of each chapter.