Special Education

The current concept of the education of pupils with special educational needs is aimed at an inclusive approach, concerning a complex interdisciplinary approach. The diagnosis, intervention, education, and counselling are provided by special needs teachers not only in the field of education, but also within the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The extension of the professional activities covers the widest range of age categories - early and preschool age, school age, adulthood and also seniors. The study is focused on creating professional, pedagogical, psychological, communication and other personality cultivating competences as a precursor to the follow-up master study of special education.

The aim of the Special Education Program is to prepare special needs teachers for special educational activities in classes set up for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in elementary schools, schools for pupils with SEN, in special primary schools in the position of a teacher assistant, in school facilities, kindergartens educating children with SEN, children's homes, youth homes and for activities in social services facilities.

The program is implemented in the forms of full time attendance and combined studies. It is internally divided into different compulsory subjects divided into two main specializations: Specialization 1 (Speech Therapy, Hearing Impairment) and Specialization 2 (Intellectual Disability, Physical Disability, Visual Impairment, Problem Behaviour). These create the base for the following master studies.

The structure and content of the lectures, seminars and diagnostic and intervention practice within the study program reflects the current requirements of the Act No. 563/2004 Coll., On Teaching Staff and its Amendment No. 379/2015 Coll.

The Special Education Study Program is one of the study programs enabling to become a pedagogical staff, which is included in the fields of education as non-teaching pedagogy, teaching and psychology in the Government Order no. 275/2016 Coll., On the Fields of Study in Higher Education.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• to use the general knowledge and skills of special education
• to use specialized knowledge and skills of special education actively
• to master auxiliary educational and communication knowledge, skills and techniques
• to apply approaches towards education and training of children and pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in their teaching
• to work with children/pupils with special educational needs (SEN) at the level of a teacher assistant
• to design and process a case study of a child/pupil with SEN methodologically
• plan, implement and reflect on their own teaching at the appropriate level of established professional competences;
• use basic professional terminology and information sources of pedagogical and school psychology in describing, analysing, interpreting and evaluating typical teaching situations, as well as describing the educational environment of the school
• use basic methods and tools of pedagogical diagnostics in teaching and gain data which is available for the support of an individual pupil/client. The results can be communicated appropriately to pupils, teachers, and possibly parents and other pro
• to explain and to reflect on the principles of inclusive education at the level of culture, politics and practice of the school in their educational activities;
• to create an inclusive environment in the classroom, to apply at least some strategies of individualization and differentiation in teaching;

The employment of the graduates from the bachelor's study program Special Education is assumed in the positions of the assistants in education, health care, and social affairs. They are here in a personal contact with children, pupils or adults with disabilities. The graduate is also ready for the communication and cooperation with parents of children and pupils, and teachers from special and regular schools.

Readiness for the Profession and the Professional Adaptability to the Conditions and Requirements of the Practice

The students should gaining the competences for the education of children/pupils with special educational needs in accordance with the Act No. 563/2004 Coll., On Teaching Staff and its Amendment No. 379/2015 Coll.

Possible Professions and Institutions after Studies

The employment of the graduates from this study program is assumed in the positions of the teacher assistants in schools for pupils with special educational needs, as teachers in kindergartens, speech therapist's assistants in kindergartens or social services facilities (if they have the specialization speech therapy and hearing impairment), tutors in special schools and school facilities for pupils wit SEN and in state administration, corporate management etc.

• Educator
• Teacher´s assistant

The obligatory part of the bachelor's study program Special Education is a teaching practice, which is realized as a special educational practice (continuous, for 10 weeks of observation of subjects such as arts, PE etc.) in the 3rd semester and coherent special educational practice 1 (4 weeks) with the reflective seminar in the 4th semester plus coherent special educational practice 2 (4 weeks with the reflective seminar in the 5th semester).

The practice is spread over three semesters. The department provides students with the workplaces it has been cooperating with for a long time. The students can obtain the practice there.

The aim of the continuous practice is to show students basic diagnostic procedures used in special schools and facilities within the chosen specialization (speech therapy and hearing impairment, intellectual disability and speech therapy, intellectual disability and visual impairment, intellectual disability and physical disability, intellectual disability and problem behaviour). The student writes a diary (portfolio).

The aim of the coherent practice 1 and 2 is to show students the workplace, staff, the composition of the given group of pupils. The student should help in the position of an assistant at the assigned workplace under the supervision of a designated worker with regard to the chosen profile.

Students must be aware of the current issues in the field of special education, be able to define the topic of their theses (research) clearly, describe the initial state of knowledge and propose adequate methods of solution, clearly and logically create the title of the thesis.

The student is able to work with the adequate primary and secondary study sources, to quote them according to the valid standards and in accordance with the ethics of scientific work. He/she is able to lead discussions and argue with the authors, to draw their own conclusions and recommendations.

The student can design his/her own quantitative or qualitative research, including a clear definition of objectives and the choice of adequate research methods in relation to the nature of the phenomenon under investigation, work with the appropriate method, including the ability to analyze quantitative and qualitative data and interpret and draw conclusions in an appropriate way.

The student will demonstrate the stylistic competencies by the creation of his/her own text. The student is able to create the scientific work, maintain the logical line of the work composition without grammatical errors.

The student will demonstrate the ability to ask questions and solve problems in an unconventional way, to formulate new ideas and conclusions of the thesis that would bring at least partially new knowledge about the phenomenon being studied or enrich the (new) methodological (in the area of research) or methodical procedures (in the field of education), in relation to clearly defined and selected target groups (elementary school pupils, secondary school students, groups with special educational needs, etc.).

The standards of the final theses within the field of special education are prepared according to the Dean's Decree No. 1/2015, For the completion of the final theses (bachelor's, master's, rigorous and final theses of the life-long learning courses).

The graduate of the bachelor's study program Special Education may (after fulfilling the entrance conditions) continue his/her studies in the master's study program Special Education in the specialization he/she chose within the bachelor's studies: Speech Therapy and Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment, Problem Behaviour, Education of Pupils with Moderate and Severe Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Education of Pupils with Multiple Disabilities or Special Andragogy at the Faculty of Education of MU.