The Impact of Evidence-Based Dialogic Training of Special Education Teachers on the Creation of More Inclusive and Interactive Learning Environments

Abstract

In the international context of a progress toward more inclusive educational systems and practices, the role of Special Education teachers is being transformed. From an inclusive perspective, these professionals increasingly support students and their teachers in the mainstream classroom, avoiding segregation. However, Special Education teachers often struggle to reach and support all students with special needs and their teachers to provide quality inclusive education. For this reason, more research is still needed on in-service training strategies for the inclusion of students with special needs that effectively translate into evidence-based school practices that improve the education of all students. This article analyses the impact of two evidence-based dialogic training programs of Special Education teachers working in mainstream schools carried out in Mexico during the 2018–2019 school year. Through in-depth interviews with participants, it was identified how, after the training, teachers increasingly grounded their actions on scientific evidence and promoted interactive learning environments that improved the educational inclusion of their students with special needs. This training also became the venue to make evidence-based educational actions available to other students without special needs, improving the quality of education provided to all students.

Aplicación de un modelo educativo constructivista basado en evidencia empírica de la neurociencia y sus implicancias en la práctica docente

“…Para el caso del grupo de estudiantes, una dimensión con alto porcentaje promedio de logro fue grupos interactivos, es decir, existe una visión positiva por parte de los estudiantes sobre el desarrollo de actividades grupales que promueven el trabajo colaborativo y activan nuestro cerebro social, en particular a las neuronas espejo, un tipo de neuronas que participan en procesos de interacción social, específicamente cuando un individuo observa una acción similar realizada por otro par y que son fundamentales para el desarrollo de la empatía (Ledezma et al, 2016). Este resultado coincide con lo planteado en otras investigaciones (Rodríguez-Oramas et al, 2021), quienes señalan que el trabajo en grupos es una alternativa beneficiosa para el desarrollo de una educación emocional exitosa, ya que mejora el clima de aula, generando entornos de aprendizaje enriquecidos en los que el/la estudiante presenta menores niveles de estrés. Un clima de aula positivo influye principalmente en los procesos de metacognición del aprendizaje.…”

Men Tackling Isolating Gender Violence to Fight against Sexual Harassment

“…In addition, the use of qualitative methods has been helpful for investigating bystander-based sexual violence prevention intervention [ 19 ]. Moreover, communicative methodologies have been implemented for evaluating violence prevention programs in schools [ 20 ] and for the study of New Alternative Masculinities [ 21 ].…”

Scientific workshops with a dialogical approach: an effective tool for introducing science into vulnerable educational contexts

“…The present research demonstrates that communicative science workshops can increase preferences for scientific activities by increasing the appreciation of science and scientific knowledge in vulnerable groups. Two fundamental components have played a decisive role in obtaining this increased interest in scientific activities: the scientific evidence on which the whole process was based and the process itself, since it revealed a dialogic learning process (Rodríguez-Oramas et al, 2021).…”