Perspektivmöten i skola och handledning. Lärares tankar om specialpedagogisk handledning

Publicerad:2012-11-09

Uppdaterad:2017-12-19

Såväl forskning som lagstiftning stöder utvecklingen av en inkluderande skola, där elever oberoende av inlärningsförutsättningar undervisas inom ramen för allmänundervisningen. Detta innebär ökade krav på ett fungerande samarbete mellan speciallärare och klasslärare.

Författare

Christel Sundqvist

Handledare

Kristina Ström, Professor Åbo Akademi

Opponent

Claes Nilholm, Professor, Högskolan i Jönköping

Disputerat vid

Åbo Akademi

Disputationsdag

2012-11-16

Titel (se)

Perspektivmöten i skola och handledning. Lärares tankar om specialpedagogisk handledning

Institution

Specialpedagogik

Perspektivmöten i skola och handledning. Lärares tankar om specialpedagogisk handledning

I dag stöder både forskning och lagstiftning utveckling av en inkluderande skola där elever oberoende av inlärningsförutsättningar undervisas inom ramen för allmänundervisningen. Detta innebär ökade krav på ett fungerande samarbete mellan speciallärare och klasslärare. En möjlig samarbetsform är att specialläraren fungerar som handledare till klasslärare som har elever med olika inlärningssvårigheter i klassen.

Syftet med studien är att fördjupa kunskapen om hur handledning i specialpedagogisk kontext kan förstås och utvecklas utgående från speciallärares och klasslärares beskrivningar av verksamhetsformen tolkade mot olika perspektiv på handledning. Den övergripande tolkningen visar att specialpedagogisk handledning kan förstås som tre olika typer av handledningssamtal: Det konsultativa samtalet är den mest framträdande samtalstypen. I det konsultativa samtalet är den specialpedagogiska kunskapsförmedlingen central. Det konsultativa samtalet står inför flera utmaningar som kan bemötas i och med att lärarna beskriver också två andra samtalstyper. I det reflekterande samtalet tillämpar specialläraren tankestimulerande samtalsteknik. Detta samtal har ännu ingen framträdande plats i finlandssvensk skolkontext. Det samarbetande samtalet kännetecknas av ömsesidighet och professionellt utbyte. Bägge lärares kunskap ses som central och snarare än att specialläraren agerar expert och samtalsledare handleder lärarna varandra.

Det samarbetande samtalet beskrivs av lärarna som idealt och resultaten indikerar att denna samtalstyp har utvecklingspotential vid utvecklingen av specialpedagogisk handledning mellan jämbördiga kollegor. I det samarbetande samtalet kan aspekter från de andra handledningstyperna dessutom mötas och utvecklas. För att det samarbetande samtalet ska utvecklas krävs bland annat att bägge lärare har kunskap om handledning, ett kollaborativt skolklimat och att lärarna bereds tillräckligt med tid för att mötas i handledande samtal.

Abstract in English

To create a more inclusive school, an increase in multidisciplinary cooperation is needed. One possible form of collaboration could encompass the special education teacher taking on the role of a consultant for other teachers in need of support in working with heterogeneous groups of pupils. Previous research shows that special education teachers see the role as consultant as diffuse and complex.

The overarching aim of the present study involves deepening the knowledge on how consultation in a special educational context can be understood and developed based on teachers’ descriptions on this particular form of activity interpreted against various perspectives on consultation. The study is qualitative in nature and rests on a hermeneutic interpretive research tradition in combination with an abductive approach. The theoretical framework consists of two different approaches to consultation: the directive and the non-directive approach. The approaches differ regarding particular emphasis on advice and reflection during the consultation and with respect to who or what should be the focus of the consultation. The two approaches are here studied through various theories such as social learning theory, Bruner’s theory of scaffolding, Roger’s humanist psychology, and constructivism. Semi-structured interviews were held with eighteen special education teachers (n=9) and class teachers (n=9) working in the compulsory school.

The overall interpretation of the results shows that special education consultation can be understood as three different types of consultation. Consultation as counseling which harmonizes with the directive perspective on consultation is the most prominent type. In the consultation as counseling conversation, the special educational knowledge transfer is central and the focus is placed on the pupil. Although special education knowledge transfer emerges as a unique aspect of special education consultation, there are several inherent challenges in this type of consultation that can be addressed in that teachers also describe two other types of consultation. In the reflective consultation, there is a move away from the pupil focus and toward a focus on the class teacher and the use of reflection. The reflective consultation harmonizes with the non-directive approach to consultation.

This type of consultation does not as of yet have a prominent place in the Finland-Swedish school context and at this stage it is not seen as a legitimate type of consultation according to the teachers’ descriptions. Despite this, certain aspects of the reflective conversation could be given more space in the development of consultation within special educational contexts. The co-operative consultation is characterized by the teachers acting as teammates and using professional exchange as a strategy for consultation. Both teachers’ knowledge is seen as central, and rather than the special education teacher acting as the expert and moderator, the teachers control the consultation together and jointly move the work along. The co-operative consultation enables the focus to move from the pupil toward the context, which can lead to the development of inclusive practices. The results indicate that this type of consultation holds potential in the development of special educational consultation that takes place between equal colleagues. The co-operative consultation opens up for a third collaborative approach to consultation, where aspects of the directive and non-directive perspective can merge and develop.

The thesis concludes with the proposal that special pedagogical consultation can be understood from an integrated perspective. The characteristics of the consultation can vary depending on the type of problem or situation, while co-operative consultation can be seen as the ideal as equal colleagues meet in consultation conversations. In order to develop the co-operative consultation, both teachers are required to have knowledge of consultation as a practice, to be part of a collaborative school climate, and that teachers are provided with enough time to take part in consultations.