According to Maria Montessori, “Each child is born with a unique potential to be revealed” (http://www.montessori.edu/)
. When viewing children, one cannot break the child down into pieces; one must examine all aspects of the child to fully understand him and therefore be able to provide the best and most successful avenue for learning and growth. The whole child, the physical; body shape and function, the cognitive; abilities to learn, the family; whether he is being raised in a nuclear family or a differing family unit such as a blended family, the social; how he views himself as compared to others, or the stressors in his life and his ability to adapt to stress, and the culture; how family views him and educational success, must all be taken into consideration as these factors all contribute to how the child interacts and grows within the world around him (Berger, 2009). One thing is true; all children have the same needs for healthy development, however all children are not the same (Berger, 2009). As educators we must learn to “follow the child” (http://www.montessori.edu/ ), creating environments for exploration and discovery that respects the child and his work, whether the work is a scribble on a page or a Picasso masterpiece. When the whole child is considered, he is more likely to grow academically, as well as grow into a caring individual (Berger, 2009). In Italy, it would seem children are given ample opportunity to grow in academic areas, and although testing and assessment seems more stringent, children are prepared to advance to the next level. At the elementary level, children are required to test in order to be admitted to academic secondary schools; testing is a part of the academic process and although intimidating for a child, it does foster a sense of drive and motivation to advance. To make the process easier, children are given a pretest to determine their strengths and weaknesses and teachers are aware of content that has been mastered. The children are also given a diagnostic test at the beginning of the year to determine areas where the children need assistance. The results of such tests allow teachers insight into the content areas; math, science, etc where there are deficiencies and the teachers then plan their lessons to focus on improving the deficiencies (http://rome.angloinfo.com/)
. I thought this a welcome method for teaching and planing as opposed to the standardized testing in our country where teachers may be aware of deficiencies, but they must teach the standard curriculum as mandated by the state. It would seem we as American educators do not look at the whole child, especially in terms of academic development.
During the discussion board, I became interested in how other countries view and treat children with disabilities. My perception was that European systems especially those in Italy would be somewhat antiquated as compared to the United States systems. I was rather surprised at what I found; Italy takes the strongest position on inclusion, requiring all schools to provide for children with disabilities; the inclusive education policy has been in place since 1970 (McGrath, 1999). In the United States, PL 91-230 recognized learning disabilities as part of special education; before that time there were no special education services (Berger, 2009). In 1975 PL 94-142 mandated education for all handicapped children in the least restrictive environment (LRE) (Berger, 2009). Clearly the U.S. view is far different from that of Italy. The Italian Communist Pray created reforms to integrate “the handicapped, minorities, the poor into mainstream Italian life” (McGrath, 1999). In Italy there is a sense of equality for all students with an arena that doesn’t discriminate. Students with special educational needs are not a separate group, but individuals with “something unique to offer” that all can learn from (Berrigan). Integrated classrooms in Italy are composed of 20 students with a maximum of 2 students with disabilities. In addition, special services are integrated into the classroom with special education teachers working alongside regular education teaches (Berrigan).
A system such as this would bring about attitudinal changes towards students with disabilities. With such prevailing positive redefinition of disability, one can look at the person and his abilities for definition. This type of innovative thought will help “create a society where everyone belongs” (Snow, 2003-2009) in the United States.
References:
Berger, K. S. (2009). The Developing Person Through Childhood. New York, NY: Worth
Publishers
McGrath, B. (1999). National Policy on Inclusion of Students with Special Educational Needs in
Snow, K. (2003-2009). Redefining Disability. Retrieved
