PROF ED 3

(SY 2022-2023)

I. Definition, Goals, and Scope of Special and Inclusive Education

A. Inclusive Education in the Philippines

1. Definition
The 2009 Department of Education Order No. 72 defines inclusive education as the
philosophy of accepting all children regardless of race, size, shape, color, ability or
disability with support from school staff, students, parents and the community. The
more recent 2013 Enhanced Basic Education Act refers to gifted and talented
children; learners with disabilities; learners of the madrasa curriculum; indigenous
peoples; and learners in difficult circumstances, such as geographical isolation,
chronic illness, abuse, or displacement due to armed conflict, urban resettlement or
disaster as target groups of inclusive education.
2. VMGO
VISION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
The State, Community and Family hold a common vision for the Filipino child with
special needs. By the 21st Century, it is envisioned that he/she could be adequately
provided with basic education. This education should fully realize his/her own
potentials for development and productivity as well as being capable of self-
expression of his/her rights in society. More importantly, he/she is God-Loving and
proud of being a Filipino.

MISSION OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

It is also envisioned that the child with special needs will get full parental and
community support for his/her education without discrimination of any kind. This
special child should also be provided with a healthy environment along with leisure
and recreation and social security measures. (Department of Education Handbook on
Inclusive Education, 2000).
Inclusive Education forms an integral component of the overall educational system
that is committed to an appropriate education for all children and youth with special
needs.

GOAL OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

The goal of special education program of the department of education all over the
country is to provide children with special needs appropriate educational services
within the mainstream of basic education.
The two-pronged goal includes the development of key strategies on legislation,
human resource development, family involvement and active participation of
government and non-government organizations. Likewise, there are major issues to
address on attitudinal barriers of the general public and effort towards the
institutionalization and sustainability of special education programs and services.

OBJECTIVES OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Provide a flexible and individualized report support system for children and youth with
special needs in a regular class environment in schools nearest the student’s home.
Implement a lifelong curriculum to include early intervention and parent education,
basic education and transition programs on vocational training or preparation for
college and, make an available an array educational programs and services: the
Special Education Center built on “ a school with a school concept” as the resource
center for children and youth with special needs; inclusive education in regular
schools, special and residential schools, homebound instruction, hospital instruction
and community-based programs; alternative modes of service delivery to reach the
advantage children in far-flung towns, depressed areas and undeserved barangays.

3. Scope
- This policy framework shall guide DepEd programs, both in formal education
system and alternative learning system, and in public and private schools; and the
support systems that enable their effective implementation.

B. Inclusive Education in other countries

1. IDEA -US
Providing to all students, including those with significant disabilities, equitable
opportunities to receive effective educational services, with the needed
supplementary aids and support services, in age-appropriate classrooms in their
neighborhood schools, in order to prepare students for productive lives as full
members of society.

2. Other countries supporting special and inclusive education

The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child upholds the rights of children and
changed the way children are viewed and treated—from passive objects of care and
charity to human beings with a distinct set of rights.
The 1994 Salamanca Statement provides that all children should learn together,
wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

(UNCRPD) aims to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all
human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to
promote respect for their inherent dignity. More specifically, Article 24 of the
UNCRPD states that “the right of persons with disabilities to education must be
recognized with a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of
equal opportunity” and General Comment 4 outlines what inclusive education is and
what countries must do to make it happen (UN Committee on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities (CRPD), 2016).
 The 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples stipulates
that Indigenous Peoples (IPs) have the right to establish and control their educational
systems and institutions and that indigenous individual, particularly children, have the
right to all levels and forms of education without discrimination.

The Education 2030 Framework for Action aims at mobilizing all countries and
partners around the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on inclusive and equitable
quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

II. Bases and Policies of Special and Inclusive Education

A. Review of the Bases

1. Psychological bases
a. Piaget’s Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that intelligence changes as
children grow. A child's cognitive development is not just about acquiring knowledge,
the child has to develop or construct a mental model of the world. Cognitive
development occurs through the interaction of innate capacities and environmental
events, and children pass through a series of stages.

b. Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory, proposed by Albert Bandura, emphasizes the importance of
observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions
of others. Social learning theory considers how both environmental and cognitive
factors interact to influence human learning and behavior.

c. Lev Vygotsky’s Scaffolding

Vygotsky's scaffolding is a method of teaching that helps learners understand
educational content by working with an educator or someone who has a better
understanding of the material. The concept states students learn more when working
with people who have a broader scope of knowledge than the student learning the
content. The educators or students teaching the learners scaffold the material in
smaller chunks so the learner can expand their understanding of the material more
than they would on their own.

d. Jean Lave’s Situated Learning

Situated learning is a general theory of knowledge acquisition. It has been applied in
the context of technology-based learning activities for schools that focus on problem-
solving skills (Cognition & Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1993). McLellan (1995)
provides a collection of articles that describe various perspectives on the theory.