CURRICULUM DIFFERENTIATION AND THE TERRITORIAL DIMENSIONS OF INCLUSIVE LEARNING Edilene Rocha Guimarães 1 José Augusto Pacheco 2 1 Universidade do Minho Portugal / Instituto Federal de Pernambuco Brazil. Scholarship of CAPES Postdoctoral Stage in Foreign Process nº BEX 0942/10-3 2 Universidade do Minho Portugal. Associate Professor with Aggregation Institute of Education edileneguimaraes@recife.ifpe.edu.br jpacheco@ie.uminho.pt
Objective It aims to analyze the Educational Territories of Priority Intervention Program (TEIP Program) as a policy and practice of curriculum differentiation. Case study A Grouping of Concelho Vila Nova de Famalicão, located in the territory of the Regional Directorate of Education of the North, Portugal.
Field of Curriculum The work is related to the debate about territorial dimensions of inclusive learning, with questions about diversity and difference in the curricular development process of Basic Education.
Diversity and difference in curriculum As a result of an extension process of schooling and its gradual generalization to all the school-age population, bringing a set of changes to educational systems and difficulties for the school s dealing with a diverse public and working with difference.
International education policy The recognition of standardized curricula, centralized education systems and a closed curricula organization; The priority to strengthen the school s decider role, in the curriculum organizational context; The priority of curriculum differentiation both in the field of organizing learning contents, in the processes plan and teaching methods.
Context of the Portuguese Education System The TEIP Program, as a policy and practice of curriculum differentiation, aims to contribute to creating conditions to promote the school s success for students in integrated educational communities affected by social and economic problems.
The territorialization of educational policies The TEIP Program values diversity and difference, according to criteria of priority and positive discrimination in the particular socio-educational context, with a proposal of curriculum differentiation keeping the national curriculum and adding actions learning support and social integration of students and their families in the context of inclusive learning.
Perspectives for analysis of diversity and difference in curriculum of TEIP Program : Perspective I: offering different school tracks, in the perspective of alternative curricula through curriculum diversification (curriculum organization); Perspective II: adapting the curriculum to the characteristics of each student, in order to strengthen their opportunities for school success through curriculum differentiation (curriculum content).
Concept of curriculum differentiation It s a concept that represents, in addition to changes in content, changes in methodology and assessment, presupposing that students have the same track in their options, but some need to follow different paths so that they can all reach educational success.
Learning for the exercise of citizenship This study consider that a curriculum sensitive to the difference is essentially inclusive and is concerned in finding ways to make all students acquire significant learning and possibly new learning, especially in regards to the territorial dimensions of inclusive learning, considered essential for the exercise of citizenship.
METHODOLOGY Case study The Vertical Grouping of Schools Pedome (Grouping Pedome). School year 2008/2009: The Grouping Pedome was awarded the TEIP Program with approval of the "Education Project TEIP: family life at school". School year 2010/2011: The Grouping Pedome was benefited by the TEIP2 Program.
Research Tools Following a qualitative approach, we are using the focus group technique, direct observation of meetings and events, and the analysis of normative and institutional documents that carry out the monitoring and evaluation of Education Project TEIP Pedome.
Referents for analysis of curriculum policy The starting point was the referential identified by Pacheco (2003) as: a)a curriculum policy equal and homogeneous; b)a curriculum policy equal and diversified; c)a curriculum policy diversified and unequal; d)a curriculum policy homogeneous and unequal.
Referents for analysis of curriculum differentiation We are considering the conceptual proposal of the "Triangle of difference" (Wieviorka, 2002), in its three interlinked components: the collective identity, the modern individual, the subject. Wieviorka defines the conditions under which the affirmation of a difference is acceptable and legitimate, equates to reconcile the requirements of singular individuals, with the requirements of cultural particularism and the requirements of the entire society.
Results and discussion The Grouping Pedome, created in1999, consists of eleven Basic Schools of 1st cycle, nine of Kindergarten and an Integrated Basic School (1st to 9th year), distributed into eleven Freguesias with characteristics of rural territory. The Grouping has a headquarters at the Integrated Basic School of Pedome.
Actions to support learning and social integration The Project TEIP Pedome maintains the national curriculum, but adds 15 actions, for example: A1 We read with... A2 Yes, we can... because English is fun! A3 I'll beat mathematics because it is fun! A4 The future waits for me... social being by Vocational Guidance" A10 Tutoring A12 To support, to differentiate, to improve, to work collectively..." A15 - "Pedagogy differentiated to service of the success".
Objectives The actions aim to strengthen, operationalize and reach targets until the end of the school year 2012, in the curriculum areas with the greatest failure as Portuguese, English and Math. This study prioritizes the data of 2nd and 3rd cycles (5th to 9th year) of the Integrated Basic School of Pedome (EBI of Pedome).
The results of the analysis of empirical data 1.The ICT are used as tools of inclusive learning; 2.The strategies to promote school success; 3.The strategies to transition to active life; 4.The educational project appropriation by the community; 5.The actions of tutoring; 6.Facilitators of Didactic Project; 7.Monitoring and evaluation of Project Educational TEIP.
1. The ICT are used as tools of inclusive learning The access to resources of ICT stands out, particularly with the use of Moodle Platform as a tool for work and communication with students, as well as greater use of technologies in the context of the classroom (applets, dynamic geometry environments). We found that the teachers of EBI Pedome have used ICT differentiated pedagogies, which are used as tools learning inclusive.
2. The strategies to promote school success We identify that assistive strategies have not been sufficient to produce an effective improvement of learning, the results revealed a high rate of school failure. We discuss the validity of assistive as strategy of curriculum differentiation to promote school success, especially the way it is applied through complementary activities, prepared and produced similar to the national assessment tests, with repetition of practice test.
3. The strategies to transition to active life Educational and Vocational Guidance was implemented in all classes of 9th year. There is a proposal to hold Courses for Educating and Training Youth (Courses CEF) for 9th year students failing, through professional qualification for entering the labor market. This proposal assumes that these students directed to the Courses CEF will not continue their studies in formal secondary education, with early entry into the work force.
4. The educational project appropriation by the community We identified that the community doesn't know the Project TEIP Pedome, and has not been involved in the activities developed. Teachers say that this lack of involvement of parents and guardians, has been the main motive of the school failure, particularly of students of 9th year. There is a need to review strategies of curriculum differentiation and pedagogical practices, bringing into the school the responsibility for school failure.
5. The actions of tutoring The dimensions worked are related with habits and methods of study, organization and responsibility, development of interpersonal relationship competences, attention and concentration, motivation, interest toward school, self-esteem, and integration at school. We question the scope and effectiveness of tutoring as strategy of curriculum differentiation that aims to prevent abandonment, failure or lack of discipline, since it only serves 25 students and involves 21 tutors teachers, being the failure most significative.
6. Facilitators of Didactic Project The absence of students in the collective planning has hampered the interest and involvement of them in the activities developed, leading to an excessive workload for teachers which doesn t reflect in the school success. The professionals working in the Grouping Pedome, place more blame outside the school (participation of parents and guardians, unfavorable socioeconomic environment) instead of inside the school (joint between teachers, student motivation, teaching practices), the factors of school failure.
7. Monitoring and evaluation of Project Educational TEIP We found that curriculum differentiation of Project TEIP Pedome is characterized as a continuous process in construction and that school performance cannot be confined solely to the ratings obtained in the assessment of school learning and in the examination of national benchmarking, educational outcomes of learning essential to the exercise of citizenship should also be recorded and valued.
Conclusions In the analysis of TEIP Program as a policy and practice of curriculum differentiation, we conclude that students of the Grouping Pedome are included in school starting from the differences that specify them, as students in an integrated educational community affected by social and economic problems, with characteristics of rural territory facing the risk of education exclusion, that is, they are included starting from their "collective identity" territorial.
However, differences related to the "modern individual" and to the "subject" in his subjectivity are not considered by curriculum practices, which homogenize the students and promote inequality and school failure. In this sense, the TEIP Program is still configured as part of homogeneous and unequal curriculum policies.
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