The Significance of Specialist Teachers of Learners with Visual Impairments as Agents of Change: Examining Personnel Preparation in the United Kingdom through a Bioecological Systems Theory

Abstract

The significance of specialist teachers of learners with visual impairments as agents of change

Promoting a balanced early years curriculum for young children with vision impairment: Developing and sustaining personal agency through a bioecological systems perspective

“…In support of recent theoretical work in this area the analysis presented in this paper highlights the significance of interactions between the developing learner with vision impairment and the changing educational 'ecology' in which such development occurs over a given timeframe (e.g. Hewett et al 2016;McLinden et al 2017. As early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence).…”

“…Research highlights the importance of promoting distinctive independence access skills to maximise a child's ability to develop as an 'independent' learner within a given educational context (e.g. Douglas and McLinden, 2011;McLinden et al 2017). Further, recent work in this area highlights the significance of these independence access skills being suitably developed to enable successful transition from 5 compulsory school education into independent adulthood (e.g.…”

“…Vision impairment can present significant barriers to a child developing such agency through reducing ‘access’ to sensory information (Douglas et al, 2011; McLinden & Douglas, 2014), potentially resulting in the child becoming increasingly reliant on other individuals for support (Webster & Roe, 1998). Research highlights the importance of promoting distinctive independence access skills to maximise a child’s ability to develop as an ‘independent’ learner within a given educational context (e.g., Douglas et al, 2011; McLinden et al, 2017). Furthermore, recent work in this area highlights the significance of these independence access skills being suitably developed to enable successful transition from compulsory school education into independent adulthood (e.g., Hewett et al, 2017; Douglas et al, 2019).…”

Who would do that role? Understanding why teachers become SENCos through an ecological systems theory

“…More recently, the ecological systems theory offered by Bronfenbrenner (2005) has been used in the research of specialist teachers. This research has addressed individual factors alongside broader, contextual factors in the training of specialist teachers (McLinden, Ravenscroft, Douglas, Cobb, & Hewett, 2017a). The lens has also been used in an analysis of how the role of specialist teachers is envisaged by policy makers (McLinden, Douglas, Hewett, Cobb, & Lynch, 2017b).…”

Catering for the Specialized Needs of Students With Vision Impairment in Mainstream Classes

“…Although they may understand the 'why' of inclusive education, the majority of teachers currently in the profession have had little training in 'how' to effectively differentiate their teaching (McLinden, Douglas, Cobb, Hewett & Ravenscroft, 2017). Initial teacher education courses in Australia only recently began including subjects aimed at a broad introduction to inclusion and differentiation, and within a typical teaching period are only able to cover surface content about a wide variety of issues pertaining to cultural, linguistic, and special needs inclusion (Brown, Packer, & Passmore, 2013;Cain & Fanshawe, 2019a).…”