4.1 Introduction
4.2.1 Training and qualifications for teaching visually impaired learners
The teachers in the study were professionally qualified teachers who possessed appropriate general teaching qualifications. I had hoped to find that the teachers had some training relating to visually impaired learners prior to or while teaching at the school. I had also hoped to explore if any such training was beneficial to the teachers’ classroom practice while teaching visually impaired learners. However, the findings revealed that the majority of the participants had had no training in special needs before they were employed as teachers at this special needs school. Previous research by Ladbrook (2009) demonstrated that when teachers had poor training in special needs, they had less confidence to teach these learners.
Moreover, research by Lawson, Norwich and Nash (2013) found that teachers who had previous practical experiences and training in special needs, understood diverse learners better and planned and taught better lessons. Only one of the participants in the study
actually held a special needs qualification. Miss Honey was in her first year of teaching at the school without any teaching experience apart from her practical teaching experience. She had received a post graduate Certificate in Education and then did her Honours in special needs teaching before she entered the classroom. During the interview, Miss Honey had the following to say about her qualifications regarding visually impaired learners:
“I did a post graduate Certificate in Education so I got eleven weeks’ teaching practice and then I did my Honours in Special Education, but I didn’t actually work in a classroom with that, so this is my first time teaching [in] special education.”
She indicated that even though she might have had training in special needs during her studies, it was mostly theory-based and she had not been exposed to any practical experiences of teaching these learners. This finding was similar to that of Coates (2012) who found that teachers felt that their qualification did not provide the actual teaching experiences for special needs education that they required. Mrs London, who was in her third year of teaching at the school, had had some experience teaching at a mainstream school before she could come into a special needs classroom. She was in possession of a Diploma in teaching. While teaching at the school, she decided to complete a special needs course at a university. However, her response in the interview showed that her qualification did not entail an in-depth study of visually impaired learners.
“I have done an Advanced Certificate in Education course through … University in special needs. That came into it.”
When she was asked if she thought the course was useful, her response indicated that it was not very helpful to her actual teaching in the classroom. Mrs London said:
“Well… look… much of what you do with visually impaired learners is common sense, as there is no training.”
It is also important to note that the longest serving teacher at the school did not have any special needs qualifications or courses before teaching at this school. Mrs Summer was in her fifth year of teaching at the school and held a Bachelor of Education degree. This indicates that the school did not require teachers to have any special needs qualification before entering the school. Teachers were simply required to possess a teaching qualification without any special needs experience. The findings also indicated that even while teaching visually impaired learners, the teachers had not received actual formal training, specifically for visually impaired learners. However, the DoE (2008) states that teachers with a general teaching qualification must receive special needs training while teaching if they have not already done so, but this was not required in Mrs Summer’s case. When asked about the training she received while teaching these learners, Mrs Summer replied:
“Well, I went to some departmental workshops for teachers. And our school sometimes has training for teachers on different topics at our school each term. But I haven’t done training specifically for visually impaired learners.”
Miss Honey’s responses further demonstrated that she also had not done any training related to visually impaired learners specifically, but that she learnt from experience. She said:
“I haven’t had any formal training; as a result I only use my gut feeling. Sometimes it works and sometimes not.”
When asked to elaborate about learning Braille, Miss Honey replied:
“Oooh!! My dear…self-taught.”
The above findings indicated that the school did not really prioritise the teaching of visually impaired learners, because the teachers had not yet had any training on the topic. This included the longest serving teacher in the study. However, the teachers felt differently about how teachers needed to be trained adequately and be prepared for teaching visually impaired learners. The participants were questioned about what training they thought would be appropriate for novice teachers. Their responses indicated that they would have enjoyed proper training on teaching visually impaired learners and special needs learners. Mrs Summer said:
“Well, I think part of teacher training should be teaching children with special needs, especially with all the hype of inclusive education….As I have mentioned, teachers with general teaching qualifications, like me for example, don’t have any knowledge of working with special needs [learners]. So things like Braille and a course prior to teaching at a school for visually impaired learners would help the teacher tremendously. Like I feel universities should provide this training in the degree for teachers willing to teach at a special school. It would make the dream of you know inclusion in schools possible because it would mean teachers have the knowledge and training before they even enter the classroom.”
Mrs Summer’s response showed that her general degree made no provision for teaching in special needs education, which is often a problem in most university courses for teachers. The teachers in the study felt that their qualifications did not allow them to obtain any practical experience of working in special needs schools. The participants also believed that their degree did not prepare them for the reality of what they faced as novice teachers in the classroom. The participants expressed their thoughts about the quality of teacher training at universities and what improvements could be made. Miss Honey was asked to reflect on whether she felt that her qualification had adequately prepared her for teaching visually impaired learners. She said:
“Not at all! I really, really don’t believe that they are. Especially doing the PGCE.
programme that doesn’t even prepare you for mainstream schooling. They basically do more theory. I believe that they should give you a wider variety and knowledge of what teaching is all about, and how to include children with special needs.”
It therefore became evident that Miss Honey felt poorly prepared for teaching after obtaining her qualification. Another participant agreed with her fellow teacher and emphasised the importance of practical experiences in special schools compared to a strictly theoretical qualification. Mrs Summer said:
“Universities should also allow students to go to special needs schools like a teaching practice so they are able like first-hand to see and experience what it would be like.”
The teachers also felt that it would be important to extend the skills and expertise from a special school to other schools where the inclusion of visually impaired learners is a possibility. They stated that staff at special schools could provide specialised training to mainstream teachers on things like Braille skills. This finding corroborated both Ladbrook (2009) and DoE (2001). Both state that special schools should share their expertise as resource centres. The teachers could also share their experiences of working with visually impaired learners with other teachers who are not aware of what it entails. When asked about support and training, one of the participants responded about promoting special schools as a resource centre for other schools. Mrs Summer commented:
“Special schools like ours could also provide training to mainstream schools on things like Braille. It’s a very valuable skill for even support staff within a school who want to help teachers with these learners. I know things like this would have helped me a lot if I could afford it.”
However, both Ladbrook (2009) and Laawen (2007) show that the goal of special schools serving as resource centres has not yet been achieved. This study corroborated their
viewpoint. When Mrs London was asked whether this special school shared its resources with other schools, she stated: “There was some talk about it”, which demonstrated that nothing concrete had been put into place yet.