Proceedings of the 7th World Conference on Future of Education
Year: 2023
DOI:
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Links between Neuroscience, Inclusive Education and Pedagogical Accessibility: Teaching Praxis for the Neurodivergent to Overcome Barriers to Education
Stela Maria Fernandes Marques, Scarlett Horrara Alves Fernandes
ABSTRACT:
This study investigated the impact of barriers to Education on primary school pupils with Special Educational Needs, which are related to school failure, age-grade distortion, or can be attitudinal, communicational, architectural, methodological, pragmatic or instrumental barriers. We conducted a qualitative study with an interpretative approach with two public school Principals and 31 teachers and inclusion teaching assistants. We aimed to identify and understand the barriers faced by neurodivergent pupils and to ascertain how barriers can be removed to promote equity and quality education for all, based on neuroscientific knowledge. There is a general understanding on the subject, nonetheless, we are far from equity within Brazilian schools. We learned more about barriers, whilst shedding light on the current situation in public and private schools in Belo Horizonte. We explored the implications of these findings for teacher education and pondered on barriers blocking the development of SEN pupils. The study contributes to the Education field, but the small number of participants was limiting. This research advances our understanding of barriers and provides valuable insights for the ongoing pursuit of barrier- free schools for all pupils, based on various fields of knowledge, ultimately serving as a foundation for future research endeavors.
keywords: Neurotypical, Neurodivergent, Barriers to Education, Special Educational Needs, Equity. Neurosciences