Ever since the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education was issued by UNESCO in 1994, there has been a continuous debate about how to include students with special needs (SSN) in mainstream education. Unfortunately, however, there has been little discussion of inclusion in the foreign language classroom. In Denmark the aim was – and is - to include more than 90% of SSN students. Today the tendency is – sadly – to return the students to special classes or schools. Many teachers claim that the failure of inclusion is due to lack of resources when moving students from special to 'normal' schools. To some extent they may be right when the focus is on specific needs for specific disabilities. However, when it comes to including dyslexic students or students with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) – two of the biggest groups with special needs in Denmark (2022) – there is evidence that the pedagogy and principles that govern autonomous language learning support effective inclusion (Little, Dam & Legenhausen 2017).
This paper will show how it is possible to successfully include a severely dyslexic student and a boy with ADHD in a 'normal' mixed-ability classroom setting (Dam 2021). The data derives from the students' first three years learning English, from 11 to 14, and consists of excerpts from the students' logbooks, their answers to questions focusing on social aspects of learning, their preferred activities, and self-assessments. Use is also made of teacher's notes and comments as well as assessments and comments from peers.
References:
Dam, L. (2021) Lerner Autonomie 3: Von der Theorie zur Unterrichtspraxis. Askeladden.
Little, D., Dam, L. & Legenhausen, L. (2017). Language Learner Autonomy – Theory, Practice and Research. Multilingual Matters.
UNESCO (1994) The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. UNESCO.
Bibliography:
Leni Dam has been involved in the development of learner autonomy since 1973 – in her role as a teacher at secondary level in Denmark and in her role as educational adviser at the University College of Copenhagen. Together with Lienhard Legenhausen, Germany, she has researched the linguistic development of learners in autonomous language learning settings. She has written extensively on matters related to learner autonomy, such as differentiation, evaluation, teacher roles and learner roles. Her book from 1995 (reprinted in 1998, 2004, 2014) "Learner autonomy: From Theory to Classroom Practice" is still used in pre- and in-service teacher education and was in 2021 translated into German. From 1993 till !999 she held office as the Co-Convenor of the Scientific Commission of Learner Autonomy in AILA together with Sara Cotterall and in 2001 she edited AILA Review 15: Learner autonomy: new insights. In 2004, she received an honorary PhD in pedagogy from Karlstad University, Sweden. In the years 2008-2016 she was Joint Coordinator of the IATEFL Learner Autonomy Special Interest Group. She continues to be actively involved in spreading the word about learner autonomy via workshops, talks, and publications in as well as outside Denmark.
