Erasmus+ program, KA220-SCH – Cooperation partnerships in school education
Empowering primary school teacher to include pupils with special education needs into physical education classes using digital tools
No. 2021-1-LT01-KA220-SCH-000030378
The main goal of our project is to empower primary school teacher to include pupils with special education needs into physical education classes assisted by digital tools. The main objectives of the project are: 1. To identify teachers ITC and inclusive class creation competences and their perceived self-efficacy in this area. 2. To create digitalized content for primary school teachers to work in inclusive PE classes. 3. To empower teachers to use digital platform by providing an assistance and support.
The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed everyday life, posed a lot of challenges for schools. Last spring, in a few weeks, schools had to move from regular to distance learning. After the transition to distance learning, most schools faced a serious problem – the lack of digital education materials and teachers without much digital competency. The primary school teachers face with one more challenge to find new ways and methods to sustain physical activity of children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). Studies shows that primary school teachers still need support in curriculum design and practice provision on how to integrate students with SEND into general PE classes. Some research already has already been carried out to investigate how teachers utilised digital technologies in everyday teaching activities and it appears that using digital technologies was inert, depending on teacher, and physical education were left on students and parents’ responsibility. This project focus is on primary school teachers as majority have little or no knowledge about including pupils with SEND into their physical education class in what is known as adapted physical education (APE). It is at this age whereby pupils develop basic psychomotor competencies, physical literacy and other tools for lifelong physical activity, and it is especially important for pupils with SEND to develop these skills at this age too. This project outcomes will help teachers to get key competencies in APE and will strengthen the digital competencies. The project will provide digital learning and teaching content, educational support and will encourage to teachers to develop creativity. In summary, this project is focused to three closely related main topics: 1) the digital competences of primary school teachers; 2) physical education class in primary schools; and 3) inclusion of primary school pupils with SEND in physical education.
