News
October 2009
- UNESCO General Conference and Ministerial Round Table on Education
- e-Campus
- Inspectors of the European Schools
UNESCO
Dyslexia International attended meetings at the General Conference and the Ministerial Round Table on Education from 5 – 10 October.
Under the title ‘What should education look like in 20 years time and what needs to change to get there?’, ministers and representatives from some 70 countries shared experiences, concerns and perspectives during three sessions focusing on knowledge, values and competencies, building inclusive education systems, and promoting change in policy and practice.
Themes of inclusion, quality, cooperation and the role of ICT emerged. With regard to teaching it was concluded that ‘The role of teachers has changed but research and findings in the field of learning sciences have not been sufficiently integrated into teacher training’.
Dyslexia International believes its own agenda, and especially the World Dyslexia Forum, addresses these issues and will provide significant resources to help meet some of these challenges.
e-Campus
In collaboration with a steering committee online, the Dyslexia International e-Campus will be designed and put into operation with the input of colleagues and delegates attending the Forum.
The online course will form a core component of the campus.
Recently a European ministry and an American foundation have expressed an interest in supporting this showcase of quality, free training resources – films, and learning courses for teachers. With matching funding, the Campus could offer Spanish and German language versions of the courses in addition to the existing French and English.
A draft outline of plans for e-Campus may be found here.
Online learning course introduced to school inspectors
Dyslexia International was invited to make a presentation to the Committee of 60 Inspectors of the European Schools on 6 October. The session had English, French, German and Slovenian interpretation. (Slovenia currently holds the presidency of the European Commission.)
Dr Vincent Goetry, director and writer of the Online course, gave an outline of its contents, describing its features, and inviting the Inspectors to evaluate and take up the course after its demonstration and release to education authorities at the World Dyslexia Forum.
The policy of online training was welcomed as also the need for a better understanding of learning difficulties.