Secondary School Teacher Training in Special Education

The program Teaching Special Education for Primary Schools and Secondary Schools (minor, major) prepares teachers for teaching pupils with special educational needs in primary and secondary schools (for both – mainstream and special schools). The program is implemented in the forms of full time attendance and combined studies.

“The program Teaching Special Education for Primary and Secondary Schools prepares teachers for qualified teaching pupils with special educational needs.”

The content of the study is a course of field didactics with the additional complementary disciplines. The program Teaching Special Education for Primary and Secondary Schools is internally divided into compulsory subjects in variable disciplines of special needs pedagogy (Teaching pupils with special educational needs I – Education of pupils with disordered communication abilities and specific learning difficulties; Teaching pupils with special educational needs II – Education of pupils with behavioural problems and Intellectual Disability; Teaching pupils with special educational needs II – Education of pupils with Hearing Physical and Visual Disability.

The program is directly related to the bachelor's study program Special Education Focused on the Education (containing major and minor).

An equal part of the study are the pedagogical and psychological subjects that give the theoretical basis of the didactics of the subject with interconnection with the teacher's professional practice at the primary and secondary schools.

Through studying for the Master’s degree graduates gain the necessary competences that allow them to critically apply the use of their pedagogical, special educational and psychological knowledge in practice as a teacher at a primary or secondary school. Graduates are fully qualified to pursue the profession of a teacher in mainstream and special schools. They are ready to base their professional conduct on well-structured knowledge and skills from their fields of approbation (content knowledge) and special educational competencies. The effectiveness of their professional conduct is conditioned by their subject-didactic (pedagogical content knowledge) and broader pedagogical and psychological knowledge and special pedagogy knowledge and skills (knowledge of the broader background of education, knowledge of educational practices, knowledge about people involved in education, etc.).

The degree develops students’ analytical and comparative skills, which enable them to understand the diverse pedagogical reality and to use subject-specific, pedagogical, and psychological publications in their work for planning, implementing and reflecting on educational activities. They develop communication skills important for communication and collaboration with pupils/clients, colleagues in the workplace, with parents of pupils/clients and with practitioners. An important benefit of the degree is the development of self-reflective skills that provide space for the development of attitudes towards one another, to educated individuals and to the profession: perception of the responsibility of the teaching profession, the acceptance of the moral obligations of a helping profession and its ethics.

The studies emphasise the principle of interdisciplinarity (interconnection of some pedagogical and psychological subjects) and the principle of sequence and gradation of themes and courses, from the more general to the more specific. The concept is also characterized by the interdependence of theory and practice. An important part of the concept is the reflective teaching practice. The principles of reflection on teaching practice and self-reflection are related both to practice and to other experience-oriented subjects. An important part of the concept is also the promotion of inclusion, which is perceived as a cross-curricular theme (also supported by a separate course).

Practical training

The obligatory part of this master's study program is a teaching practice (1, 2, 3) for 7 credits.

The department provides students with the workplaces it has been cooperating with for a long time. The students can obtain the practice there.

The aim of the practice is special educational work within the chosen specialization under the supervision of the teacher in schools and school facilities. The students will master his/her theoretical knowledge in practice. Student teach 15 lessons and learn to create the individual educational plan. Student records his/her special educational activities and will create the portfolio.

The teaching practice is conceived as a coherent and gradated system with an emphasis on interconnection with theory and reflection and self-reflection of the student as a teacher – teacher working with pupils with SEN.

The aim of the teaching practice is to acquire the professional competences necessary in the daily work of the teacher – special needs teacher, to become acquainted with the roles which the teacher enters into in their work, to realize their own professional needs and to gradually take responsibility for the planning, implementation and evaluation of lessons. Throughout the teaching practice, students get a real idea of what a teacher's everyday work involves.

The teaching practice forms a coherent system of consecutive subjects. In the follow-up master's programmes, these are the subjects Teaching Practice 1 (1st semester), Teaching Practice 2 (2nd semester) and Teaching Practice 3 (3rd semester). In total, this makes up 280 hours (double-subject programme), followed by Seminar on Teaching Practice. Students enrol in the Seminar on Teaching Practice 1 twice during their studies (in the first and second semesters). The aim of the reflection is to provide students with a space for sharing and reflecting on experiences from their own teaching practice and helping them to deepen their reflective and self-reflective skills.

The system of teaching practice is regularly evaluated both through open and closed questions, both by students and the mentor teachers. The reflective seminars are also evaluated.

Readiness for the Profession and the Professional Adaptability to the Conditions and Requirements of the Practice:

• The students obtain the competences for teaching students with SEN at secondary schools according to the requirements of the Act No. 563/2004 Coll., On Teaching Staff and its Amendment No. 379/2015 Coll.
• knowledge and skills within the field special education, the educational and communication knowledge, skills and techniques,
• adaptability and retraining ability for professions in the field - special education, in educational activities, in state administration and management.

Possible Professions and Institutions after Studies

Teachers - special needs teachers in mainstream and special schools in primary and secondary schools. Due to the generality and combination of the wide range of fields, the students have the prerequisites for working in a number of professions, e.g. in state administration, corporate management etc.

No information available

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

Follow-up master's study program Special Education

4-year doctoral study program Special Education