Initiation to the profession Psycho-pedagogy
1. The theory, aim and aimed groups of psycho-pedagogy 2. The activity and competences of the psycho-pedagogue 3. Historical background and the precedents of the training 4. The training and post-graduate training 5. Competencies and fields of the profession
Bernadett Eigner EdD deputy leader 2010
Eรถtvรถs Lorรกnd University of Science and Art, Major of Conducting and Teaching PSYCHO-PEDAGOGY PROFESSIORATE 1097 Ecseri road 3. Budapest, Hungary. tel/fax: +36-1-3585585 www.barczi.hu, pszichoped@barczi.elte.hu
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1.
THE DEFINITION OF THE PSYCHO-PEDAGOGY
The number of children and young adults who don’t achieve as good as they could and show disorders and/or disabilities in adoptation to their environment tends to grow according to local and foreign experiences. Psicho-pedagogy is an interdisciplined conductive method and activity (which uses the educational, conducting, therapical and rehabilitational experiences) for curing children, teenagers and young adults who suffered impairment of the nerve system and emotional and personal development, and even disturbance of behaviour and achievement, and hardships in adaptation due to psychic sustainment and bio-psychosocial harms, and also their family background.
The view of psycho-pedagogy Psycho-pedagogy look upon the individual as a psycholocial, biological and social unit, and tries to find and solve the problem with studying the psychologic profile of the individual while considering his achievement, abilities and functions, and the defining inside and outside conditions of these all, and creates a clinical psychopedagogic picture by the help of a holistic view. This view is based on ecological system like complex theory using: pedagogy, psychology, diagnostical procedures, social views as well and tries to approach the individual as a whole with the environment. Groups that could use this theory and method: The aimed groups are children, teenagers, young adults who suffered disturbance of behaviour and/or achievement due to false psycic development and their family. •
In early age: to prevent psychic developmental distraught, disabilities and problems in early age and help these children and their family in different institutes of early development, pedagogy services, day nurseries, early developmental centers, civil assossiations’ services, and help to percept the symptoms while X-raying, and in maternity wards, neo-natalogic, and baby and children wards.
in healthcare: the aim is to help ill, chronicly and or seriously sick children, teenagers, young adults with psychosomatic symptoms, illnesses who suffer from •
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mental and behavioral disturbances, and their families in hospitals, children wards, psychiatry ambulance or ward by giving them rehabilitation: approppriate treatment, education, therapy or developmental courses if they need.
in education: to help children with special needs in pedagogy and education, and also who have disturbance in adaptation, learn and behaviour and to support their family with the possibilities of rehabilitation, and developmental courses, therapy, service in pedagogy service, nursery schools, kindergardens, schools and methodological institutes, and pedagogic professional services. •
in social and children care: to help children, teenagers, young adults with special needs, delayed and detrimental children, teenagers, yound adults and their families in professional services, child care foundation, services of civil organisations by special courses, therapies, education, special developmental trainings, criminal prevention and re-socialisation. •
2.
ACTIVITIES AND COMPETENCIES
Main aims of psycho-pedagogy: to find and cure psychic developmental disturbances, educational problems and social-cultural disadvantages by using complex background knowledge. The symptoms of the disturbance of the development of the individual can be shown in early childhood in the form of learning and behavioral problems as symptoms. If they get professional help in time that is able to stop the progress (reversibility), and cease the symptoms or at least alleviate. In case of the lack of the professional help the symptoms remain constant and result a more serious developmental disturbance or mental state, or inadaptation or difficulties in education. Considering the following symptoms and symptom-groups it is also indicated to use psycho-pedagogic activities (A. Volentics): ● Disturbance of cognitive functions (for example: attention, disturbance in memory) ● disturbance of social development (e. g.: disturbance in ability to make commitments/relationships, express agression in an inapproppriate, not socialized way) ● vegetative group of symptoms, and disturbance of functions (e. g.: decreased ability to bear stress and responsibility/duties, impairment of sleep) ● motor impairment in functions (e. g. hyper-activity, motor impairment in coordination)
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Pedagogy, conducting backward people, psychology, diagnostic and social sciences are part of a psycho-pedagogue’s professional knowledge, and psycho-pedagogues study and integrate them into the basic information throughout the training. The up-to-date training make psycho-pedagogues possible to know the psycho-diagnostic, advicer, therapical, rehabilitational type of conductive-psychological methods, procedures in connection with the profession, and use them creatively.
The main areas of the psycho-pedagogical diagnostic and therapic activities: the individual and social realtionships cognitive functions (the implementive functions, attention, concentration, orientation, receptive and expressive speech, sense, perception, motor- and visualmotor organistion, learning and memory) • affective functions (emotions, feelings, moods, attachment, empathy, emotional intelligence, emotional disturbances) • knowledge: knowledge of the child – the range of learnt information, level of knowledge (based on understanding, copying, active speaking – reading, writing, counting, ortographical skills and general informational level) • adaptive behaviour (dependence, social relationships, adaptation, self-controll, inter-actions, play, organisation of free time) developing and identification of adaptive behaviour • •
Main skills and tools of diagnosy: exploration, anamnesis, interview, perception, screening tests and examinations, assassement of environment, status clinical psychopedagogic diagnose, expert report (expert’s opinion) and tests, professional point of view. Examinations on personality, projective procedures, psychological test for skills and abilities (even when only part of abilites), clinical psycho-diagnostic procedures, szocial test and measurements, and also pedagogic, conducting pedagogic assessement of achievement, intelligence. Therapies: primary prevention (prevention), secondary prevention (psychological intervention), terciary prevention (rehabilitation), social-therapies, pedagogical, artistic therapies, conducting pedagogical therapies and developing methods, psychopedagogical specific therapies
3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND, COLLEGE MAJOR AND COURSE
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Psycho-pedagogy becomes an independent field of conducting pedagogy. From 1973 students can choose this major and this special course prepares them to educate and conduct mentally healthy children and adults (certain percantage of the population) who suffer from different harms in personal development, and have some adaptational problems to their wider and closer environments. The definition was when the course started: the major of psycho-pedagogy prepares the hearers to conduct and educate children and teenagers with diverse (to the normal) personality structures who suffer from harms in personal development, and have neurotic and dis-social behaviours (definiton from 1973, by Mrs. Murányi) The child concept of psycho-pedagogy emphasise the respectation, understanding and saving of children. Its historical antecedents derives from the theories of humanists (Erasmus), child centered, tender and loving concept of Thomas Morus, the educational movements and theories of the pietists, and Rousseau’s view where the child is originally good, and also philantrophists’ views and practice, and the concepts of the turningpoint of the century and reform pedagogy. It can also be found mainly in Claparčde theoratical and practical works, and partly in Hungarian conducting pedagogy (O. Vértes and Kármán and Ranschburg.) The period from the turning point of the century up to the 1920s was characterised by the creation of the Hungarian psycho-pedagogy. After the fall of Tanácsköztársaság Ungarian Soviet Republic) the institute of Vértes and Kármán had been classified as „socialist-like” and it was closed. The later trials for creating the care system of the local mental higienic that was mainly carried out by János Schnell was impossible in one hand because of political reasons, and in the other hand because of material problems. After 1945 the view that since there wouldn’t be such persons like neurotic, anti-social, psychotic children and young adults in the socialist society there would be no need for this special scientific field became very popular. In this way conducting pedagogy was restricted to a much smaller part: the organic originated harms. But problems had remained especially among children in different children homes and institutes and made psycho-pedagogy bloom again. In 1969 a two year long postgraduation course started in College of Conducting and Teaching, which became an independent four year long psycho-pedagogy major in 1973. The following professionals created the major: Mrs. Illyés Gyula, Mrs. Murányi-Kovács Endre and Mrs. Gordos, Szabó Anna. The major has still had the historical backgrounds of the three ever since: dealing with all the three fields: neurotical, anti-social and psychotic developmental direction of the achievement and behavioral disturbance while taking the emphasis of its activities and methods on the development, education and caretaking.
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THE COLLEGE COURSE
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The major of psycho-pedagogic course takes place in ELTE Bárczi Gusztáv College of Conducting and Teaching at Psycho-pedagogy Professorate. Psycho-pedagogue: is a teacher of backward children and young adults those who have achievement- and behavioral disturbances. An own course started in 1973 in College of Conducting and Teaching when creating psycho-pedagogy major. Main places for their employment: boarding institutes of child and youth care, and local institutes of ambulance and prevention. (Anna Volentics) Psycho-pedagogy Professorate prepares colleagues to teach children, teenagers and young adults with disturbance of behaviour and achievement. The teachers are introduced to the causal comprehension of the disturbance of behaviour and achievement, the symptoms of the disability to adoptation, the marks of this disability, the question of reversibility, how they can apprehend the inability for adaptation as a progress, also how to create a diagnosis and a suitable program, use the method and procedure of the therapy to gain development in this field, plus, how to handle, improve/correct the disturbance of behaviour and achievement.
BASIC COURSE The name of the basic course is: pedagogy of conducting. The certificate and this basic pedagogy major: base level (it is written in the certificate as baccalaureus, bachelor, in short: BA), the professional degree is Conductor (teacher of backward children) at the major of conducting, in the field of psycho-pedagogy. In English as a long form: Teacher of Persons with Disability(ies) Specialized in Education of Persons with Behavioral Difficulties. Those professionals who got this degree have the approppriate skills that is required to this scientific field such as communication, social and creative abilities and cooperation, responsibility, ability to make relationships, and self-knowledge. Teachers in major psycho-pedagogy are able to and suitable to: • discover the disturbance of adaption and achievement and/or behaviour diagnose them, create plan to gain development, and make this plan happen while co-operating with those who are partner sin education and care (individuals and institutes as well) • teach and educate and take care of children, teenagers, young adults and adults with inadaptive personal disturbances and/or who are difficult to educate, help to make effective socialisation can happen in institutes of health care, and social and early development and education.
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analise anamnestic fact and assesse the reasons and symptoms of the disturbance in behaviour to cease or soothe the symptoms and suggest developmental treats and courses.
The main subject-matter (the most important subjects of this profession) basic training/education: 50-60 credits: general acknowledgement, basic acknowledgement in how-to-teach persons with disabilities and behavioral difficulties professional subject-matter: 150-180 credits, and out of this: a) professional modul: 50-60 credits: the theoretical acknowledgement of the profession and the types of the disabilities and harms – in all the fields b) professional modul in different fields: 60-70 credits (differentiated) special domain/field of the major psycho-pedagogy: special knowledge attaching to the major psycho-pedagogy: professional basic knowledge: clinical history of the disturbance of behaviour, psychology, psychodiagnosis of inadaptive persons, history of the psycho-pedagogy, initation to psychopedagogy, basic knowledge of child care and child law; special knowledge of the professional field: the reasons and comprehensions of the disturbance of behaviour; the rapport and elucidation of the harm and the symptom combinations; the relation between deviancy and disturbance of behaviour; the help service systems, the method and the institutional system of the re-socializational care; to help and develop backward children and young adults with or without a family background, the therapy and the questions of how a neurotical and an anti-social personality develops, the problematic of the psychotic development; how to treat population of disturbed behaviour and disturbed personal development, and how locally these problems could be solved by method and practically. These subjects are the following: therapy attaching to a special field of the profession 1-4, psycho-pedagogy, education and development 1-4, educational advising, socialpedagogy, knowledge of social-politics and social work, prevention and early development, dance and motion therapy, romology, integrative play therapy, didactic games/plays, how to handle conlflicts, correction of a self-picture (self-reflection), how to treat drinking, drug-using etc. problems.
c) outdoor professional practise: 50-60 credits (out of that 30 credits are for comprehensive professional practise)
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SPECIAL TRAIN FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES – THE MAJOR OF MASTER COURSE • • •
Master course certificate: magister, master; in short: MA,course: certificate teacher of backward children (conductor) (MA in Special Education) alternative majors, major of therapy for persons with disabilities (MA in Special Education Therapy); major of social integration/inclusion of persons with disabilities (MA in Special Education (Social Inclusion)
Post-graduation – other options: Other courses to study more: PhD course at Neveléstudományi Doktori Iskola (College of Education for PhDs) – partly here at Special training of PhD Program for persons with disabilities (conducting), partly at other universities, which have phd programs. There are different courses and special trainings for different professional fields to go on with studies. 5.
COMPETENCIES, PROFESSIONAL FIELDS
Responsibility, activities, views and attitudes, knowledge and abilities.
Main competencies: applicable diagnostic and therapical treatments in psycho-pedagogy plans for spare time programs, and the organisation of these programs trainings for communicational development, necessary knowledge to this training, training in practise • communication ability to get in touch with partners in school and institutes, and to help them to get in touch with each other as well • knowledge of non-profit management • the ability to compile, analyse, assess documents of pedagogy-psychologyeducation of persons with disability • reports of the certain case and environment, analyses and problem solving techniques • the creation of professional advisory opinion of psycho-pedagogy • plans for preventive and interventive programs, trainings and making them happen • • •
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taking care of children with special needs and trainings and rehabilitation for
them complex caretaking for children with integrational, behavorial, learning disturbances • taking care of backward children with special needs • making groups for children with different abilities, assigning them into a group according to the same abilities, and educate them properly, developing their abilities in an up-to-date, approppriate way, and compensate, and correct and approve their present abilities, enstrengthen their present abilities • supporting psycho-pedagogic, special pedagogic (pedagogy for persons with disabilities) innovations, projects, developments; and operationing and ruling processes • co-operation and organisation of activities, team activity, how to recognise the features of a certain organisational culture (set and/or codes of rules), and how to handle it. •
The major of psycho-pedagogy has been very popular ever since the training existed. While psycho-pedagogy training hearers can have wide range of knowledge about the human nature and behaviour, and about normal/typical and not typical development, personal development and even the disturbance of personal development. They study up-to-date views and complex methods, and „equipments and tools” based on interdisciplinar knowledge. The activity of the psycho-pedagogue can found an approach in every field, organisation and institute where education, training, developing, health caring, re-socialisation, correction, curing and rehabilitational activities are going on and meanwhile professionals use human interventional techniques in their work. Since a psycho-pedagogue is prepared and suitable to do standard or target-programlike adaptational, working, ability and behavioural analyesing exams and assessments, and is able to apply up-to-date theraies and developing skills and techniques if atypical development. Therefore this professional field is quite popular.
Psycho-pedagogy major can give certificate for different range of fields of this profession: The major prepares hearers to treat, and develop special symptoms of students with learning problems (Deterioration of achievement, disturbance of reading, counting, writing and other mental skills – like attention, memory, concentration, motivation for learning, and the weakness of general thinking, and hardships of learning techniques), and they could develop these students (field of public education). • The major prepares students to deal with child care locally and in school (in a wider range) so the expert is skilled to recognise/identify and take care of children and families at risk (fields of social and child care). • The major prepares students to identify, prevent and treat behavioral disturbances, to soothe symptoms (agression, stress, anxiety, emotinally not stable, not matured, disturbance of relations), (clinical, health care, civil field). •
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The experts who studied this major have high quality professional and special knowledge at this field. They are able to help the socialisation of inadoptive children and young adults who are difficult to educate, and they are also able to recognise behavioural, adaptational and achivement disturbances, and also they could decrease these problems in public education and other institutes of education (e.g.: nursery schools, day nurseries, hospitals, clinics, healthcare institutes, children psychiatry wards, neuro-psychiatry district hospitals, boarding institutes specialised on injures, educational establishments, reformatory schools, children well care special services, children and youth hostels, advisory net for step parents, children’s homes, social institutes, rehabilitational trainings, play groups and different centers.)
Psycho-pedagogues with degree mainly work in different various positions: like teacher of backward children, psycho-pedagogues, pedagouges of developing courses, psychology advisor, family take care and other social workers and professionals.
This special major enables teachers to educate all the subjects of all fields in grade 1-6 in primary schools for inadaptive students and students who are difficult to educate except foreign languages. They could also organise special programs for higher classes as well as lower classes, for example spare time actitivities, preparational courses for hostel life, and healthy life style. Teachers of therapy specialisation could develop students in integrated schools and kindergardens and help their learning abilities, and they are able to do advisory work, early developing trainings. They were prepared for that types of work at special professional conducting service. The new, homogen education makes all the students have the knowledge of the teacher and the therapist as well. Psycho-pedagogues with degree work in main fields usually in teams with other competent experts like doctors, nurses, psychologist, social workers and other professionals of other similar fields.
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