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Special Ed Expert is UW-RF Visiting Prof

MARCH 24, 2005--Victoria Perselli, a professor from the School of Education at Kingston University in England, will be on campus April 3-10 as part of the College of Education and Professional Studies Visiting Professor Program.

Perselli will discuss how teachers, educators and administrators can devise research projects to respond to the diverse needs of learners, at a presentation April 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Davee Library breezeway on campus. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The recipient of a Promising Researcher Fellowship from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Perselli will spend part of her six-month fellowship to develop ideas for her new book, "Diversity and Method."

The book aims to celebrate the advances that have been made in the field of inclusive education, drawing from case studies she gathered when working as a special educational needs coordinator in mainstream infant and junior schools in England. In addition, Perselli will collaborate with COEPS Associate Dean Mary Manke to investigate how teachers and teacher educators might research their own practice in relation to enhanced participation in education, for students with disabilities for inclusion in the book.

Youth with conditions ranging from mild language or developmental difficulties from Autism Spectrum Disorders to Down Syndrome are increasingly being taught in mainstream schools. "The biggest challenge is to enable these pupils to participate in school life as purposefully as their classmates," says Perselli. "Teachers might modify their language so they are understood by children of all abilities. They should also take into account individual physical or learning requirements when planning lessons."

Perselli will use her trip to the United States to determine the best way to present her findings. "Wisconsin has a strong reputation for teacher education research," she said. "I shall be looking at methods of inquiry that help us to explore our professional practice in relation to enhanced participation for learners."

Perselli leads practitioner research method modules on Kingston's Master in Education and Doctor of Education programs. "Many of my students teach children with special needs, so I am always keen to learn from them what the latest challenges and issues are. I hope my work will positively influence their day-to-day experiences," she said.

Perselli will also present papers at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Montreal in April and to the Self-Study of the Teacher Educational Research Practices Special Interest Group of AERA.
For more information on Perselli's visit, contact Manke at 715/425-3774 or mary.p.manke@uwrf.edu.

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Last updated: Tuesday, 22-Jun-2010 16:21:21 Central Daylight Time