Papers by PATY PALIOKOSTA
Kohlhammer eBooks, Oct 1, 2015
This chapter aims to elaborate on the way political and ideological changes impact on the develop... more This chapter aims to elaborate on the way political and ideological changes impact on the development and interpretation of policies and discourses in the context of special educational needs in England. More specifically it looks at how policies affect the ways children’s needs are addressed, especially in their transition to secondary school. The chapter focuses on issues relating to emotional and behavioural difficulties and the way inclusive provision operates for them. In this context, policy and practice will be explored in relation to changes in a special educational needs category; a recent shift in the English Special Educational Needs (SEN) policy from Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD) to Social Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (SEMHD)
In the context of my role as the Personal Tutor Scheme (PTS) Lead for the Joint Faculty of Health... more In the context of my role as the Personal Tutor Scheme (PTS) Lead for the Joint Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education (HSCE) (Kingston and St George's) since September 2019, I shifted the focus of the PTS scheme, by explicitly reinforcing aspects of the institutions’ Access and Participation Plan (APP) to staff and co-developing ways to implement on teaching and learning via personal tutoring. This works in a complementary way to the activity of my SIG on Inclusion and Social Justice. Having led aspects of the 2019 REC application, I have used relevant action planning points to promote awareness and reflection amongst staff at HSCE and interlink activity and initiatives operating across the university. The monthly themed Personal Tutoring Forums I offer featured in the Personalised Learning aspect of the TEF Task and Finish group narrative: ‘they are offered by Paty Paliokosta to support staff on inclusive approaches to personal tutoring. Inclusion auditing of the role, reasonable adjustments, diverse learning styles, supporting students with inclusive practice placements (relevant AdvanceHE Connect Network under development), resilience and mental health are some of the themes covered. Tailored work with particular staff teams is also taking place in order to address particular schools’ needs and enhance dynamic personal tutoring practices.
... Paliokosta, Panagiota (2004) Policy for addressing literacy difficulties: interpretations of ... more ... Paliokosta, Panagiota (2004) Policy for addressing literacy difficulties: interpretations of discourse and resistance with the use of comparative imagination. In: DPR (Discourse Power andResistance) Conference; 5 - 7 April 2004, Plymouth, UK. (Unpublished). ...
The development of varied discourses on inclusion/exclusion will be discussed in the context of d... more The development of varied discourses on inclusion/exclusion will be discussed in the context of data stemming from three diverse school contexts in the south-east of England that theoretically followed the same top-down government agendas. Discourses were found in practices and narratives, which were dependent on the affordances and needs of each setting. Despite the differences established in the three contexts, common elements will be discussed, such as the struggle of institutions to act outside a normalization stance and to deal with the imposition of dominant cultures, initiatives and stresses, which accompany the raising standards and accountability agenda. Data from these case studies will illustrate how seeing inclusion as a policy initiative rather than an ideology, culture, shared value and belief can make its realization a strenuous exercise. The notion of ideology will be examined through the lenses of a specific set of symbolic representations, in terms of discourses used by specific actors and agents for specific purposes (Blommaert, 2005) but also as a ‘cultural’, ideational aspect of a particular social and political system that characterises its existence, structure and historical development (Gramsci, 1971). The implications for teacher initial and professional education are posited; it is suggested that inclusion can work by removing the diagnostic paradigm and by creating a framework for teachers' lifelong learning focusing on a social justice oriented pedagogy that will empower teachers conceptually and practically.
Journal of Nursing Education
This is a success story about a boy who, for the purposes of this article, will be called Peter. ... more This is a success story about a boy who, for the purposes of this article, will be called Peter. The article discusses the development and evaluation of a Circle of Friends approach to peer support in a mainstream school, which produced significant gains for Peter and for his peers, who also proved to be very influential in promoting positive behaviour and reducing isolation
Roeper Review, 2021
Although they have the potential to excel, twice-exceptional (2e) students of mathematics do not ... more Although they have the potential to excel, twice-exceptional (2e) students of mathematics do not usually have this opportunity as their special educational abilities, and special needs, are often misdiagnosed or “missed” diagnosed in schools due to the teachers’ lack of knowledge. The study explored this issue using an electronic survey for primary school teachers in four local authorities in England. It was planned as a pilot study to gather insights from a small number of schools aiming to identify areas for further study and larger-scale research. When comparing responses from teachers with gifted-related training and those without, the study found some knowledge of specific types of 2e students among both groups of teachers, but no significant difference between them. This raised concerns about the effectiveness of the training, as well as identifying areas that need further and more systematic research.
In line with a recurring theme in literature about teachers’ positive attitudes being seen as key... more In line with a recurring theme in literature about teachers’ positive attitudes being seen as key factor to implementing inclusive education (Hegarty, 1994; Avramides and Norwich, 2002; Batsiou et al, 2008; de Boer et al, 2011), this paper is exploring another parameter in school settings that could be related to stakeholders’ attitudes in various ways, namely the notion of ‘reasonable adjustments’. This is a term primarily associated with Disability Equality and Human Rights agenda that carries potential legal, educational (systemic) as well as pedagogical discourses. Drawing on findings from a small-scale project (Paliokosta and Kindness, 2011) that investigated the discourses and practices relating to ‘reasonable adjustments’ as used and understood by different stakeholders in an inner-city mainstream primary setting, the aim is to critically discuss whether and in what ways shared values, beliefs and preparedness for inclusion in a setting are relating to the notion of reasonable adjustments. Dilemmas stemmed from an emerging interplay of legal, educational and pedagogical discourses and their prioritization in the context of inclusive practices. Discussion will take place on the relationship between given discourses and their implications on the sustainability of inclusive ethos within a multi-professional context.
Under the wider policy framework as framed primarily (amongst other documents and acts) by the Ev... more Under the wider policy framework as framed primarily (amongst other documents and acts) by the Every Child Matters agenda (DFES, 2004), the Removing Barriers to Achievement (2004) document, the Disability and Discrimination Act (DFES, 2005), Aiming High for disabled Children (2007) and the Lamb Enquiry (2009) that lead to further publications on parental confidence and involvement, the reasonable adjustments duty has become even more prominent for schools and settings in England. The reasonable adjustments duty has become statutory since 2007 and plethora of supportive material has been available to support settings on the implementation of what could be seen as a far more social orientated model of disability. This poster will communicate the findings of a qualitative, small-scale project under the umbrella of ICCIP (Institute for Child Centred Interprofessional Practice, Kingston University) that investigates those processes in action by exploring discourses and practices relating to ‘reasonable adjustments’ as used and understood by different stakeholders, front line workers (teachers, TAs), multi-agency service providers, school management teams, parents and the children themselves -for whom the adjustments have taken place. Shared values, beliefs and preparedness for inclusion verse exclusion will be explored through the above stakeholders’ voices. Method The study is in line with a qualitative interpretative research paradigm and aims a) to identify issues that will frame the research agenda, b) to explore in-depth the experiences of different stakeholders of reasonable adjustments in an inter-professional context, c) to gain a better understanding of the personal/social outcomes of these adjustments through the voice of the child. In the context of this project three primary school children from one-form entry inner-city primary school in London were selected. Each of the selected children has been part of the school’s inclusion register for an identified additional educational need or disability and their inclusion has required some kind of reasonable adjustment. One important aspect of the methodology of this project is the focus on service-user involvement and participation. Not only is one of the researchers also a service-user, but participants are invited to influence the direction of research in this and future projects, in line with the many advantages of this process outlined in the recent INVOLVE report (2009). Expected Outcomes The voices and experiences of stakeholders will inform a discussion about the need perhaps for a response along the lines of a ‘social pedagogy’ found in large parts of Western Europe and Scandinavia were education would be something much more than schools. It is based on a fundamentally holistic concept of children and adults in which the teachers concentrate on teaching but not in isolation (Whitney, 2007). Following this project, there is also scope for creating a network of stakeholders from different settings/boroughs on issues of inter-professional practice to promote positive and innovative examples of successful reasonable adjustments and their sustainability within a social model of disability. Possibilities for parent participation and possible parent forums will be explored, in line with recent government guidelines (Davies, 2010).
This is a success story about a boy who, for the purposes of this article, will be called Peter. ... more This is a success story about a boy who, for the purposes of this article, will be called Peter. The article discusses the development and evaluation of a Circle of Friends approach to peer support in a mainstream school, which produced significant gains for Peter and for his peers, who also proved to be very influential in promoting positive behaviour and reducing isolation.
International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 2019
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Papers by PATY PALIOKOSTA