Transition project in Estonia (2000-2003) and Lithuania (2003-2004)

Toteutusaika:	02.01.2003 - 31.12.2006
Yksikkö:	Ammatillinen opettajakorkeakoulu

Tiivistelmä:

Nordic Council of Ministers launched an umbrella project 'A school for all' to promote inclusive education within all three Baltic Countries in 1999-2004. It included nine sub-projects; one major and two minor projects in each country. Under this umbrella project Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences implemented two subprojects, called Transition as the Estonian major project and
Lithuanian minor project.

The main aim of the Transition subprojects was to promote inclusive education in Estonia and Lithuania so that students with special educational needs would be able to join ordinary comprehensive schools and to be followed with education in ordinary vocational schools and further to have the possibility to enter labour market.

The starting point within Transition project and through the in-service training programme provided within it was to train teachers to work with learners with learning difficulties and first and foremost with their transitions. However, it was not considered to be simply training in special educational needs (SEN) but a strong focus of the training was upon providing every teacher with an understanding of more overall questions of learning and teaching in their current practice.

In their developmental tasks the teachers for example improved their pedagogical skills in guiding students with SEN, developed networks between basic and vocational schools for promoting transitions, implemented real transitions through working with real students, found cooperative partners from working life to guarantee student transitions to working life and to give information for working life representatives to support positive change of attitudes and built networks between students, parents, teachers in basic and vocational schools and working life representatives.