A digital tool for deploying best practices and promoting inclusive education

Abstract

Parents of children with cognitive disabilities and professionals from specialized institutions both face a lack of adapted educative tools for these children. Dealing with this situation, one parent has set up a collaborative project to create digital tools based on the latest advances of the scientific research. Recent studies have shown the appetite of these children for digital supports, with increased motivation and attention with tablet support compared to classic support. Starting from this observation, a team of ABA psychologists, speech therapists, teachers and IT engineers has designed a multidisciplinary tool, which has been tested by parents and professionals from specialized institutions. We will present two projects, one that took place in institutions, the other that took place in schools. These two projects aimed to assess how digital tools can be used for deploying the best practices and promoting inclusive education, in line with scientific research. LearnEnjoy proposed a pilot project between October 2013 and October 2014 in connection with 22 specialized institutions and volunteer families. This experimentation showed that tablets and the LearnEnjoy educational applications create a dynamic in professional teams, between parents and professionals, and between professionals and service users. This device provides additional structuring of work and facilitates the transmission of information. It also helps to spread the culture of evaluation within specialized institutions. LearnEnjoy also worked in collaboration with the French Education Ministry for the project Educare. This project aimed to support the inclusive school and individual monitoring, through regular monitoring of student progress and the establishment of an adapted school report book respectful of the National Education program. This project took place in 13 structures, ordinary and specialized classes. This experimentation showed that LearnEnjoy educational applications are beneficial for both students and teachers and create a positive dynamic in the classroom.