Curriculum for support teacher's training into a European perspective

To define in a unique way the support teacher's identikit at a European level is not simple, also because the role and training of the specialized teacher are affected by different educational and formative systems with reference to special education and problems of inclusion.

If we consider the final purpose of this professional figure, the support teacher is configured like a teacher with competences to intervene with SEN's students[ii] and he is an expert in inclusive educational processes (d’Alonzo, 2006).

From a comparison of European States, it appears that this function is accomplished “mainly in indirect ways through the professional job made in collaboration with ordinary teaches” (European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 2003).

Among the different variables that would be taken into consideration, in an attempt to obtain a curriculum for the specialized teacher at a European level, the following plays a decisive role:

• who supplies support: in the relation of the European Agency for the development in the context of special education needs comes out a clear distinction between those Countries where the support is assigned to a specialized teacher who is in the permanent staff of the school and other ones in which support is given by a specialized professional recruited outside the school institution; we refer particularly to the Countries in which are present the so-called Special Schools like in Germany where the support structures of the education of disables are endowed with a proper Staff (Formizzi, 2007);
• to whom is supplied support: the logic with which support is assigned is not the same in all European Countries. The support in most European Countries is principally given for the students named “special” or with “disability” (e.g. in Italy). In the Countries where this doesn’t occur, the logic is conceived to support the ordinary teachers’ job and/or for the inclusive process (e.g. in England);
• where support happens: for what concerns the job with student, the support is put in practice always in school (ordinary or special), with much flexibility that depends on student's need;
• which are the typologies of support: we can identify four support typologies: preventive measure, information ( about materials, learning difficulties, know-how), differentiation of school programs (adaptation, repeating teaching), improving school (exchanges, sharing of responsibilities, formation);
• which are the methods of support: we can consider three general ways: giving information (general and specific), taking part in the action, modifying school system.

The comparison among European Countries makes it evident that there are different forms and/or modalities of support:

• support for students: it can be direct or indirect; it depends whether the support's job is directly for the student or in the classroom context;
• support for classroom or school: it can be internal or external, according to whether teachers make lessons inside school or classroom, or outside the school or classroom (because not in all States an inclusive system at 360° is yet applied);
• long term or temporary support: according to the student's needs (this depends particularly on different laws about job, study legislation and support teachers’ enlistment);
• permanent or optional support: the support can be permanent in school institutions or not (it depends on the system logic of the services to the person and on different welfare laws);
• formal or informal support: this is according to which support could be or not be the result of formal agreements between school and social service (also in this case the reference is to the different systems of welfare and different school laws about study's legislation and enlistment of support teachers).

As we can see, from the consideration of the variables which are used in the support activities and from the forms of support we can carry out a comparative analysis of different systems of European teacher education course, from which stand out two principal characteristics to qualify the training courses of support teachers: “integrative support” and “for succession”.

The denomination “for succession” is reported for only one type of structural organization of training courses: first we assume the disciplinary culture, then professional culture (pedagogy and psychology, apprenticeship, school Laws, etc.). In the formation for succession is involved the supplementary training for support teacher (Italian model).

The denomination “integrated” is referred to these two types of integrated structure:

• integration between general-disciplinary culture and pedagogical and professional culture for teachers. Professional integration, but not specialized.
• integration between general-disciplinary culture and general pedagogical culture on one side, and special pedagogy on the other side (as in Spain with the Spanish degree, pedagogical Academy in Austria, special diploma of 3 or 5 years in Poland). Professional integration and specialization.

According to the different considered countries, where the training for support teacher is compulsory or instead accessory it considerably changes. It can consist of one year of further specific training about disability, leading to a diploma or a specialization in a particular type of disability (for example problems about deafness or blindness). About the in-service training, this is closely dependent on needs which appear during the intervention, and is connected with the interests expressed by teachers.

The management and the assignment of formative in-service sessions is one of the means that are more frequently adopted and more useful for ordinary teachers who work with SEN students. Moreover, in some countries, the organization methods of in-service training is extremely decentralized (directed and organized by schools). On the contrary in others countries, a much more highly centralized approach emerges according to national programs.

Both types show positive aspects: the former is necessary for teacher's needs, the latter assures rather a whole and fair access for all teachers. Nevertheless, both seem to allow the same risks, especially in relation to quality control.

From the above-mentioned comparative analysis the important international documents of 2009, a team of pedagogues and experts in special didactics comprising university teachers at different levels and European and Italian researchers presented in a conference held at Venice[iii], a plan for the support teacher training in a European prospect or rather a second level European Master that can be entered after taking the degree which entitles the profession of teachers in the different countries. In the documents presented at the Venice conference[iv], the following skills should be learnt and mastered by the support trained teachers after achieving the second level degree.