Inclusive education : the insider experience of two students in Malta

Abstract

We learnt a lot at school and we are continuing to learn. We can read and write and do math. Alison can use buses on her own and Isabel plans to learn how to do this in the near future. Isabel uses the computer a lot, especially to send emails and to chat.

We did not follow all the lessons with our classmates at school. Our mum arranged for us not to take the subjects that were too difficult and which we did not need so much, such as Physics, Italian, and Geography. Isabel on the other hand did not do history either. Instead of these subjects, we used to do other things that were more important for us. For these lessons we did not stay in class with our classmates. We used to go to the Resource Room with the Learning Support Assistant and we used to do extra work in different subjects, such as Maltese, or learning about money. For the math lesson, we remained in class. Isabel used to do the same work as her classmates but this was very difficult and she did not pass her exams. Alison used to do different math exercises from her classmates. It is important that teachers give work which is suitable for students who find it difficult to learn. It is not right when everyone's work is the same. For example, algebra and fractions were difficult for us, but we can do plus, minus, multiplication and division. We used to do story sums at the primary school but the ones in the secondary school were hard. Both of us can read and write in Maltese. Isabel can also read a little in English but very often she finds it difficult because there are a lot of words she does not understand. [excerpt]