Why differences are never any obstacle for children
Pupils with learning difficulties meet students from mainstream schools
Zakk rocks with excitement as one of his teachers shows visiting students the computer software that forms part of his teaching routine. Behind him, his twin Liam is waiting eagerly for the storytelling session to begin.
Children who have never met a disabled peer learn that they could still play and learn together
When the learning support assistant introduces the main protagonists of the story called Il-Qtates ta’ Ġannina, all the visiting pupils want to chip in and show Liam and his fellow classmates what cats feel like and what their food smells of.
Zakk and Liam are two of the pupils with complex needs at the San Miguel Primary Education Resource Centre in Pembroke.
Every Thursday, the 21 students with profound and multiple learning difficulties at the centre meet schoolchildren from mainstream schools.
Through interactive sessions at the centre, children who have never met a disabled peer learn that, although people are different, they could still play and learn together, the principal, Josephine Mamo, told Times of Malta.
Before the pupils are introduced to each other, every Thursday morning learning support assistants inform the visitors that San Miguel Centre hosts children who explore their surroundings and communicate through their senses.
“This introductory session is important to avoid panic and fear that might prevent visiting students from interacting with the children at the centre,” former inclusion coordinator at state schools, Ms Mamo, explained.
They then participate in three different sessions: story-telling through pre-recorded music, a sensory circuit where they learn how students make sense of the world around them through their senses, and interactive storytelling.
It all started three years ago when Ms Mamo was holding lectures for kindergarten assistants about the centre’s teaching methods. Since some of them had students with complex needs in their classrooms, she invited them over to her school. The events have since then been extended to primary schools, and every week a couple of classes join the students at the San Miguel Centre during their daily activities.
She believes this experience is positive both for her students and the visiting schoolchildren.
Behind her, children giggle and play together as if they have known each other for a long time.
Those who cannot pronounce their name present their peers with a switch, which when pressed, activates an electronic voice with their name.
Apart from interactive and multisensory activities, some San Miguel Centre pupils also learn basic skills like choice-making and turn-taking through computer software, while others are taught basic numeracy and literacy skills.