Exploring the Experiential Learning of Special Educational Needs Coordinators

Abstract

With a view to developing support for university accreditation, this small–scale study assisted 18 special educational needs coordinators (SENCos) to identify significant learning at work and consider possibilities for accredited learning projects. Participants wrote and shared narratives of critical learning incidents, assessed the contribution of a range of learning influences and identified five role variations with corresponding priorities, preferences and opportunities for structured learning. SENCos with management status and curriculum development roles suggested a greater range of potential learning projects, and were more confident of the involvement of others than those with heavy teaching and support roles who preferred topics in which their own action tended to be a focus for research and development. The author argues that, for too many SENCos, their experiential learning remains confined within selective school functions, rather than part of a planned exposure to school leadership in all its forms. Advancing their use of APEL arrangements will continue to require extensive university support and understanding.