Alex Kockhans, Director of the Centre for the Development of Learning Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (CDA) and Sonja Ugen, Research Scientist and Head of Diagnostic Projects at the Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing (LUCET) of the University of Luxembourg, handed over the reference guide Lernstörungen im multilingualen Kontext: Diagnose und Hilfestellungen to Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth, on 18 January 2021.
Alex Kockhans, Director of the Centre for the Development of Learning Grand Duchess Maria Teresa (CDA) and Sonja Ugen, Research Scientist and Head of Diagnostic Projects at the Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing (LUCET) of the University of Luxembourg, handed over the reference guide Lernstörungen im multilingualen Kontext: Diagnose und Hilfestellungen to Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth, on 18 January 2021.
Presentation to the general public
On Tuesday, 26 January 2021 at 2 p.m., the manual will be presented to the general public via the Ministry's Youtube channel. Educational and psycho-social professionals will be able to register via the website of the Institut de formation de l'éducation nationale (IFEN).
Following the presentation, copies of the handbook will be distributed to the regional directorates of fundamental education and to teachers specialising in the education of pupils with special educational needs (I-EBS). It will also be available in digital version on the Melusina Press website. Anyone interested will also be able to order the printed version (Print on Demand).
Which tool should be used to establish the diagnosis?
How is a learning disability diagnosed in Luxembourg's fundamental education system? Which diagnostic tool is best suited? In order to answer these questions, it was first necessary to carry out a study of the current situation. To this end, the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth and the University of Luxembourg signed a first collaboration agreement in August 2018. The aim was to draw up an inventory of diagnostic tools, or even standardised tests, currently used by professionals in the educational and psycho-social field in fundamental education areas.
The reference guide Lernstörungen im multilingualen Kontext: Diagnose und Hilfestellungen is the result of a study based on questionnaires and qualitative interviews carried out in collaboration with members of the special needs support teams (ESEB) in basic education and teachers specialising in the education of pupils with special needs (I-EBS).
It consists of three theoretical chapters on reading, writing and arithmetic disorders and four practical chapters: a study on the diagnosis of learning disabilities in Luxembourg and chapters on teaching aid measures, case studies and a catalogue of ideas for the introduction of adaptations.
The multilingual context of Luxembourg makes the diagnosis of learning disabilities particularly complex and difficult. Having guidelines can therefore considerably simplify the daily life of professionals in the educational and psycho-social field.
Continuous training to deepen the subject
The offer will be supplemented by continuous training, during which certain topics in the manual will be discussed in more detail. The trainings and peer groupings will be carried out in collaboration with the Institut de formation de l'éducation nationale (IFEN).
Following this first collaborative project, a second agreement was recently signed. The development, adaptation and validation of standardised tests for the diagnosis of specific learDès la fin de 2020 ont été entamés le développement, l’adaptation et la validation de tests standardisés pour le diagnostic des troubles spécifiques des apprentissages adaptés au contexte luxembourgeois.ning disorders adapted to the Luxembourg context began at the end of 2020.
Useful links:
- http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKAOqIOsNoWLPXtu2024wnQ
- https://cc-cda.lu/
- https://wwwen.uni.lu/research/fhse/lucet/
- http://www.melusinapress.lu/
- https://ssl.education.lu/ifen/formation-continue
Press release by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth