Social educators’ experiences of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on services provided to students in compulsory schools

• Main Authors: Rauterberg, Ruth Jörgensdóttir, Sverrisdóttir, Anna Björk
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2021
• Subjects: COVID-19; social educators; inclusion; inclusive education; social participation; support; þroskaþjálfar; menntun fyrir alla; skóli án aðgreiningar; félagsleg þátttaka; stuðningur; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3324

At the end of February 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached Icelandic shores and had severe consequences for society and daily life, as all around the world. In mid-March 2020, for the first time in the history of the Icelandic republic, an assembly ban was imposed, which also affected all levels of the educational system. All over Iceland, daily school routines changed, teaching in school buildings was limited and some schools were closed. Almost overnight, education and teaching became mostly remote, which meant that students, parents, and teachers had to quickly adjust to different ways of learning, teaching and communication. These events affected every student and teacher in Iceland. This article will focus on how these changes affected services provided to students with various and complex support needs concerning learning and social interaction.Inclusive education is the official school policy in Iceland. The policy promotes full participation of all students and implies that every student should receive support and accommodation on an equal basis with other students. The idea of inclusion is based on social approaches to disability and diversity. Attention is drawn to the environment and to the needs for social change. Disability is seen as part of human diversity and the focus is on overcoming barriers and identifying opportunities for participation for all. Participation and belonging are core concepts of inclusion. School plays an important role in the lives of children and provides meaningful space for social interaction, socialization, relationship building and self-development. Thus, it is essential that children experience belonging to the school community. Still there are children that experience marginalization, academically or socially, and research has shown that the social aspects of school are a much greater concern to children than academic success.Social educators are professionals working in a variety of community settings with the professional responsibility to support full participation, ...