Muscat – The Ministry of Education, represented by the Directorate-General of Special Education and Continuous Learning, in cooperation with the US Embassy, on Tuesday began a two-day workshop on ‘Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities’.

The workshop targeted 25 teachers from special education schools, supervisors and senior supervisors from the special education department in the ministry.

Talking about the importance and objectives of the workshop, Shannouna al Habsi, assistant director general of Special Education in MoE, said, “Within the framework of the fruitful cooperation between the government and the US Embassy in Muscat, to support the education of people with disabilities and hone the skills of workers, comes this workshop conducted by Sandra Story.”

Sandra is an American expert in education for people with special needs.

The workshop provided the participants with the knowledge and skills of ‘Universal Design for Learning’, introducing them to the practical applications of strategies for teaching people with disabilities, exchanging experiences among them, and getting acquainted with the different international models for teaching students with disabilities.

The workshop includes several topics, including methods and strategies for teaching English language to students with disabilities, activating technology in teaching these students, reviewing comprehensive education for them, and strategies for integrating social-emotional learning, diversity, and equity.

Sandra said, “We reviewed a number of concepts of learning difficulties, and we also worked to enrich these participants with strategies to support the educational process for learners with disabilities, as well as comprehensive design for learning was reviewed.”

She added that these learners with disabilities have human needs and are not necessarily special, as these strategies support the learning process for all learners of all abilities.

“The US Embassy is proud to partner with the Ministry of Education on the special needs’ workshops for educators. The joint efforts to bring a US Department of State specialist to teach this two-day programme is a sign of the strong partnership between the US and Oman,” said Cameron Tyrone, deputy chief of public affairs and acting director of the US Embassy’s Media and Cultural Affairs Department.