Seminars

Dialogue on inclusive education

Seminar Initiative

T.I.E.S organized the seminar "Dialogue around Inclusive Education", which was held on May 15, 22 and 29, 2021 online. It was addressed to researchers, professionals and (institutional) decision makers interested in the issue of inclusive education in Lebanon and was an opportunity to share knowledge, know-how and soft skills on this topic with the aim of developing an "Inclusive education development kit" specific to the Lebanese context. This event was an opportunity to ponder the key concepts of inclusive education, the diversity of structures and practices supporting it, their accessibility, as well as the role and place of parents in this dynamic. These issues were addressed from the perspective of the professionalization of the organization of cooperation and negotiations.

Our Story

The seminar "Dialogue on Inclusive Education" was the result of a partnership between T.I.E.S and researchers from seven international research laboratories, Lebanese researchers, practitioners and parents.

The scientific design of the seminar is based on the general philosophy implemented by ICARE, laboratory in October 2018 within the framework of their second international conference "Towards an inclusive society", in the islands of Reunion and Mayotte (France). This approach brings together experience and conceptualization to support the transformation of practices.

Seminar organization

The organization and implementation of the seminar addressed three themes:

Theme 1: From Concepts to Practices, Reflection on the structures needed to support inclusive education
Theme 2: The role and place of parents in an inclusive dynamic, throughout the child's school years
Theme 3: Professionalization the interprofessional situations

Seminar objectives

The objectives of the workshops:

to build a common culture;
to create a mobilizing horizon (Mazereau, 2015);
to help the teams to think as a collective;
to plan a project with an inclusive aim;
to develop an "Inclusive education development kit”.

Speakers

Seminar held by

Michèle Kosremelli Asmar, MHA, PhD, President of Include (Lebanon), Director of the Higher Institute of Public health, Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut (Lebanon)
Xavier Conus, PhD, Professor, University of Fribourg (Switzerland)
Basma Frangieh, PhD, President and Cofounder of T.I.E.S (Lebanon)
Shaza Ismail, Director of the Inclusive Program at Al-Mabarrat Association (Lebanon)
Nidal Jouni, Early Childhood Program Coordinator, University of Science and Arts (Lebanon)
Jean-Claude Kalubi, PhD, Professor, University of Sherbrooke (Canada)
Ghia Khoury, Head of an Inclusive School, The Orthodox College of the Annunciation of Beirut (Lebanon)
Corinne Mérini, PhD, Associate Researcher, Laboratoire ACTé Clermont Auvergne (France)
Sr Patrice Moussallem, PhD, Director of the Father Roberts Institute – IPR (Lebanon)
Liliane Pelletier, PhD, Professor, University of La Réunion, Laboratoire Icare (France)

Serge Ramel, PhD, Professor, University of Teacher Education of the Canton of Vaud and International Laboratory on Inclusive Education (Switzerland)
Serge Thomazet, PhD, Associate Researcher, Laboratoire ACTé Clermont Auvergne (France)

Seminar moderated by

Joumana Akiki, PhD, Professor, Lebanese University (Lebanon)
Marco Allenbach, PhD, Professor, University of Teacher Education of the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland)
Micheline Aoun, PhD, Associate Professor, Lebanese University (Lebanon)
Fadi El Halabi, Psychotherapist for Couples and Adults, Executive Director of EDAN (Lebanon)
Nicole Monney, PhD, Professor, University of Québec at Chicoutimi (Canada)
Thierry Philippot, PhD, Professor, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France)

Testimonials

Drawing on the expertise of 18 researchers from different countries, T.I.E.S as a non-profit, non-governmental organization, successfully organized a webinar on inclusive education on May 15, 22 and 29, 2021.
Among the objectives of the NGO, the seminar "Dialogue on Inclusive Education" aimed at fostering knowledge sharing in both scientific and educational communities and thus contributing to the debate on the issue of inclusive education in Lebanon. In this perspective, 3 themes were worked on in a new format of a registration by team of 3 to 6 people.
The bet was totally successful with the participation of 59 professionals registered for the complete seminar (plenary conferences and workshops). I would like to congratulate the T.I.E.S organization and especially its president, Basma Frangieh, and I look forward to seeing you at the next edition of the "Inclusive Education Development Kit" (October 2021), for which the first foundations were laid throughout the seminar, and at the second version of the REACH Conference (January 2022).

A seminar in three parts, in three languages from the East to the West .... An invitation to enter the dance of the inclusive school.
The meticulous organization of these three seminars, collectively built for many months, supported warm, very professional and scientifically founded exchanges around a shared object: to initiate, support and develop an inclusive school for the benefit of everyone.
In order for difference to become the norm in school and to be taken into account in the schooling of students, we must stretch out our boundaries, accept other languages and share the school space, thus working together and "with", and, at the same time, fighting against what separates us.

T.I.E.S Webinar! What an enriching opportunity to meet colleagues from various countries and exchange experiences on recent developments in the field of inclusive education!
The presentations covered a wide range of topics and yet were all beautifully connected by common research interests. The organization reflected a tremendous effort done by the team that allowed the participants to benefit to the utmost from the valuable content presented.
Greatly looking forward to further collaboration in the years to come!

The seminar organized by T.I.E.S in May 2021 was an extraordinary opportunity to bring together Lebanese field professionals and researchers from different backgrounds and contexts who share a common interest in working towards inclusive education. With an international dimension and at the same time fully anchored in the Lebanese context, it allowed for rich exchanges around the structures necessary to support inclusive education and the underlying issues of collaboration between professions and with parents. The meeting between actors from the scientific, academic and professional fields, which was at the heart of the event, is essential if we want to work together for a school in which the diversity of students and their families is fully recognized. Thank you for this very promising seminar!

Participating in this activity was a great learning opportunity for many reasons, the most important of which is to get to know international experts in the field of inclusive education, to know in depth the Lebanese context and the challenges we face in Lebanon to achieve it, in addition to identifying the intersections between global experiences and challenges and the Lebanese, who will contribute to benefit from the experiences of others without falling into blind adoption of inclusive practices, but rather to benefit from them after having adapted them to the Lebanese context. Moreover, respecting the experiences of all the practitioners and researchers participating in the seminar and considering their contribution as an added value for the development of the inclusive education kit will allow joining forces later on to produce structures and concepts well adapted to the Lebanese context.

Inclusive Education in the Lebanese Education System

A series of seminars entitled "Inclusive education in the Lebanese education system" were conducted by T.I.E.S in six regional centers of the Center for Educational Research and Development – Lebanon: Baalbeck, Sin El Fil, Saida, Tripoli, Aley and Jounieh. They were addressed to the school principals, teachers, supervisors and specialized teachers. These seminars, based on the Guide for ensuring inclusion and Equity in Education (UNESCO, 2017), took place in June and July 2019.

Seminar objectives

Clarify concepts and principles related to inclusive education;
Analyze the legal and regulatory framework related to inclusive education;
Present the transition from separate to inclusive education;
Develop an understanding of the challenges of inclusive practice.