Collaboration of General and Special Education Teachers: Perspectives and Strategies

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Alexandra Da Fonte ◽  
Sally M. Barton-Arwood
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Teachers Perspectives ◽  
Successful Collaboration

Schools today focus on inclusive models of education for students with disabilities that include higher expectations and increased teacher accountability. Within this inclusion framework, both general and special education teachers have responsibilities for the education of diverse learners. Collaboration skills take time to develop, with many potential barriers that can limit successful teamwork. Therefore, teacher preparation programs have a responsibility for preparing general and special education teachers for collaboration with a focus on strategies to minimize potential barriers and support outcomes for students with disabilities. In order to be more responsive to teacher candidates’ development, a first step is to understand their perspectives about collaboration. This article outlines the hopes and fears of both general and special education preservice candidates regarding collaboration and how their perspectives align with documented views of practicing teachers. Strategies to minimize fears and potential barriers for successful collaboration in school settings are presented.

Guiding Online Graduate Special Education Candidates Through E-Performance Assessments and edTPA

2022 ◽  
pp. 1021-1036
Author(s):  
Charmion Rush ◽  
Karena J. Cooper-Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Candidate ◽  
Performance Assessments ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Online Teacher ◽  
Field Supervisors

As online teacher preparation programs continue to grow, guiding the process for edTPA candidates can pose varying challenges. As such, teacher preparation programs must be equipped to provide guidance to online candidates as they complete the actionable items required for edTPA. Provided from the field supervisors' perspective, this chapter outlines the current process Western Carolina University has in place to provide effective clinical and teacher candidate experiences for students in their online program. The purpose of this chapter provides guided structure for graduate special education teachers pursing initial licensure through an online masters' program. This chapter will include 1) the challenges of guiding online students through the e-portfolio process, 2) an exploration of the provided structure for the teacher candidates to fulfill the requirements of edTPA, as well as 3) recommendations for teacher preparation programs and teacher candidate readiness in the practice and application of e-performance assessments and edTPA.

What Are High-Leverage Practices for Special Education Teachers and Why Are They Important?

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 331-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
James McLeskey ◽  
Bonnie Billingsley ◽  
Mary T. Brownell ◽  
Lawrence Maheady ◽  
Timothy J. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Beginning Teachers ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Core Curriculum ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
Preparation Programs

Improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities and others who struggle in school largely depends on teachers who can deliver effective instruction. Although many effective practices have been identified to address the academic and behavioral needs of students who struggle in school, including those with disabilities, these practices are not used extensively in classrooms. This article provides a rationale for and description of major changes that are occurring in teacher preparation programs that are designed to improve the practice of beginning teachers. This is followed by a description of a set of high-leverage practices that was recently approved by the Council for Exceptional Children. These practices represent an initial attempt to delineate a core curriculum for special education teacher preparation to support the changes that are occurring in teacher education.

Practicing Collaboration in Teacher Preparation

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret P. Weiss ◽  
Anthony Pellegrino ◽  
Frederick J. Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Know How ◽  
Special Education Program ◽  
Vital Component

Collaboration among professionals is a vital component for successful inclusion of students with disabilities. In many cases, teacher preparation programs assume that teacher candidates know how to collaborate without explicit instruction or authentic practice and, therefore, omit coursework on collaboration. Alternatively, some programs may require coursework in collaboration but that coursework may exclude candidates from any other programs. In this article, we describe candidate outcomes from a course about collaboration that was taught in two ways: (a) as a co-taught course with faculty and candidates from social studies and special education and (b) as a course in the special education program that included only faculty and candidates in special education. Candidates in both groups constructed pre- and post-course concept maps about collaboration. We conducted both quantitative and qualitative analyses to determine depth, breadth, and complexity of understanding of collaboration as well as growth in these areas. Findings and implications are discussed.

Guiding Online Graduate Special Education Candidates Through E-Performance Assessments and edTPA

2019 ◽  
pp. 120-142
Author(s):  
Charmion Rush ◽  
Karena J. Cooper-Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Candidate ◽  
Performance Assessments ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Online Teacher ◽  
Field Supervisors

As online teacher preparation programs continue to grow, guiding the process for edTPA candidates can pose varying challenges. As such, teacher preparation programs must be equipped to provide guidance to online candidates as they complete the actionable items required for edTPA. Provided from the field supervisors' perspective, this chapter outlines the current process Western Carolina University has in place to provide effective clinical and teacher candidate experiences for students in their online program. The purpose of this chapter provides guided structure for graduate special education teachers pursing initial licensure through an online masters' program. This chapter will include 1) the challenges of guiding online students through the e-portfolio process, 2) an exploration of the provided structure for the teacher candidates to fulfill the requirements of edTPA, as well as 3) recommendations for teacher preparation programs and teacher candidate readiness in the practice and application of e-performance assessments and edTPA.

scholarly journals Using a Culturally Responsive Lens in the Revision of a Core Preparation Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-47
Author(s):  
Kia R. Williams ◽  
Margaret P. Weiss ◽  
Pamela H. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
Core Course

With increasing cultural diversity in schools and in special education, teachers must be prepared to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. In addition to evidence-based practices, culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) is critical to helping students make meaning of their learning. Therefore, teacher preparation programs must be intentional and explicit in their instruction related to CSP for teacher candidates. We describe a replicable process of course review and revision for the inclusion of CSP with an example from a core course in a special education preservice teacher licensure program. The course, Intersectionality and Disability, is a course in a newly-implemented undergraduate licensure program.

Explaining the Decline in Special Education Teacher Employment From 2005 to 2012

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Dewey ◽  
Paul T. Sindelar ◽  
Elizabeth Bettini ◽  
Erling E. Boe ◽  
Michael S. Rosenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Public Law ◽  
General Educators ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Disability Prevalence ◽  
Constituent Elements

Demand for special education teachers grew continuously from the passage of Public Law 94-142 in 1975 through 2005, when this trend reversed. From 2005 to 2012, the number of special education teachers employed by U.S. schools declined by >17%. The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine factors that contributed to this decline. We parsed change in number of special education teachers employed into four constituent elements and found that these recent reductions were fueled by decreases in disability prevalence and the relative ratio of teachers to students in special versus general education, which favored the latter. These changes have important implications for teacher preparation programs’ efforts to adequately prepare special and general educators and for policies designed to improve teacher quality.

Emerging Issues With Consequential Use of the edTPA: Overall and Through a Special Education Lens

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 269-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lama Bergstrand Othman ◽  
Rowand Robinson ◽  
Nancy F. Molfenter
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
American Association ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
School Environments ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Time Commitment ◽  
Emerging Issues

The purpose of teacher preparation programs is to ensure that teachers are adequately equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to support the various educational needs of their students. Nevertheless, a call for a uniform process through which teacher candidates can demonstrate their ability to meet their students’ educational needs using authentic learning environments has been called for. To that end, the American Association of College for Teachers Education (AACTE) partnered with the Stanford Center for Assessment to create a form of assessment that encompasses the three levels of teaching: planning, instruction, and assessment. This multileveled evaluation process is known as the Teacher Performance Assessment or the edTPA. The purpose of this article is to discuss some challenges that have arisen in connection with the implementation of the edTPA. The authors discuss issues such as time commitment, variability of school environments, inconsistent national implementations, and issues specific to special education.

scholarly journals The Inclusive Education: Policy Issues and Challenges. The Rights in the Amended Special Edu- cation Law in Israel (1988)

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-23
Author(s):  
L. Shaked
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Special Education Law ◽  
Education Law ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Restrictive Environment

This paper discusses the effects of Special Education law (1918) in Israel and amendments followed in 2002; 2018 on school placement policy and attitudes toward inclusion. The critics on differential budget to different setting that the budget doesn’t support the least restrictive environment concept and inequality in the allocation of resources among students in special education and students integrated in the regular education lead to the amendment nr.11 of Special Education law. Present paper argues that while state policy makes an ongoing effort to increase access to general edu- cation by innovative legislation, increasing the state funding in order to accommodate and meet the needs of students with disabilities in inclusive education the practices of educational institutions perpetuated exclusion from general education. For regular teachers to feel confident in their ability to teach all students, a change in teacher preparation programs should be implemented. A change in teacher preparation programs still needs a profound reform.

Evolution of Technology-Enhanced Alternative Preparation for Special Education Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-176
Author(s):  
Karen D. Hager ◽  
Barbara J. Fiechtl
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Alternative Teacher Preparation ◽  
Evolution Of Technology ◽  
Distance Learning Program

In this article, we describe the evolution of a statewide alternative teacher preparation program for teachers of students with disabilities and explain current processes to revise and expand the program to increase accessibility to teacher candidates in rural schools. We will identify important features of the program including (a) significant collaboration with Local Education Agencies, (b) the combination of synchronous and asynchronous course delivery to increase accessibility, and (c) embedded supports for alternative preparation teacher candidates completing a distance learning program, as well as describe the process and collaboration involved in revising the program to increase accessibility and efficiency, while retaining quality. Ongoing challenges to delivering effective alternative preparation programs that are accessible to individuals in rural schools and potential solutions to these challenges are provided.

Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Black Male Special Education Teachers

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 236-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaRon A. Scott ◽  
Quentin Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Black Teachers ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Recruitment And Retention ◽  
Teacher Workforce

In 2015, the National Goals Conference for and with people with intellectual disability encouraged the field of special education to recruit and retain more Black teachers. In this grounded theory study, 18 Black men were interviewed to learn more about experiences surrounding recruitment and retention in special education teacher-preparation programs (SETPPs) and for teaching careers in special education. Findings led to the development of a theory based on three constructs: (a) motivations for becoming a special education teacher, (b) attractions to SETPPs, and (c) focused strategies for recruitment and retention that indicated several strategies that SETPPs and school divisions should consider (e.g., funding, distance education program, mentorship) when attempting to recruit and retain Black males into training programs and for special education careers. The implication for the special education teacher workforce and potential for future research are discussed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document