International Collaboration in Special Education Teacher Preparation

2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110475
Author(s):  
Regina R. Brandon ◽  
Robbie J. Marsh ◽  
Therese M. Cumming

There is a call for today’s teachers to be globally literate, as their student populations become more diverse. Immersive experiences in other countries with international colleagues and students can support the development of global literacy and culturally responsive practice. Preservice special education teachers do not often have opportunities to have these experiences. The authors use examples of existing international collaborations in special education to illustrate a variety of ways that preservice and in-service teachers can experience international collaboration.

Author(s):  
Natasha M. Strassfeld

More than 40 years after passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), some special education teacher preparation programs offer limited coursework on parent involvement, advocacy, or home–school collaboration. For pre-service special education teachers and/or novice special education teachers working with students with disabilities and their parents in practice, prior parent involvement coursework often enhances knowledge and abilities to provide resources, advocacy support, and insight. Yet, for this to occur in practice, special education teacher preparation program faculty should continue to consider how curriculum that instructs and provides resources regarding home–school collaboration, advocacy, conflict resolution, and federal legislation and programmatic support can enhance parent involvement. Therefore, this article examines IDEA parent involvement provisions, IDEA-mandated and federally funded conflict resolution options, and Parent Training and Information Centers that provide parents resources and support. Also, this article offers suggestions for teacher preparation faculty developing or refining parent involvement curricula.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Chitiyo ◽  
George Odongo ◽  
Ambumulire Itimu-Phiri ◽  
Florence Muwana ◽  
Mary Lipemba

Abstract Researchers have repeatedly identified special education teacher shortage as one of the factors that have stymied the development of special education in many African countries. Highly qualified special education teachers are an integral part of successful national educational systems. In order to ensure an optimum supply of qualified special education teachers in any country, one can start by examining special education teacher preparation programs in the country. In this paper, the authors sought to explore special education teacher preparation in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to identify the characteristics, key features, gaps, and therefore come up with specific recommendations. In doing this the authors hope that this information would be helpful to researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and organizations that are interested in contributing to the development of special education in these countries through personnel preparation.


Author(s):  
Hannah Morris Mathews

In general education, researchers find candidates’ pre-service experiences are a tool for socialization into the knowledge, norms, and values of the profession. An important aspect of this process is program vision—the collective understanding of teaching put forth by a preparation program. Yet, few investigations in special education examine program vision. Using interviews with candidates across six teacher preparation programs, the author generates theory to understand the role of vision in special education teacher candidates’ professional socialization and how experiences of program vision are associated with their conceptions of their future roles and responsibilities. Candidates’ conception of special educators’ roles reflected three characterizations consistent within, but distinct across programs: Direct Instructor, Supportive Differentiator, and General Responder. Each profile was associated with unique roles and responsibilities for special educators. Findings draw attention to the importance of examining vision as a tool for professional socialization in special education teacher preparation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn S. Johnson ◽  
Yuzhu Zheng ◽  
Angela R. Crawford ◽  
Laura A. Moylan

In this study, we developed an Explicit Instruction special education teacher observation rubric that details the elements of explicit instruction and tested its psychometric properties using many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Video observations of classroom instruction from 30 special education teachers across three states were collected. External raters ( n = 15) were trained to observe and evaluate instruction using the rubric and assigned scores of “implemented,” “partially implemented,” or “not implemented” for each of the items. Analyses showed that the item, teacher, lesson, and rater facets achieved high psychometric quality for the instrument. Implications for research and practice are discussed.


2008 ◽  
Vol 27 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy M. Sileo ◽  
Thomas W. Sileo ◽  
Thomas B. Pierce

Teacher education may be the most important variable to ensure consideration of ethical issues in public schools. However, many teacher preparation programs may not equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to make moral judgments and decisions necessary to provide high quality education for all students. This article addresses ethical issues and practices that impact teacher education, their interface with rural education, and results of a national research study that assesses extent to which and how preservice teacher preparation programs attend to ethical issues. Survey results indicate that teaching about ethical and professional practices is important to teacher preparation, and yet, receives little emphasis in most programs. Key Words: Educational Equity, Ethics, Morality, Rural Education, Special Education, Teacher Preparation, and Values


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-19
Author(s):  
Daisy J. Pua ◽  
David J. Peyton ◽  
Mary T. Brownell ◽  
Valentina A. Contesse ◽  
Nathan D. Jones

Advancing teacher candidates’ overall competence through use of valid teacher observation systems should be an essential element of teacher preparation. Yet, the field of special education has not provided observation protocols designed specifically for preservice teachers that are founded in theoretical perspectives and research on effective instruction for students with learning and other high-incidence disabilities (SWDs). To address this need, a group of researchers in special education teacher preparation and measurement developed the Preservice Observation Instrument for Special Education (POISE). The POISE is an observation system rooted in effective special education practices that support the growth of preservice teachers who will serve SWD across instructional settings. The purpose of this article is to report on the development and psychometric properties of the POISE. Specifically, we employed Kane’s argument-based validity approach to frame each stage in the development process of the POISE. We conducted two phases of content validation activities, development activities, and a pilot study to assess the degree to which scores from POISE provided evidence for the scoring, generalizability, and extrapolation inferences. In the end, the POISE represents a promising observation instrument for the development of special education teacher candidates.


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