Music Teacher Preparation in Special Education and the Effect on Mainstreaming

1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Betty W. Atterbury
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Hourigan ◽  
Alice M. Hammel

This chapter examines a framework for special education teacher preparation within music teacher education. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, as of the 2013–2014 academic year, 6.5 million students representing 13% of all public school children qualify for special education services. This was an increase from 4.7 million, or 11%, in 1990–1991. Music education and special education share similar challenges with teacher preparation. Finding, preparing, and developing a qualified workforce in special education presents one of the field’s biggest challenges. The first logical place to examine pathways to successful preparation for music teachers is the literature focused on teacher preparation in special education. Brownell (2005) proposes a framework for special education teacher preparation that includes crafting impactful field experiences, working together (collaboration), examining outcomes of teacher education, and focusing on inclusion and cultural diversity.


2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Conway

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preservice music teacher preparation program at a large midwestem university (in this article called “BTU” for “Big Ten University”) through an examination of the perceptions of beginning teachers and their mentors and administrators. Primary research participants included seven first-year teachers from BTU's class of 1999 and seven first-year teachers from the class of 2000. Data from these participants included individual interviews, focus group interviews, teacher journals, classroom observations by the researcher, mentor interviews, administrator interviews, and responses on an open-ended “End-of-Year Questionnaire.”In addition, secondary participants (n = 11) completed the End-of Year Questionnaire regarding their first-year experiences and the teacher preparation program. Results and discussion include descriptions of the perceptions regarding the most valuable parts of preparation and the least valuable parts of preparation, as well as suggestions for preservice teacher preparation made by teachers, mentors, administrators, and the researcher. Issues of validity of results and transferability of findings to other settings are discussed in addition to possible implications for teacher education and music education program evaluation research.


2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Bartolome

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine preservice and first-year music educators’ perspectives on fieldwork activities embedded within a music teacher preparation program. One cohort of students was tracked for 2.5 years as they participated in an elementary teaching practicum, fulfilled the student teaching internship, and ultimately entered the field. Drawing on data from a previous study of the same cohort’s perceptions of a service-learning project (2013), this report provides a comparative analysis of the students’ evolving perceptions of fieldwork over time. The perceived transfers of emergent skills and dispositions to the first year of practice also are explored with particular attention to the voices of first-year teachers. Findings suggested a wide range of benefits associated with each type of fieldwork, including overlapping and unique constructs. Perceived collective transfers included comfort and experience, habits of self-reflection, skills and knowledge for job interviews, and comfort with the observation process. These findings may assist higher education professionals as they design field-teaching activities and make informed decisions about best practices in music teacher preparation.


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