scholarly journals Investigating special education teachers knowledge and skills: Preparing general teacher preparation for professional development

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 72-82
Author(s):  
David R. Byrd ◽  
Melina Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills

Implementing Project SIED

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew M. Schmidt ◽  
Meng-Fen Grace Lin ◽  
Seungoh Paek ◽  
Ashley MacSuga-Gage ◽  
Nicholas A. Gage
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Traditional Technology ◽  
Comfort Levels ◽  
Mobile Software ◽  
Future Plans

The worldwide explosion in popularity of mobile devices has created a dramatic increase in mobile software (apps) that are quick and easy to find and install, cheap, disposable, and usually single purpose. Hence, teachers need an equally streamlined and simplified decision-making process to help them identify educational apps—an approach that differs from traditional technology decision-making approaches that are cumbersome and require significant time, resources, and effort. Project Software Identification and Evaluation for Decision-Making (SIED) attempts to fill this gap. In this article, we describe Project SIED, how we designed a series of professional development workshops for in-service special education teachers based on Project SIED, and the evaluation outcomes of the workshops. Results suggest that workshops were successful from in-service special education teachers’ self-reported confidence and comfort levels. Limitations and future plans are discussed.

Leveraging Professional Development to Prepare General and Special Education Teachers to Teach within Response to Intervention Frameworks

2020 ◽  
pp. 143-162
Author(s):  
Amber Elizabeth Benedict ◽  
Mary T. Brownell ◽  
Cynthia C. Griffin ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Jonte A Myers
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Response To Intervention ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Shared Knowledge ◽  
Instructional Systems

This chapter examines the role professional development (PD) plays in preparing teachers to teach within Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks, and how future PD efforts might be leveraged to strengthen the preparation of general and special education teachers to coordinate instruction and teach more effectively within multi-tiered instructional systems. This chapter highlights two PD approaches that directly address these issues. Prime Online and Project InSync are two PD innovations that have specifically addressed how PD can be designed to support general and special education teachers in deepening their shared knowledge and improving their ability to enact coordinated instruction across instructional tiers within RTI frameworks.

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.

Mentor-Guided Lesson Study as a Tool to Support Learning in Field Experiences

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen N. Bieda ◽  
Jillian Cavanna ◽  
Xueying Ji
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge ◽  
Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Practicing Teachers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Knowledge For Teaching ◽  
Intern Teachers

Field experience can be a rich site for intern teachers to develop the knowledge and skills they need for effective teaching. Lesson study has been shown to be a powerful form of professional development that enhances practicing teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching through collaborative inquiry with their peers. In this article, we discuss the use of mentor-guided lesson study to support mentor and intern collaboration in the field and share what we have learned about its potential to support interns' attention to student thinking. We will also share insights from the field for those interested in implementing this activity in teacher preparation coursework.

Examining the Impact of Professional Development on the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction for General and Special Educators

Inclusion ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-133
Author(s):  
Erin K. Bojanek ◽  
Sheida K. Raley ◽  
Karrie A. Shogren ◽  
Kathleen Lynne Lane
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Learning Model ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Professional Development Training ◽  
The Impact

Abstract There is limited research examining professional development for general and special education teachers implementing self-determination interventions. This study presents outcomes of a 2-day professional development training for the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI) for general and special educators guided by key elements of professional development. Results suggested teachers had positive perceptions of the training and showed improvements in knowledge and skills related to self-determination, but reported no change in perceived usefulness for students. Findings suggested teachers already perceived self-determination to be important and relevant to their students and that this professional development training was successful in improving teachers' knowledge and skills. Further research is needed to examine how this training impacts teacher implementation of the SDLMI and student outcomes.

Preparing Teachers for Special and General Education through Case-based Instruction: An Analysis of their Perceptions, Learning, and Written Cases

1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 40-47
Author(s):  
Mark P Mostert ◽  
James M Kauffman
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Behaviour Management ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Case Based

Case-based teaching is one way of responding to the challenge of preparing general and special education teachers for the roles they are to assume. We discuss the rationale for case-based instruction and described our efforts to use this approach in teaching a course in behaviour management. Our impression is that although case-based instruction is a promising approach, it has limitations in teacher preparation. It is promising in that it gives voice to teachers’ practical knowledge and helps students become more reflective about teaching practice. It appears to be particularly limited as an approach with trainees who have no prior classroom experience, and it is no substitute for a working knowledge of basic principles.

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