scholarly journals A Qualitative Exploration of Preservice Teachers’ Preparation to Use Assistive Technology in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-327
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Preparing future teachers for assistive technology (AT) usage is essential for effective and appropriate teaching of students with disabilities. Teacher preparation to use AT in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is still not thorough and has been linked to teachers’ lack of AT use with students. Thus, in this study, a qualitative approach was employed to explore preservice teacher preparation to use AT. Utilizing a qualitative survey questionnaire, data were collected from 32 participants from two Saudi universities. Three major themes from the data were obtained for this study: (a) teacher preparation, (b) learning experiences, and (c) perceived needs. The findings revealed a significant paucity of learning experiences regarding AT usage, AT courses, and AT practices, with the participants indicating a pressing need for prior practicum training.

The development of the Arabic language curricula in public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: تطور مناهج اللغة العربية في التعليم العام بالمملكة العربية السعودية

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (20) ◽  
pp. 135-124
Author(s):  
Amani Suliman AL- HAZMI, Wafa Hafiz Al- Aowaidi Amani Suliman AL- HAZMI, Wafa Hafiz Al- Aowaidi
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Public Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Research Method ◽  
Arabic Language ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
Language Curriculum ◽  
Historical Approach ◽  
Methods And Techniques

The study aimed to identify the developments that took place in the Arabic language curricula in public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which are the development of curriculum objectives, evaluation of Arabic language curricula, methods and techniques of education, strategies for teaching education and teacher preparation in general education. I took the historical approach as a research method, and I used the documents to discover the development of the Arabic language curricula. I explained the stages of development. They were presented in the form of simplified and clear tables, and I made some recommendations and proposals in the current study. Finally, I came to identify the developments that took place in the Arabic language curriculum in public education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Implementing the Australian Curriculum for Students With Disabilities in Specialist Settings: Teachers’ Professional Learning Experiences and Preferences

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (02) ◽  
pp. 127-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M. McMillan ◽  
Karyn L. Carson ◽  
Peter M. Walker ◽  
Anna G. Noble ◽  
Jane M. Jarvis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Communities ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Schools ◽  
Australian Curriculum ◽  
Perceived Needs ◽  
Policy Practice

Commentary on the introduction of the Australian Curriculum (AC) has reflected a tension for educators of students with disabilities (SWD) between in-principle support for a curriculum that is inclusive of all students and the challenge of translating a general framework into relevant, individualised learning experiences appropriate for all SWD. In this paper, we report on findings from the second part of a national online survey in which we explored the perceptions and practices of 151 educators of SWD in specialist settings (special schools, disability units co-located at mainstream schools, special classes within mainstream schools) in relation to the AC. Specifically, these findings relate to the professional learning (PL) experiences and perceived needs of educators of SWD related to the AC and their advice to policymakers about the AC for SWD. Consistent with previous research, participants expressed a preference for PL experiences delivered on site, facilitated by content experts over extended periods, with opportunities for demonstration and targeted feedback, and in the context of collegial learning communities. In addition, participants raised concerns about the extent to which the AC is fully inclusive of all SWD. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Views of Inclusive Education From the Perspectives of Preservice and Mentor Teachers

Inclusion ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-202
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Kurth ◽  
Anjali Forber-Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Barriers To Implementation

Abstract The trend of educating students with disabilities in inclusive general education settings is expanding. Consequently, teacher preparation for inclusive practices is a necessary consideration for teacher educators. An important component of shaping preservice teacher dispositions comes from school experiences and interactions with mentor teachers. It is through this relationship that preservice teachers formulate their own attitudes, beliefs, and skills about inclusive practices. This article reports the findings from a set of surveys containing both closed- and open-ended responses related to inclusive education from both preservice (student) and mentor teachers. Analysis of the open-ended responses revealed definitions of inclusive education focused on student deficits and barriers to implementation of inclusive practices that focused on deficits in the capacity of the environment. Implications for teacher preparation, including challenging deficit-based assumptions, are discussed.

Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn

2022 ◽  
pp. 207-223
Author(s):  
Kimy Liu ◽  
Debra Bukko
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
The Other ◽  
Teaching Skills ◽  
Teaching Approaches

Preservice teachers are developing their professional identity while honing their teaching skills. Without transformative learning experience, preservice teachers will teach students the ways they were taught. They can have exclusive and deficit mindsets about students with disabilities (SWDs), many of whom are also English learners. Exclusive and deficit mindsets can lead to two teaching approaches: One is to treat SWDs as inferior to their typical peers. The other is to insist on standardized instruction for the sake of equality. In this chapter, the authors, as the teacher preparation faculty, confronted this challenge by engineering a transformative learning experience to liberate preservice teachers from the deficit mindsets about teaching students with disabilities.

Teacher Education and Inclusivity

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Alvarado ◽  
Sarah M. Salinas ◽  
Alfredo J. Artiles
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Learning Differences ◽  
Access To Books ◽  
Formative Experiences

Inclusive teacher education (ITE) defines the professional training of preservice teachers to work in learning spaces encompassing students from all circumstances, regardless of race, linguistic background, gender, socioeconomic status, and special education needs (SEN). This preparation includes the content, pedagogy, and formative experiences required for teachers to work in inclusive schools. To fully understand ITE, it is necessary to examine what is meant by inclusive education (IE). Indeed, it is essential to explore ITE’s definition since scholars and teacher educators have struggled to agree on what is meant by IE. In addition to disagreements about IE’s definition, support for this idea and its implementation may vary due to the cultural, historical, and political differences specific to local contexts. For these reasons, it is necessary to recognize the inclusive policies, practices, and processes that often shape definitions and concepts related to ITE. Notwithstanding the ambitious meanings of ITE across the globe, researchers, professionals, and policymakers tend to emphasize a vision of teacher preparation for working with students with disabilities (SWD) or SEN. Also, there is no consensus about which particular aspects matter in teacher education programs, primarily based on ideological differences about the core goals of IE. These differences in views and beliefs have resulted in limited understandings and applications of ITE. For instance, a student with an SEN may also come from a family living in poverty, with no access to books in the home, or speak multiple languages, including languages that are not a part of their first (formal) educational experiences. In such circumstances, there is no agreement about whether ITE programs should focus on students’ linguistic, socioeconomic, learning differences, or multiple factors. We review the research on ITE in various national contexts. We also discuss how scholars have conceptualized the preparation of future teachers and the implications for greater clarity on how teacher preparation can improve IE in an increasingly diverse society.

Thinking It Through

2018 ◽  
pp. 167-195
Author(s):  
Michelle Chamblin
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Work Samples ◽  
Differentiation Of Instruction

The concept of differentiating and adapting instruction for all students, including students with disabilities, is explored in this chapter. Preservice teachers, upon exiting their teacher preparation programs, are expected to be fully developed and know how to differentiate instruction for diverse learners and adapt instruction for exceptional students who require more. However, the plethora of information on differentiation of instruction and adapting instruction can be overwhelming, leaving the preservice teacher overloaded. Concrete approaches must be available. This chapter presents the ADAPT strategy, which models one approach of organizing information and thinking through a process. With the use of lesson planning, universal design guidelines, and evidence-based practices, the chapter presents a step-by-step teaching model. Examples, work samples, and data derived from teaching the strategy to preservice teachers are included. This strategy may help preservice teachers, as well as more experienced teachers, approach the task of varying instruction in a consistent, thoughtful, and manageable way.

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