Challenging Deficit Thinking in Our Schools

2022 ◽  
pp. 27-64
Author(s):  
Michele McMahon Nobel
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Field Experiences ◽  
Deficit Thinking ◽  
Future Teachers ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Program Components

Deficit thinking by educators is a barrier to student success. To effectively meet the needs of all students, future teachers need to be able to identify and challenge deficit thinking when they encounter it. Educator preparation programs are well positioned to assist with the rejection of deficit thinking in favor of strengths-based approaches in the classroom through intentionally designed courses and required field experiences. This chapter explores deficit thinking in special education, highlights components of teacher training that have been demonstrated to address issues of equity and combat deficit thinking, and shares one education department's efforts to ensure deficit thinking is adequately addressed in their coursework and fieldwork. Other educator preparation programs may benefit from the exploration of inclusive and equity-focused program components, as well as the auditing process conducted by this education department.

Preparing Teachers for Urban Students Who Have Been Labeled as Having Special Needs

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tachelle Banks ◽  
Festus Obiakor ◽  
Bob Algozzine
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Deficit Thinking ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Daunting Challenge

AbstractPreparing teachers to work in urban public schools – and to remain there – is a daunting challenge. In an age plagued with the overrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students placed in special education programs, it is important that teacher preparation programs within the field of special education devote attention to the devastating effects of deficit thinking. The current focus on the achievement gap and poor graduation rates has highlighted the challenges facing urban schools and their teachers in our nation. Many colleges and universities have ill-prepared or unprepared to work with CLD students in general and special education. This article discusses how teachers and service providers can be prepared to work with urban children and youth with and without special needs.

scholarly journals Funds of Identity and Education: The Journey of a Latina Educator from Linguistic Erasure to Linguistic Empowerment

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-119
Author(s):  
Myriam Jimena Guerra ◽  
Minda Morren Lopez ◽  
Angelika Benavides
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Heritage Language ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Loss ◽  
Future Teachers ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Ideological Clarity ◽  
Language Students

This study had three aims: to present a case study and explain the funds of identity of a Latina educator; to use this as an opportunity to connect heritage language to ideological clarity and humanizing pedagogies in educator preparation programs; and to illustrate how pedagogy and language education can include transformational and healing elements when educators are engaged in culturally and linguistically affirming professional development. By understanding ourselves as teachers in relation to the communities in which we teach, we are able to develop ideological clarity and reject deficit perspectives that serve to erase non-English languages spoken at home in order to effectively serve and advocate for our multilingual, emerging bilingual and heritage language students. This case study of one Latina’s journey to linguistic empowerment may serve as an example of how future teachers can transform their own experiences of language loss into empowerment and reclaim their own culture, language, and values not only for themselves but for their students as well.

Starting the Conversation About Interdisciplinary Counselor and Teacher Training

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 2156759X2094064
Author(s):  
Sejal Parikh Foxx ◽  
Kelly Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
School Counselors ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
School Counselor ◽  
Professional Preparation ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Support Students

School counselors and special education teachers are most often the professionals called upon to support students with intensive, challenging behavioral and emotional needs. However, research suggests that many preparation programs fail to provide training specific for intensive evidence-based interventions. We review the context and need for interdisciplinary school counselor and special education teacher training and provide a perspective on potential directions for addressing this need in professional preparation.

scholarly journals An examination of the special education teacher training programs in Turkey and European Union member countries in terms of language development and communication education

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 185-194
Author(s):  
Pelin Piştav Akmeşe ◽  
Nilay Kayhan
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
European Union ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Union Member ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Special Education Teacher ◽  
Education Department ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
Undergraduate Programs

The academic terms and the periods of the courses related to the language development and communication differs considerably in the programs of the countries which train teachers for the special education department. The aim of this study is to examine the contents and credits of the communication and the language development courses in Teacher Education Programs for hearing-impaired, intellectual disability, gifted and talented multiple disabilities, visual impairment education at the special education department. In this study in which the descriptive research method is used, the data have been collected from the sources of Turkey and European Union member countries, called Agencies of the European Union, Eurydice-Network on Education Systems and Policies in Europe. The courses in Special Education Teacher Training undergraduate programs of higher education institutions of each country stated in the reports of National Education System Descriptions have been examined to reach these data. While there are undergraduate programs for four years of study related to each disability type in Turkey, it has been seen that the department of hearing impaired education teacher training is the department which mainly includes the language development and communication skills courses among mentioned programs. The countries such as Luxemburg, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, Ireland, Finland Ireland and Lithuania give common ground courses of special education department to the preservice teachers in 6 to 7 academic terms.   Keywords:  Special education, teacher training program, communication and language development education

What's Training Got to Do With It?

2022 ◽  
pp. 83-100
Author(s):  
Jennifer Webb ◽  
Jennifer Green
Keyword(s):  
Growth Mindset ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Deficit Thinking ◽  
Unconscious Bias ◽  
Introductory Courses ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Models Of Disability ◽  
University Instructors

With the current, pervasive mindset in schools of deficit thinking, which affects students of all ages and abilities, educator preparation programs have an opportunity to make a change. This chapter will explore educator preparation programs and what is being taught in introductory courses on special education, as well as mindset leading to deficit thinking. An exploratory survey of university instructors was conducted to discover what could lead to deficit thinking in preschool to Grade 12 (P-12) schools. Findings show that instructors are using supplemental materials to cover models of disability, and further study of how instructor mindset influences course content is warranted. Discussion will include adding growth mindset, self-efficacy strategies, and unconscious bias training in educator preparation programs to further challenge deficit thinking. Additional areas for future research will also be discussed.

scholarly journals Learning to Teach: How a Simulated Learning Environment Can Connect Theory to Practice in General and Special Education Educator Preparation Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 184
Author(s):  
Melanie Landon-Hays ◽  
Maria B. Peterson-Ahmad ◽  
Andrea Dawn Frazier
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Teacher Candidates ◽  
Instructional Coaching ◽  
Teacher Candidate ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Simulated Learning ◽  
Repeated Practice ◽  
Simulated Learning Environment

Educator preparation programs have moved away from offering interest-based courses that prepare a teacher candidate on a more surface level and have opted to integrate more authentic experiences with technology that are infused into coursework. This research study focused on redesigning key courses in both the general and special education graduate-level educator preparation programs (EPPs) to infuse learning experiences through a simulated learning environment (Mursion) to help bridge teacher candidates’ coursework and field experiences, offering them robust experience with high leverage practices and technology that increases their own competency. Data from this study demonstrated that preservice teacher candidate work within the Mursion simulated learning environment increased use of high leverage practices related to strategic teaching, collaboration, differentiation, and providing feedback. Implications for instructional coaching, microteaching, repeated practice, and closing the research to practice gap are discussed.

scholarly journals Expanding the Use of Educational Data for Social Justice: Lessons From the Texas Cap on Special Education and Implications for Practitioner–Scholar Preparation

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-119
Author(s):  
David S. Knight ◽  
David E. DeMatthews
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Texas Education Agency ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Texas Education ◽  
Education Agency ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Education Report

Educational data offer a powerful tool for supporting equity. In this article, the authors call for a shift toward greater use of data in educator preparation programs. The authors motivate their proposal by highlighting findings from the Department of Education report released January 2018, which found that the Texas Education Agency systematically denied students special education services. The article outlines three basic metrics that stakeholders can use to identify potential noncompliance with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The authors describe other ways data can be used to promote equity and close with recommendations for educator preparation policy and practice.

Born a Culturally Responsive Educator: A Conversation With Dr. Cathy Kea

2021 ◽  
pp. 105345122110510
Author(s):  
Vita L. Jones ◽  
Kyle Higgins ◽  
Randall Boone
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
State University ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Educator Preparation ◽  
Responsive Instruction ◽  
Urban Classrooms

Dr. Cathy Kea is a professor of special education in the Department of Educator Preparation at North Carolina A&T State University. Dr. Kea’s research interests focus on the intersection among general education, special education, and multicultural education, which she has labeled “a trilogy to be transformed.” Her current research focuses on preparing preservice teachers to design and deliver culturally responsive instruction in urban classrooms as well as providing methods, materials, and philosophy to educator preparation programs (e.g., via syllabi, lesson plans, lectures).

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