Project-Based Learning for Students With Intellectual Disabilities

With the push to include all students, despite disability, in the general education classroom, general education teachers need to be trained in ways to adequately educate intellectually disabled students alongside their nondisabled peers. Many students with an intellectual disability are capable of learning in an inclusive environment if provided with proper support, such as through instructional methods like project-based learning. Project-based learning actively involves learners in investigating real-world issues and answering related questions. This chapter focuses on how to use the project-based learning method to teach children with intellectual disabilities within the framework of inclusive education, using biology as an example subject area.

Practice-Based Educational Research

Incoming PK12 general education teachers beginning their careers are not wanting to have individuals with intellectual disabilities in their classroom due to a lack of special education experience and knowledge. This practice-based qualitative narrative dissertation study explored student teacher individual perceptions and experiences on special education classroom behavior and inclusion for elementary public-school general education student teachers. The practice-based problem was the negative views pre-service K12 educators held for classroom inclusion and personal perceptions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The study sample included 10 student teacher college students enrolled in one Texas early childhood program. Schlossberg's Transition Model was used as the practice-based conceptual framework and data were gathered from interviews and analyzed using Clandinin and Connelly's procedures for narrative analysis. The findings determined pre-service general education teachers are not always provided adequate inclusion training.

Inclusive Education

The challenges facing full inclusion are many: time, scheduling, role clarity, self-efficacy, collaboration, parity, classroom management, new and different skill sets, training, and support. If we plan for, train, and schedule special and general education teachers as separate entities, they will be. Instead, all educators and leaders must be viewed, and treated, as part of a single working system. This chapter outlines concrete and actionable strategies for school leaders and general and special educators to support effective inclusion and make it a reality for all students. Hard work? Yes! Worth it? Absolutely!

Technology of modeling current and prospective roles and responsibilities of teaching staff for general education settings

Introduction. This study analyses how changing requirements for results and processes of general education determine new or updated roles and responsibilities of teachers in the context of building a qualification framework in the field of education. The purpose of the research is to develop and test a technology for modeling roles and responsibilities and corresponding professional qualifications of general education teachers determined by changing requirements of the labor market and employers. Materials and Methods. The study follows the process approach and methodology of structural and functional analysis of professional practice. The authors applied the following research methods: modeling, questionnaires, approbation, comparative analysis, generalization, classification, interpretation as well as methods of graphical representation of information in data processing and interpretation. In order to collect empirical data, the authors developed a questionnaire through modeling roles and responsibilities of teaching staff based on legislative materials as well as theoretical and practical evidence reflecting the requirements for processes and results of general education in the Russian Federation. Results. The article presents a technology for modeling prospective roles and responsibilities and corresponding professional qualifications of general education teachers developed and tested by the authors. The system of current roles and responsibilities of subject teachers, class teachers and academic counselors has been established. The authors developed a set of prospective roles and responsibilities for education practitioners, the institutionalization of which is required for an appropriate response of a general education setting to changing requirements for processes and results of its work. The study reveals how employers evaluate the importance of current roles and responsibilities of education practitioners and the demand for prospective ones. The authors summarize the ideas of employers about pursuing a career in the field of education. The study reveals an apparent discrepancy between the employers’ recognition of diversification of professional activities within educational settings and the stable professional and social stereotype of a ‘universal teacher’. The hypothesis about the hybridization of teachers’ roles and responsibilities as a basic way of developing the qualification framework in the field of education has been tested and confirmed. Conclusions. The efficiency of the developed technology for modeling prospective roles and responsibilities and corresponding professional qualifications of general education teachers in accordance with the changing requirements of the labor market has been proved.

Case Study of Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives on Co-teaching Models used in Qatar’s Middle Schools

This research aims to have a substantial glance at the middle schools in Qatar, which adopted co-teaching models, where special education teachers and general education teachers collaborate to teach students in an inclusive environment. Therefore, we want to recognize the problems faced by teachers, along with students, in terms of the efficacy of the co-teaching model as a way of learning, and even though the model is successful globally, it is better to determine if there are any concerns locally about the model, so that we implement it locally with an efficient approach.

Investigating Benefits and Barriers of Distance Education during Coronavirus Pandemic

This study aims to identify benefits and barriers to distance education, particularly from the perspective of teachers in Saudi Arabia. As the applied data collection tool, a questionnaire was distributed to the general education teachers in three districts. The sample size of the study was 1076 teachers. The results revealed that despite several benefits gained from distance learning, there are also some barriers. Teachers found that the most important advantage in distance learning is the acquisition of technical skills during the online teaching processes, they learn more and use digital education platforms, they have sufficient time to prepare the scientific content, they were able to provide adequate technical solutions for their courses, and they have the opportunity to use multiple media to deliver their courses. With the introduction of distance learning, teachers have explored new ways to deliver course contents to students. It has fostered better ways to provide more interactive real-time and on-demand teaching and learning using modern technology, thus, helping teachers become familiar with the use of electronic resources. It seems that teachers invest in technical methods to enhance students’ performance. Also, teachers reported some obstacles that they face during remote teaching. Most of these problems are connection problems applied with devices and the internet, lack of students’ motivation to learn in distance, problems associated with urban learners.

General Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Autism, Inclusive Practices, and Relationship Building Strategies

To identify target areas for professional development, this mixed-methods study examined general education teachers’ perceptions of autism and pedagogical practices in early elementary classrooms in the United States. In focus groups, teachers (N = 18) identified terms they associated with autism and strategies they used for inclusion and relationship building. Participants systematically free-listed and ranked their responses to three prompts. Using ranked responses, saliency scores were calculated to assess the perceived importance and frequency of responses. Teachers’ most salient perceptions of autism (e.g., social difficulties, focused/fixed interests) revealed an awareness of core symptoms. Salient inclusion practices included assigning special classroom responsibilities and showcasing student talents; salient relationship-building strategies included embracing students’ special interests and engaging in one-on-one time. Implications for teacher trainings are discussed.

General Education Teachers' Perspectives on Collaboration With OTs in the School Setting

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Collaboration between teachers and OTs improves student performance and promotes positive student outcomes in school-based OT (Kennedy & Stewart, 2012). Collaboration with OTs was valued by 85.1% of respondents, and 62% of respondents considered OT's goal in the schools to be focused on fine motor skills. This survey shows that general education teachers value collaboration with OTs but do not fully understand the role of OT, which may limit the effectiveness of collaboration. Primary Author and Speaker: Erin E. Bradley Contributing Authors: Elizabeth Hassett, Antonio Mazza, and Gifty Abraham