General Education Teachers Preparedness to Teach Special Education Students - Essay Example

General Education Teachers Preparedness to Teach Special Education General Education Teachers Preparedness to Teach Special Education Students Effective educators require both special education and general education training. This means that these teachers must be properly educated in their fields on how to work collaboratively and provide an effective learning platform or environment for their students. It is essential for general educators to receive training on how to become effective educators in an inclusive classroom. Inclusive classrooms offer opportunities to deliver instructions to all types of students. Therefore, these educators should have knowledge on the strategies, methods and resources that will prepare them to instruct the students (Bondy & Ross, 2005). General educators should not only have knowledge of their content areas, but they should also be prepared to handle students of different abilities. Major areas of discussion on how to training general educators to be effective teachers in an inclusive classroom focus on the accountability of teachers. Teachers need to be accountable during their interactions with special needs students. Different strategies are used to prepare general educators in their teacher education programs. General education teachers should be prepared to meet all the needs of students regardless of their abilities. Interdisciplinary and collective programs ensure that these teachers are adequately prepared for their professional roles and responsibilities. These programs ensure that the teachers and students have a healthy exchange of ideas and concepts. An interdisciplinary approach to education promotes the use and development of core bodies of knowledge on human development, language acquisition, learning theory and linguistic diversity, in addition to the relevant skills, knowledge, values, attitudes and methods (Mamlin, 2012). The preparation of general educators in a core curriculum requires the teacher to have an overview of the sequence and scope of the curriculum. In addition, the teachers are prepared in their subject areas. In this case, the teacher is prepared on curriculum areas of writing, reading, social studies and communicative skills. Advanced preparation of these teachers in these areas can be achieved using seminars and workshops. One of the most effective methods of training general education teachers is using collaborative methods. Collaboration in the teaching practice is a new concept. Currently, training programs emphasize on general, mainstream and special education teachers. Collaboration ensures that these teachers can work together cooperatively. Collaborative programs will ensure that these teachers are given extensive knowledge in their content areas (Lassonde, 2008). Special educators bring different instructional knowledge and techniques that will benefit students with learning disabilities (Anderson, Karp & Keller, 2008). Successful collaborative programs require the willingness to collaborate, equal partnership, cooperation among participants and good communication skills, in addition to administrative support and planning. Collaboration can also include co-teaching strategies and situations where special educators offer instructions alongside general educators. In case the co-teaching strategy is used, the co-teachers are required to acquire classroom management teaching strategies and techniques in order to accommodate the teaching styles of their colleagues. General education teaching programs can also use workshops to advance the preparedness of teachers in the program. In workshops, general education teachers receive core competencies that support them to work with students of different abilities. Workshops update general education teachers on knowledge of current characteristics and definitions of students with learning disabilities (Monye, 2013). The workshops also update teachers on how the disabilities may affect the educational performance and development of the student. In workshops, teachers are also given instructions on their rights and procedures. This means that they acquire knowledge on their legal rights, and the rights of parents and students. They also receive instructions on the responsibilities of schools and teachers in special education and related services. General education teachers can use workshops to acquire knowledge on current procedures for providing and accessing special education and services such as referral and pre-referral. Most importantly, general education teachers can use workshops to improve the methods they use for student evaluation. In this case, the teachers can familiarize themselves with commonly used tools and instruments for the assessment of students. The situation will enable them to formally and informally identify the strengths and weaknesses of each student (March, 2008). The teachers also familiarize themselves with the different informal and formal assessment techniques, including interviews, observations and student self-assessments. The insights gained from workshops on how to evaluate students enable the teachers to evaluate student performance based on ongoing techniques. As a result, the teacher can make instructional referrals and modifications appropriately. Teaching programs can also use seminars to prepare general education teachers on how to teach special needs students. In seminars, teachers receive instructions on how to teach and interact with students (DeBettencourt & Howard, 2007). For instance, they are given instructions on how to implement and develop lesson plans that meet the unique needs of each student. They also receive instructions on how to demonstrate knowledge of continuum placements and services for students with different abilities (Obiakor, Bakken & Rotatori, 2010). They can also update each other on how to plan, implement instructions and modify the instructions according to the unique learning characteristics of students. Most importantly, the seminars provide information and instructions on how the general teacher can integrate students of different abilities into the social and academic classroom community. General education teachers do not feel that they have been adequately prepared to teach the special needs students. These teachers feel that there is a need to introduce pre-service teachers to the special education legislation. In addition, it is necessary to inform pre-service teachers about the nature and characteristic of students with life-span needs and different abilities (Guyton & Rainer, 2004). In addition, these teachers feel that they do not receive the necessary instructions on differentiated instructions, positive behavioral support and different modifications and adaptations that can ensure students are accommodated in the classroom (Scruggs & Mastropieri, 2008). The programs should provide training and insights on how to evaluate the impact of associated factors on student’s learning. These factors include social perception, self-regulatory behaviors and social interactions. The programs should also provide training on how to interpret and administer different assessment measures in order to identify learning disabilities. General education teachers should receive instructions on how to work with a multi-disciplinary team in order to solve problems and determine eligibility for special education or pre-referral interventions. Conclusion Different strategies can prepare general educators in their education programs. Some of the most commonly used programs are seminars, workshops and collaborative teaching. Collaborative teaching gives different educators an opportunity to work together and improve educational outcomes. Workshops and seminars act as platforms for updating teachers on different educational strategies or approaches. These strategies are important because they ensure that teachers understand the limitations and biases of the assessment tools used during the evaluation of students. They also provide teachers with opportunities to determine the abilities of students, or use alternative grading procedures. References Anderson, R. J., Karp, J. M., & Keller, C. E. (2008). Enhancing diversity: Educators with disabilities. Washington, D.C: Gallaudet University Press. Bondy, E., & Ross, D. D. (2005). Preparing for inclusive teaching: Meeting the challenges of teacher education reform. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. DeBettencourt, L. U., & Howard, L. (2007). The effective special education teacher: A practical guide for success. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall. Guyton, E., & Rainer, D. J. (2004). Research linking teacher preparation and student performance. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. Lassonde, C. A. (2008). Current Issues in Teacher Education: History, Perspectives, and Implications. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher, LTD. Mamlin, N. (2012). Preparing effective special education teachers. New York: Guilford Press. March, E. (2008). Inclusive educational practices for students with disabilities within the European Union. (Dissertation Abstracts International, 69-11.) Monye, J. I. (2013). Exploring the evolution of special education practices: A systems approach. United States of America: Xlibris. Obiakor, F. E., Bakken, J. P., & Rotatori, A. F. (2010). Current issues and trends in special education: Research, technology, and teacher preparation. Bingley, UK: Emerald. Scruggs, T. E., & Mastropieri, M. A. (2008). Personnel preparation. Bingley, UK: JAI. Read More