TEACHING TEACHERS TO EDUCATE STUDENTS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES IN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS: WHAT ARE THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS LIKE. The inclusion of students with severe disabilities (SWSD) in general education is becoming more and more widespread. In addition, students with disabilities are accepted and valued as members of the general education class by both students and adults.
For example, teachers' attitudes toward inclusion have been shown to influence their self-perceived ability to educate students with special needs in the general education environment (Buell et al., 1999). Cook (2002) surveyed 181 undergraduate preservice general education teachers about their opinions about the inclusion of students with disabilities. Consistent with previous findings, the researchers observed significantly improved preschool teachers' attitudes toward inclusion for students with disabilities.
Practices in the preparation of pre-service teachers for teaching students with severe disabilities In light of the literature regarding effective teacher training for work with SWSD, it is. The study of preparing general education preservice teachers to work with SWSD in inclusive classrooms is in its early stages.
Demographics
The following section will serve as a description of the results of the TTPSSDQ that was distributed to 81 program directors of teacher education programs in NYS. Chapter four will begin with a presentation of the demographic data collected and then continue with the results of parts I-IV of the administered survey. In addition to reporting data from individual items in the TTPSSDQ, the results of several ancillary statistics.
All (n = 41) programs represented by respondents offered degrees in regular early childhood education, as this was a requirement of recruitment for participation. More than 90% of programs (n = 37) offered degrees in regular Adolescent Education, while 17% of programs (n = 7) offered degrees in regular Middle Childhood Education. Respondents were also asked to answer three questions about themselves as a means of obtaining further descriptive data about the demographics of the sample.
The average number of years the respondents spent in their respective programs, either as director or faculty member, was approximately 14 years (M = 14.10; SD = 6.10). Eleven (27%) respondents had been with their program for between five and nine years, 10 respondents had been with their program for between 10 and 14 years, 13. The average number of SWSD with whom the respondents had direct teaching experience was approximately eight students (M = 7.81; SD = 11.00).
In addition to sharing the number of SWSD with whom they had had direct teaching experience, respondents were also asked to select the proportion of the school day that they believed SWSD should be included in general education. It was felt that leaving the question open-ended would have led to vague answers such as "most of the school day" or "less than half of the school day". No program directors subscribed to the belief that SWSD should not be included in any part of the school day.
Curricular Content and Training Experiences
The majority of respondents (n stated that their degree covers special education law as a single topic within the broader course content. In contrast, about a third of respondents reported (n that their degree offers instruction in special education law through a dedicated course) In fact, more than half of respondents (n) that this was true of their program.
The results indicate that while the majority of participating programs (n) require an inclusive education course, this is not all the case, as 29% of respondents (n = 12) endorsed that their program does not require such a course. As an example, most of the respondents noted that their program does not teach differential instruction for SWSD (n = 29; 70%). Regarding item 8, 31 respondents (76%) endorsed that their training program includes assistive technology within a course that is not exclusive to that subject, while 10 respondents (24%) stated that their program teaches about tools.
The majority of respondents (n) answered item 9 that their program requires a course on UDL to complete the degree. Most respondents expressed that their program did not provide opportunities to practice embedded instruction and AAC. The data showed that few respondents (n = 8; 20%) reported that their program offered opportunities to work with SWSD.
Similarly, a minority of respondents (n) said that their program did not offer these types of experiences. Interestingly, the majority of respondents (n) reported that they did not know if their program did.
Professional dispositions towards students with severe disabilities. The survey items (17-20) used in Part III were used to answer the third and final research question
The final question in Part II, item 16, asked respondents to report how their program assesses their graduates' skills related to educating students with disabilities. A full breakdown of the results from Part I: Professional dispositions can be found in Table 7. Most of the respondents (n reported that their program actually evaluates graduates' professional dispositions toward persons with disabilities).
That being said, two respondents (5%) said their program did not, while four others (10%) said they did not know if these professional dispositions were assessed. When given a choice of four different response options for how the professional disposition towards people with disabilities assessed their program, the most popular response was using reflective essays. Indeed, of the 35 programs that assessed vocational friendliness to people with disabilities, 32 (91%) reported using reflective essays, while more than half (n = 19; 54%) also reported using research articles. for the same purpose.
The majority of respondents (n selected Don't Know, indicating that most of them did not know whether their candidates are encouraged to reflect on their professional attitudes towards SWSD. The mean coded response of 1.95 (SD = 1.00 ) suggests that, on average, Most respondents disagreed with the idea that candidates are required in their program to reflect on their professional attitudes towards SWSD. For three of the professional attitudes included in item 20, the majority of respondents agree or strongly agree, indicating that this professional attitude is a priority by most participants.
The professional attitudes for which the majority of respondents answered Agree or Disagree were the idea that being with typically developing peers is important for SWSD, that SWSD needs high educational expectations, and that SWSD should be educated with typically developing peers in - core academic classes. Conversely, only a minority of respondents endorsed agreement or strong agreement that their program prioritizes the professional attitudes that SWSD should be educated with typically-developing peers in core academies and that SWSD can be successfully educated in general education classrooms.
Supplemental questions. The TTPSSDQ also included two other items that
Of the programs in the sample, most reportedly do not teach this to their preservice teachers. The results of the current study also show that most programs in the sample do not assess candidates' knowledge of SWSD. A majority of current teacher training programs provide opportunities to practice creating classrooms and using positive behavioral supports for SWSD; however, these are again more related to supporting the presence of SWSD in general education.
The results of the current study reveal some of the methods that teacher education programs do and do not use to prepare their candidates to become SWSD teachers. Finally, the results of the study do not allow us to determine how well NYS teacher education programs prepare their preservice teachers as SWSD educators. Participation of students with moderate to severe disabilities in the general curriculum: the effects of the.
Validation of an inventory of best practices in the provision of supplemental and alternative communication services to students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. Evaluation of the effects of placement of students with severe disabilities in general education versus special classes. Collaborating to support at-risk students and students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms.
Participation in general education improves social contacts and friendship networks of students with severe disabilities. A comparison of instructional context, teacher behavior, and engaged behavior for students with severe disabilities in general education and self-contained elementary classrooms. 1993) Retrieved from http://www.pilcop.org/mills-v-board-of-education-of-the-clementon-school-district/.
In your opinion, which part of the school day is suitable for including more difficult students in general education.
Knowledge of Students with Severe Disabilities
The following questions are designed to gather information about the practices that general education programs use to build the candidate's knowledge, skills, and attitudes in working with students with severe disabilities in inclusive settings. As such, while answering these items, be aware that students with severe disabilities refers to school-aged children and youth who have one or more physical or mental impairments that severely limit one or more functional domains (e.g. .mobility, communication, self-care). academics, interpersonal skills) to such an extent that widespread and continuous support for equals is required. This population includes students with severe autism spectrum disorders, severe or profound intellectual disabilities, and multiple disabilities (including those caused by neuromuscular degenerative disorders such as cerebral palsy).
If yes, answer the following statement: The topic of including students with severe disabilities is explicitly taught. Does your general education program offer a course explicitly about educating students with severe disabilities. Candidates on your program gain pedagogical knowledge related to teaching students with severe disabilities.
Does your general education teacher training program require a course in Universal Design for Learning to complete the degree? Does your program assess knowledge related to the education of students with severe disabilities in any way. Faculty in my department have extensive knowledge of how to support students with severe disabilities in inclusive classrooms.
Skills Related to Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities
