Journal articles on the topic 'Special education teachers Victoria'

Given concern about the decreasing numbers of staff with qualifications in special education in Victorian government specialist schools (schools for students with special educational needs), a survey was distributed to all 81 of these schools to gather information about teacher qualifications and age. A very high response rate of 94% was obtained. The results showed a very wide range of numbers of staff possessing a special education qualification in different schools. It is of concern that in 15 schools (almost 20% of respondent schools) fewer than half the staff had special education qualifications, while in a further 33 schools (43%) between 50% and 79% of the staff had special education qualifications. To add to this concern, there was a large proportion of older teachers in the schools, with 70% of principals and 40% of teachers likely to retire over the next five years. The implications of this for the staffing of the specialist schools are discussed, leading to suggestions for the future.

As Australian schools move towards the twenty-frrst century more attention is being drawn to the professionalism of teachers. This has led to the recent publication of two NBEET reports, Teacher Education in Australia (September 1990) and Australia's Teachers: A Blueprint for the 90's (January 1991). These reports recognise the need for a reconceptualisation and urgent action in regards to the initial training and continuing education of Australia's teachers. Each goes into considerable detail about the need, scope and format of programs of professional development, and each highlights the importance of Employer/Higher Education Institution co-operation in such programs. The La Trobe University College of Northern Victoria and the Bendigo Regional Office of the Victorian Ministry of Education are in the process of developing this co-operation, especially in the post initial teacher education area. Through the Research Centre for Teacher Development at the La Trobe University College of Northern Victoria, a project is underway to develop this process in close consultation with, and the full co-operation of the Loddon Campaspe Mallee Regional Office. This paper reports on the initial outcome. Fifty-eight Primary Replacement Teachers (RTs) responded to a questionnaire regarding their employment status, professional qualifications, days worked in 1989 and 1990, and their in-service involvement and in-service needs. The investigation was undertaken in order to provide local Ministry and University College personnel with information to assist in planning future in-service needs for this particular group of teachers. In Victoria during 1990 the Ministry employed 40,000 teachers in primary, secondary and special schools. There is constantly a pool of 10,000 teachers on leave without pay from the Ministry. During the 1989-90 financial year 14,000 teachers were employed as Replacement Teachers in primary and secondary schools. Some of these Replacement Teachers came from the pool of teachers on leave without pay, but there is still a large group of teachers whose only source of employment is RT work.

AbstractThe inclusion of children with disabilities into the regular education classroom has resulted in many studies on teacher attitudes. Current research has examined teacher beliefs about inclusion, their concerns, and issues pertaining to their ability to cater effectively for children with disabilities in their classrooms. Despite this, there appears to be little research investigating potential associations between teacher attitudes and beliefs toward inclusion, their education levels, and teacher training. This study investigated the attitudes and beliefs of 36 general and special education/early intervention teachers in Victoria. Results of the study show that teachers with higher educational qualifications in special education were more positive about inclusion.

Purpose The Victorian School of Languages began on the margins of the Victorian education system in 1935 as a “special experiment” supported by the Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools, J.A Seitz. The purpose of this paper is to present a historical analysis of the first 15 years of the “special experiment” and it reports on the school’s fragile beginnings. Design/methodology/approach The historical analysis draws on archival materials, oral sources and other primary documents from the first 15 years of the Saturday language classes, to explore its fragile role and status within the Victorian education system. Findings The Saturday language classes were experimental in nature and were initially intended to pilot niche subjects in the languages curriculum. Despite support from influential stakeholders, widespread interest and a promising response from teachers and students, the student enrolments dwindled, especially in the war years. As fate would have it, the two languages initially established (Japanese and Italian) faced a hostile war environment and only just survived. Questions about the continuing viability of the classes were raised, but they were championed by Seitz. Originality/value To date, this is one of few scholarly explorations of the origins of the Victorian School of Languages, a school which became a model for Australia’s other State Specialist Language Schools. This paper contributes to the literature about the VSL, a school that existed on the margins but played a pioneering role in the expansion of the language curriculum in Victoria.

Des English was a person of great charm, innovation, and inner strength. His early death at the age of 44 in 1977 came as a bitter blow not only for his family but for the many teachers and parents he had influenced and guided in respectively providing and in seeking educational opportunities for children with disabilities. Des grew up in a small town in Victoria called Donnybrook, north of Melbourne. He was educated by the Marist Brothers at Kilmore College, and in the 50’s trained as a primary teacher at Geelong Teachers College, from which he gained an extension of one year to study as a Special Teacher at Melbourne Teachers College. His first appointment was as an Opportunity Grade teacher at North Melbourne State School. His talent for leadership surfaced early and in his second appointment he became Principal of Footscray Special School for children and adolescents with intellectual disability. Throughout the rest of his career he gained one promotion after another to the Principal positions at Ormond, Travencore and St. Alban’s Special schools. I was fortunate to work as a deputy principal with him throughout his last two appointments.

AbstractThis article reports on the results of a survey distributed in April 2007 to government special education schools and settings throughout Australia. The survey collected information about the age and special education qualifications of teaching staff. It followed a similar survey that was distributed in May 2006 to Victorian special schools that found that 44.9% of teachers and principals were aged 50 years or more, and 68.9% had a special education qualification. In the current survey, the percentage of principals and teachers aged 50 years or more in the responding schools ranged from 37.5% in New South Wales to 51.0% in the Australian Capital Territory. The percentage of special education qualified staff varied from 53.1% in the Australian Capital Territory to 86.6% in Western Australia. These results are examined in further detail and possible implications discussed.

Literature regarding the transition of students from primary to secondary school indicates that all students face a number of problems centring around the school environment, academic adjustment (teachers and curriculum) and social environment. These problems are likely to be exacerbated for students with disabilities or special needs. There is limited research into the transition of the general student population from primary to secondary school and virtually none regarding the transition of students with disabilities or special needs. This study concentrated on the transition from primary to secondary school of students with disabilities or special needs in Victorian mainstream Catholic schools. One hundred and ten teachers from 109 schools completed questionnaires. Findings suggested a considerable level of concern for the transition of this particular group of students and support for a number of specific activities and procedures to facilitate smooth transition and communication between school levels. Support was found to be greater in theory than practice.

The area of severe intellectual disability has received little attention in Australian research. This Victorian study examined the issue of access to curricula in post primary school and special school placements for a group of students with severe intellectual disability. Results from the investigation indicated: that parents were generally dissatisfied with the lack of choice available regarding educational placements and the lack of opportunity for them to contribute in a supportive manner to their daughter's/son's schooling: that teachers in post primary schools reported an urgent need for special training or for specialised staff to assist them with curricular modification: and that the female students in this group experienced disadvantage in several curricular areas.

AbstractThe aim of the research described in this article was to build a protocol for describing students' development of emotional knowledge and understanding, and to tailor this to the requirements of assessing the progress of students with additional needs. The paper reports the establishment of such a developmental profile, using procedures for defining standards-referenced frameworks (Griffin, 2007) to create an observation questionnaire of students' emotional skills. This approach relies on the knowledge and collaboration of experienced teachers and researchers in the fields of special education and emotional development to establish an hypothesised framework of critical skills, observable behaviour statements, and developmental criteria that map qualitative transitions in student performance. The framework was subsequently validated against observation data gathered by teachers in 2007, from 77 Victorian government schools (21 mainstream, 56 special education) on 1597 students (3 to 18 years) with additional needs. Their responses were calibrated using partial credit item response modelling to empirically identify major transitions in students' emotional development and to establish the construct validity of the profile. In the area of students' emotional development, teachers have limited access to information that supports their assessment of progress and underpins decisions about setting goals for learning and appraising teaching strategies. The proposed article describes early stages of a research program that attempts to redress this situation by working with teachers to develop an appropriate and inclusive profile of emotional development for students with additional needs.

This paper shows that bilingual education has a long tradition in Australia. In the 19th century, primary and secondary schools operating German-English, French-English or Gaelic-English programs, or ones with a Hebrew component, existed in different parts of Australia. The most common bilingual schools were Lutheran rural day schools but there were also many private schools. They believed in the universal value of bilingualism, and some attracted children from English-speaking backgrounds. Bilingual education was for language maintenance, ethno-religious continuity or second language acquisition. The languages were usually divided according to subject and time of day or teacher. The programs were strongest in Melbourne, Adelaide and rural South Australia and Victoria. In Queensland, attitudes and settlement patterns led to the earlier demise of bilingual education. The education acts led to a decline in bilingual education except in elitist girls or rural primary schools and an increase in part-time language programs. Bilingual education was stopped by wartime legislation. It is intended that bilingualism can flourish unless monolingualism is given special preference.

Although home–school collaborations are important for inclusive education, most studies have identified the problems experienced by parents whose children have additional special needs. The aim of this study was to present the views of Australian parents, with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, regarding what they considered to be the enablers for inclusion, within the context of their experiences of a program of support in inclusive schools (a Victorian State Government initiative called the Inclusion Support Program). Four focus group interviews were conducted, within a phenomenological, qualitative paradigm, with 14 mothers, in rural and urban primary and secondary public schools. Parents identified various innovations including the provision of a safe space, structured school and free time, flexibility around timetable, curriculum and staffing and the provision of socially attractive activities. Another theme was the potential for schools to be a ‘catalyst point’ to bring together parents, teachers and community agencies. The importance of eliciting parental expertise is highlighted here.

Since the nineteenth century, the history of childhood has been inextricably linked to the history of schooling. Throughout the period of state-provided schooling, the approach to teaching the youngest children, originally from five but currently usually from three years old, has been contentious. This article looks at Susan Isaacs as a major figure in the shaping of views about early childhood education and thus in the history of contemporary childhood. It surveys her rather special position as someone who was herself a child in the urban late Victorian school system when schooling became compulsory for all, and who later combined radical innovation in the combination of educational theory and practice. She experienced for a period the running of a small experimental primary school on a daily basis, yet also engaged in high level academic research and writing which was founded on psychological, educational and, unusually for the time, observational principles. She thus provided evidence-based thinking for policy making at a crucial point in England’s educational history (The 1944 Education Act). Her early life, her neighbourhood as shown by the 1901 census and the educational significance of her position on the value of assessment through detailed observation are discussed within the overall context of the last one hundred and thirty years of educational change. This reveals the principles which formed during her childhood and which teachers who work with young children share now even though these are challenged by current government policy. This article focuses on educational policy in England, as the other countries of the UK have at times evolved separate structures for their school systems.

Cognitive learning during the COVID-19 pandemic encountered many obstacles, but the use of various gadgets could be an effective solution in early childhood learning, especially to prepare them to enter the elementary school level. This study aims to describe the online cognitive learning process (OCL) in early childhood during the COVID-19 and new era of the pandemic through integrated technology and hybrid learning. This study uses a qualitative approach with a case study involving two ECE teachers and one principal. Data analysis using Miles and Huberman models. The findings of this study explain the importance of the teacher's role in OCL and its constraints, how parent-teacher collaboration is the key to successful cognitive improvement through online learning, and the implementation of OCL through effective learning to prevent learning loss. Further research in distance and hybrid learning, especially for early childhood, is expected to give birth to various new learning models and methods that are integrated with technology towards online teaching-learning when needed. Keywords: early childhood, cognitive online learning, integrated technology, hybrid learning References: Ansari, A., & Purtell, K. M. (2017). Activity settings in full-day kindergarten classrooms and children’s early learning. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 38, 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.09.003 Bacher-Hicks, A., Goodman, J., & Mulhern, C. (2021). Inequality in household adaptation to schooling shocks: Covid-induced online learning engagement in real time. Journal of Public Economics, 193, 104345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104345 Borup, J., Graham, C. R., West, R. E., Archambault, L., & Spring, K. J. (2020). Academic Communities of Engagement: An expansive lens for examining support structures in blended and online learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 807–832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09744-x Danovitch, J. H. (2019). Growing up with Google: How children’s understanding and use of internet‐based devices relates to cognitive development. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1(2), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbe2.142 Davies, T. (2016). Mind change: How digital technologies are leaving their mark on our brains. New Media & Society, 18(9), 2139–2141. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816652614 Davis, A. N., Carlo, G., Gulseven, Z., Palermo, F., Lin, C.-H., Nagel, S. C., Vu, D. C., Vo, P. H., Ho, T. L., & McElroy, J. A. (2019). Exposure to environmental toxicants and young children’s cognitive and social development. Reviews on Environmental Health, 34(1), 35–56. https://doi.org/doi:10.1515/reveh-2018-0045 Dias, M. J. A., Almodóvar, M., Atiles, J. T., Vargas, A. C., & Zúñiga León, I. M. (2020). Rising to the Challenge: Innovative early childhood teachers adapt to the COVID-19 era. Childhood Education, 96(6), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2020.1846385 Dong, C., Cao, S., & Li, H. (2020). Young children’s online learning during COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese parents’ beliefs and attitudes. Children and Youth Services Review, 118, 105440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105440 Engzell, P., Frey, A., & Verhagen, M. D. (2021). Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(17), e2022376118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2022376118 Ford, T. G., Kwon, K.-A., & Tsotsoros, J. D. (2021). Early childhood distance learning in the U.S. during the COVID pandemic: Challenges and opportunities. Children and Youth Services Review, 131, 106297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106297 Graham, C. R., Borup, J., Pulham, E., & Larsen, R. (2019). K–12 Blended Teaching Readiness: Model and Instrument Development. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(3), 239–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2019.1586601 Hassan, M. N., Abdullah, A. H., Ismail, N., Suhud, S. N. A., & Hamzah, M. H. (2018). Mathematics Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Education Based on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.12973/iejme/3960 Hrastinski, S., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Stenbom, S. (2018). Tutoring online tutors: Using digital badges to encourage the development of online tutoring skills: Tutoring online tutors. British Journal of Educational Technology, 49(1), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12525 Hu, X., Chiu, M. M., Leung, W. M. V., & Yelland, N. (2021). Technology integration for young children during COVID‐19: Towards future online teaching. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(4), 1513–1537. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13106 Hu, X., & Yelland, N. (2017). An investigation of preservice early childhood teachers’ adoption of ICT in a teaching practicum context in Hong Kong. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 38(3), 259–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2017.1335664 Hu, X., & Yelland, N. (2019). Changing Learning Ecologies in Early Childhood Teacher Education: From Technology to stem Learning. Beijing International Review of Education, 1(2–3), 488–506. https://doi.org/10.1163/25902539-00102005 Huber, B., Tarasuik, J., Antoniou, M. N., Garrett, C., Bowe, S. J., & Kaufman, J. (2016). Young children’s transfer of learning from a touchscreen device. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 56–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.010 Jong, M. S. Y. (2016). Teachers’ concerns about adopting constructivist online game-based learning in formal curriculum teaching: The VISOLE experience. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(4), 601–617. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12247 Joubert, I., & Harrison, G. D. (2021). Revisiting Piaget, his contribution to South African early childhood education. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7–8), 1002–1012. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2021.1896499 Kesäläinen, J., Suhonen, E., Alijoki, A., & Sajaniemi, N. (2022). Children’s play behaviour, cognitive skills and vocabulary in integrated early childhood special education groups. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 26(3), 284–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1651410 Kim, J. (2020). Learning and Teaching Online During Covid-19: Experiences of Student Teachers in an Early Childhood Education Practicum. International Journal of Early Childhood, 52(2), 145–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00272-6 Kuhfeld, M., Soland, J., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Liu, J. (2020). Projecting the Potential Impact of COVID-19 School Closures on Academic Achievement. Educational Researcher, 49(8), 549–565. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20965918 Lau, E. Y. H., & Lee, K. (2020). Parents’ Views on Young Children’s Distance Learning and Screen Time During COVID-19 Class Suspensio. Early Education and Development, 19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1843925 Lau, E. Y. H., & Ng, M. L. (2019). Are they ready for home-school partnership? Perspectives of kindergarten principals, teachers and parents. Children and Youth Services Review, 99, 10–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.01.019 Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (Third edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. Mirau, E. (2017). Online Learning for Early Childhood Education Students [University of Victoria]. https://dspace.library.uvic.ca//handle/1828/8513 Neumann, D., Peterson, E. R., Underwood, L., Morton, S. M. B., & Waldie, K. E. (2021). The development of cognitive functioning indices in early childhood. Cognitive Development, 60, 101098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101098 Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(2), 173–182. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1 Peng, P., & Kievit, R. A. (2020). The Development of Academic Achievement and Cognitive Abilities: A Bidirectional Perspective. Child Development Perspectives, 14(1), 15–20. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12352 Pérez-Pereira, M., Fernández, M. P., Gómez-Taibo, M. L., Martínez-López, Z., & Arce, C. (2020). A Follow-Up Study of Cognitive Development in Low Risk Preterm Children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072380 Ranjitkar, S., Hysing, M., Kvestad, I., Shrestha, M., Ulak, M., Shilpakar, J. S., Sintakala, R., Chandyo, R. K., Shrestha, L., & Strand, T. A. (2019). Determinants of Cognitive Development in the Early Life of Children in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02739 Reuben, A., Arseneault, L., Belsky, D. W., Caspi, A., Fisher, H. L., Houts, R. M., Moffitt, T. E., & Odgers, C. (2019). Residential neighborhood greenery and children’s cognitive development. Social Science & Medicine, 230, 271–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.04.029 Richardson, J. C., Maeda, Y., Lv, J., & Caskurlu, S. (2017). Social presence in relation to students’ satisfaction and learning in the online environment: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 402–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.001 Saeed, M., Malik, R. N., & Kamal, A. (2020). Fluorosis and cognitive development among children (6–14 years of age) in the endemic areas of the world: A review and critical analysis. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(3), 2566–2579. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06938-6 Schoon, I., Nasim, B., & Cook, R. (2021). Social inequalities in early childhood competences, and the relative role of social and emotional versus cognitive skills in predicting adult outcomes. British Educational Research Journal, 47(5), 1259–1280. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3724 Simon, L., Nusinovici, S., Flamant, C., Cariou, B., Rouger, V., Gascoin, G., Darmaun, D., Rozé, J.-C., & Hanf, M. (2017). Post-term growth and cognitive development at 5 years of age in preterm children: Evidence from a prospective population-based cohort. PLOS ONE, 12(3), e0174645. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174645 Singh, J., Steele, K., & Singh, L. (2021). Combining the Best of Online and Face-to-Face Learning: Hybrid and Blended Learning Approach for COVID-19, Post Vaccine, & Post-Pandemic World. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 50(2), 140–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472395211047865 Szente, J. (2020). Live Virtual Sessions with Toddlers and Preschoolers Amid COVID-19: Implications for Early Childhood Teacher Education. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2), 373–380. Taylor, M. E., & Boyer, W. (2020). Play-Based Learning: Evidence-Based Research to Improve Children’s Learning Experiences in the Kindergarten Classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 48(2), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-019-00989-7 Thai, K. P., & Ponciano, L. (2016). Improving Outcomes for At-Risk Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Students with a Digital Learning Resource. 31. Trikoilis, D., & Papanastasiou, E. C. (2020). The Potential of Research for Professional Development in Isolated Settings During the Covid-19 Crisis and Beyond. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 28(2), 295–300. Troseth, G. L., & Strouse, G. A. (2017). Designing and using digital books for learning: The informative case of young children and video. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 12, 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2016.12.002 Watanabe, N. (2019). Effective Simple Mathematics Play at Home in Early Childhood: Promoting both Non-cognitive and Cognitive Skills in Early Childhood. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/5739 Zauche, L. H., Thul, T. A., Mahoney, A. E. D., & Stapel-Wax, J. L. (2016). Influence of language nutrition on children’s language and cognitive development: An integrated review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 36, 318–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.01.015

Rural schools face unique challenges recruiting teachers. Rural school administrators report difficulties finding qualified applicants. Unique challenges rural special education teachers face, e.g., working with a more diverse group of students including those with significant disabilities, heighten the difficulties rural administrators experience when recruiting and retaining qualified special education teachers. Leveraging university/rural school partnerships, e.g., resident teacher university/school partnerships, can help rural schools recruit and retain qualified special education teachers. This article describes the Teachers College Special Education Fellowship Program (TCSEFP), a virtual residency in teaching program. This program established virtual partnerships between the university and numerous rural school districts throughout the state. The article includes a description of the program, evaluation data, and implications for other virtual university/school residency in teaching programs.

The Professional Development for Special Educators program was first developed in 1986 as a response to a need within the Archdiocese of Canberra-Goulburn. At that time the Archdiocese employed approximately 40 full-time and/or parttime Special Education Resource Teachers to work in regular primary schools. In the preceding years the following had become apparent: •the nature of the role of the special educator in the regular school was changing;•the expectations of the special educator, held by classroom teachers and principals, were diverse and at times unclear;•the special educator was often unsure of his/her role and of how best to respond to the needs within the school;•the level of expertise and experience of the special educators varied greatly.

It is essential that special education teachers help and support regular education teachers so tat they can work effectively with special needs students in their classes. Students with disabilities need modified lesson plans and methods of teaching in order to succeed and since the majority of teachers in regular education are not trained to work with special needs students, it becomes important that they collaborate with special education to teachers to provide the needed support for those students. Hence, the current study aimed at identifying the level of practicing collaboration between special education teachers and regular education teachers in Abu Dhabi school district. The study sample consisted of 135 teachers; 75 regular education teachers and 60 special education teachers. A researcher designed questionnaire based on extensive review of literature was used and the final version of the questionnaire consisted of ten items. Analysis of data revealed that the level of collaboration between special education teachers and regular education teachers was medium; also no significant differences were found between teachers based on gender, however a significant difference was found between teachers based on the level of education being better for those with higher education.

Twenty traditionally licensed first-year teachers and 20 first-year teachers with emergency provisional licensure were observed and evaluated by an experienced supervisor, unaware of licensure status, using a teacher rating scale with three subscales, based on a framework for teaching developed by Danielson (1996). The subscales included planning and preparation, classroom environment, and instruction. Teachers also completed self-ratings on a similar scale. Across all measures, traditionally licensed teachers were rated statistically significantly higher than were teachers holding emergency provisional licensure. Differences between the two groups were substantial, with effect sizes exceeding 1.5 standard deviation units. In sharp contrast, the two teacher groups did not rate themselves significantly different in teaching competence.

To determine the extent to which knowledge of evidence-based reading instruction and mathematics is assessed on licensure tests for prospective special education teachers, this study drew on information provided by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence, and National Evaluation Systems (now Evaluation Systems group of Pearson). It estimated the percentage of test items on phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary knowledge and on mathematics content. It also analyzed descriptions of ETS’s tests of “principles of teaching and learning.” Findings imply that prospective special education teachers should be required to take both a dedicated test of evidence-based reading instructional knowledge, as in California, Massachusetts, and Virginia, and a test of mathematical knowledge, as in Massachusetts. States must design their own tests of teaching principles to assess knowledge of evidence-based educational theories.

THIS EMIC, QUALITATIVE STUDY EXAMINES HOW MASTER'S-LEVEL SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS OPER-ATIONALIZED CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHING. WE ANALYZED 21 VIDEOTAPED TEACHING DEMONSTRATIONS AND INFORMATION GLEANED FROM THE TEACHERS' ESSAYS, JOURNALS, AND UNIVERSITY CLASS DISCUSSIONS TO DESCRIBE THE TEACHERS' BELIEFS (TRADITIONAL), THE INSTRUCTIONAL TASKS THEY DEVISED (HANDS-ON AND TEXT-BASED), AND THE DYNAMIC INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS THEY PURSUED: (A) STRUCTURE AND ORDERLINESS, (B) SHARED TASK UNDERSTANDING, (C) OBJECTIFICATION OF KNOWLEDGE, (D) INDEPENDENT USE OF KNOWLEDGE, AND (E) POSITIVE MOTIVATION AND AFFECT. THEIR LESSONS VARIED CONSIDERABLY FROM WHAT WE HAD MODELED IN THEIR UNIVERSITY CLASS AND FROM THE LITERATURE DESCRIPTIONS OF CONSTRUCTIVIST TEACHING, WHICH EMPHASIZE STUDENT MEANING MAKING THROUGH SELF-REGULATION, SOCIAL INTERACTION, AND PROBLEM SOLVING. OUR PURPOSES WERE TO PROVIDE A RICH DESCRIPTION OF THE WAY PRACTITIONERS FRAME AND TRANSFORM THEIR FIRST EXPOSURE TO CONSTRUCTIVISM AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO A SCHOLARLY DISCOURSE IN WHICH PRACTICE INFORMS THE KNOWLEDGE BASE OF THE PROFESSION.

For some time, special education has been plagued by shortages of qualified teaching staff and by high turnover rates for these staff. While several factors—external, employment and personal—are largely responsible for this situation, the research demonstrates that the initial professional experiences of early career teachers are closely associated with their longevity in the field. This paper reviews the literature on mentoring support for beginning teachers, mentoring models and the use of information technologies in mentoring support. The paper concludes with recommendations for methods of support for Australian early career special-education teachers.

Current educational practices indicate that an increasing number of students with disabilities may now be receiving health education services through specialist health education teachers instead of special education teachers. In this survey, we explored the extent to which special education teachers in the state of nebraska taught health education to students with disabilities and how prepared they felt they were to teach in this area. Results of the study showed that almost one third of the special education teachers responding to the survey taught health education to students with disabilities but also indicated that many of these teachers did not perceive themselves as being adequately prepared or confident in their ability to address health education issues related to students with disabilities. Further research and curriculum development for teaching health to students with disabilities are recommended.

Teachers’ self-efficacy is important as it affects their views on their ability to teach. In special education, self-efficacy is particularly critical because it helps teachers understand and assist students with special educational needs (SEND). The main objective of the current study was to examine special and general education teachers’ self-efficacy for inclusive practices at Greek secondary education schools and how teachers’ age, gender, teaching experience, and training affect their self-efficacy for inclusive practices. The current research is primary, quantitative, correlational, between and within groups, and has a non-experimental design. A sample was conducted by 265 general and special education teachers. The Teacher Efficacy for Inclusive Practices (TEIP) scale was used to measure teachers’ perceived self-efficacy to implement inclusive classroom practices. Results indicated that teachers of special education presented higher efficacy in using inclusive instructions, collaborating, and dealing with disruptive behaviors. The training was considered a significant factor that affected attitudes of self-efficacy towards inclusive practices. Demographic characteristics, such as age and gender, do not seem to be significant factors in the formation of self-efficacy towards inclusive practices, while the effect of teaching experience in special education was statistically significant on all components of the self-efficacy scale.

Abstract It has been an academic year like no other for teachers, students and parents alike. Months of online teaching have left an enduring legacy and shown how IT and technology are changing education rapidly, writes Victoria Temple, Senior Press Officer at BCS.

This study was conducted with the purpose of finding out the opinions of teachers working at special education centers about inclusive education. The study was conducted with teachers working at a special education center in Famagusta, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, in the academic year of 2016-2017. Qualitative methodology was used in the research. Using semi-structured interview technique, face-to-face interviews were held with teachers of various ages, length of service, gender and of different undergraduate and graduate degrees who work at the special education center. Face-to-face interviews were recorded with voice recorders. The teachers were first informed on the reason of the interview and the reason for which the data would be used. Descriptive analysis technique was used in the analysis of data. According to research findings, teachers working at the special education center stated that there was no special education and inclusion law in Northern Cyprus, that the law should be passed at once, that inclusive education should be regulated with this law and arbitrary practices should be ended and that uncertainties should be eliminated. They emphasized that school managers and teachers were inadequate and ignorant about inclusive education, that especially teachers were unable to prepare and implement BEP programs, and that both teachers and managers should be subjected to compulsory on-the-job training on inclusive education. They argued that supporting education services were inadequate, special education teachers should be assigned to schools where inclusive education was offered and teachers should be given sufficient support and supportive education rooms should be designed and used properly. In conclusion, teachers working at special education centre suggested that the problems in inclusive education were entirely caused by legal gaps; that existing laws were inadequate for which reason a special education and inclusion law should be passed immediately and emphasis should be given to on-the-job training activities. Keywords: Inclusion/integration, special education, special education teachers, opinions on inclusion / integration.