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Preparing practicing teachers to teach in inclusive schools.

Article Excerpt
Abstract

A graduate course developed for both general education and special education teachers provides information and hands-on experiences to help teachers enhance their skills for effectively instructing and managing all students in inclusive settings. The course focuses on providing general information on best practices for instruction and collaboration between educators, updates on the laws regarding the education of all students in the least-restrictive environment, and opportunities for each class member to engage in a project that is centered on helping them to problem solve in their own schools. The course is co-taught by a special education professor and a general education professor to model the collaborative teaching process.

Introduction

Today's classroom teachers must prepare all students to meet society's complex demands. Not only must teachers address the growing demand for academic excellence, but they are also becoming increasingly responsible for meeting the needs of a diverse group of students, including those with disabilities and those who are at-risk for school failure (Cushner, McClellend, & Safford, 1996; Hardman, Drew, & Egan, 2002; Schoorman, D. 2002). These demands have resulted in the necessity of providing practical information regarding student characteristics, effective instructional and behavior management techniques, consultation skills, and individualized instruction to practicing teachers both in general education and special education roles (Davern, L. 1999; Pugach & Warger, 1993; Reinhiller, 1996; Webber, 1997).

The road toward inclusion continues to be a major challenge for most schools across the country. The difficulty for schools came about for several reasons. One reason is that the current classroom teachers were trained to either work in general education classrooms or in special education settings. Few general education teachers have had any coursework in special education and few special educators have had any training, in teaching in large group settings or have expertise in content areas normally taught by general educators (Burstein & Sears, 1998; Foley & Mundschenk, 1997). Neither group has been trained to work collaboratively or in co-teaching situations (Pugach & Johnson, 2002; Ferguson, 1998). Another reason is that teacher training programs in colleges and universities are not offering enough course work to train new...

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