A key factor in successful teacher education is designing activities that promote attainment of instructional objectives. However, in online teacher education there is little evidence regarding the types of activities that can be used to achieve specific objectives and variation from class to class while providing effective instruction. This study…

NCLB requires states to provide highly qualified educators for all students. Highly qualified educators should have content knowledge in the areas they teach and the pedagogical expertise to produce student educational gains. In this study, researchers examined the effects of an online mathematics methods class on preservice teachers' knowledge of…

This paper addresses the national quantity demand, supply, and shortage of special education teachers (SETs) in comparison to general education teachers (GETs). The main data source was the 1999-00 Schools and Staffing Survey. Results indicated that the total demand for SETs increased 38% from 240,000 in 1987-88 to 330,000 in 1999-00, a rate of…

In North Carolina, where the state must hire 10,000 teachers every year just to fill existing classrooms, highly qualified special education teachers are included in the top three areas of greatest teacher shortage, behind math and science. Such needs, which include an increase in teachers from ethnic minorities, challenge teacher educators to…

Schools face increasing diversity within their student population while teachers remain predominately White, female, and middle class. These contrasting demographics demand that teacher preparation programs produce culturally competent teachers who are able to work effectively with students and families from backgrounds different from their own.…

This study compared the influence of teacher and learner characteristics on general and special educators' predictions of student success. Two groups of teachers, 384 general educators and 384 special educators, reported year of experience and responded to case studies describing a student for whom gender, reading achievement, social behavior, and…

This study examined perspectives of field experiences among preservice teachers and their cooperating teachers because of debate in the politically charged atmosphere of No Child Left Behind regarding teacher preparation programs. Nine pairs of preservice and cooperating teachers were observed and interviewed over the course of a semester to…

Service-learning continues to be utilized in teacher education programs. A salient feature of this form of pedagogy is the use of reflection. Many instructors and students struggle with the reflection process. Particularly, instructors are challenged to assess students' reflection entries. This article describes a guided reflection rubric that was…

Students in the Unified Elementary/Special Education Program at the University of Florida are organized into cohort groups, a common recommendation within the special education teacher education literature. Although highly effective in some instances, the literature also documents numerous problems in the use of cohorts. The current study was…

Interdisciplinary teaming has been described as the pivotal component of blended, interdisciplinary teacher preparation for early childhood. A survey was conducted as a second national examination of the practices of faculty teams in blended teacher preparation programs. A time intensive search using diverse mechanisms and sources led to the…

Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) is a well-established, thoroughly validated instructional model. In this article, we discuss the rationale and steps for implementing it. We also provide practical information for use in teaching and evaluating strategy instruction. This article is intended to guide teacher educators as they help future…

Collaborative problem solving is an activity in which special education teachers and other school professionals work together to solve the academic or behavioral problems of their students. The purpose of this study was to understand preservice teachers' perceptions of a collaborative problem solving activity they implemented with other…

In teacher preparation most supervisory feedback is deferred, allowing learners to perform skills incorrectly and delivery of on-site immediate feedback may interrupt instructional flow. This study used a multiple baseline design to examine effects of immediate, corrective feedback delivered via wireless technology on completion of three-term…

Professional dispositions focus on behaviors reflective of effective teaching and professional interactions. The impetus and rationale for this initiative is discussed and the steps and timeline in development outlined. The resulting program is described along with procedures for implementation and proposed next steps. (Contains 2 figures.)

In Singapore, special education has traditionally been perceived as distinct from general education. Students with learning and behavioral difficulties in general education classrooms are often neglected. Typically, this is due to the fact that many general education teachers lack the competencies required to work with students with diverse…