Educators from four states participated in a pilot study to enhance and field-test an assessment ... more Educators from four states participated in a pilot study to enhance and field-test an assessment guide for assisting teams in creating student-centered behavior plans. The assessment guide attempts to consciously match the multilayered tenets of positive behavior support with the behavioral intervention and support process for maximum effectiveness. The guide is a map that assists a teaching team in considering all relevant aspects of a supportive behavior plan to help the student succeed in the school environment and beyond.
The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of co-teachers.Students with dis... more The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of co-teachers.Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely as their peers withoutdisabilities to leave school early (Kortering & Braziel, 2002; Wilson & Michaels,2006). Students in two inclusive classrooms in an urban middle school participated ininterviews about their perceptions of being in a co-taught class. Data from the studentinterviews indicated that students were positive about having two adults in theclassroom, however, willingness to ask for assistance varied across environments.Acceptance of instruction and discipline from either teacher also varied fromclassroom to classroom. The findings from this study illustrated the need for inclusionto apply to all members of the classroom—students and teachers. When teachers’ rolesare reduced to that of an assistant or aide in the classroom, the students show anawareness of that power differential and status. Implications of the study suggestedthat parity...
Microteaching is a way of doing professional development for teachers wanting to incorporate new ... more Microteaching is a way of doing professional development for teachers wanting to incorporate new evidence-based and high-leverage practices into their instructional toolboxes. Given how much work is required in teaching and the limited time professionals have available, microteaching is an accessible process that supports instructional improvement by practicing evidence-based and high leverage strategies. Professionals, working with a small group of peers, engage a four-phase process that includes planning, enactment of a strategy, as well as individual and group reflection. Professionals use the opportunity to explore a teaching strategy that is responsive to student needs in the context of critical friends. Having an opportunity to try it out before introducing it in the classroom can be a valuable way to work out bugs, discover aspects that need development, and build a sense of efficacy. Microteaching is a way to support collegial growth by seeing into each other’s classroom pra...
Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for di... more Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for diverse K-12 classrooms, faculty at one Midwestern university redesigned their education program to prepare preservice teachers for dual licensure in general and special education. The redesign required middle childhood faculty to learn more about complex conceptual frameworks that are prioritized in school districts across the country. One of these, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), became a non-negotiable component of the new program. An essential learning outcome became preparing pre-service teachers to utilize UDL. After the program was approved, content-area faculty questioned whether they were prepared to implement the framework. Having varied expertise in UDL, faculty wondered if they were teaching UDL effectively, and questioned whether they were modeling UDL concepts with fidelity in their own teaching. Thus, the Dual Licensure Implementation Team (DLIT) was born. This case stu...
Research Anthology on Inclusive Practices for Educators and Administrators in Special Education, 2022
Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for di... more Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for diverse K-12 classrooms, faculty at one Midwestern university redesigned their education program to prepare preservice teachers for dual licensure in general and special education. The redesign required middle childhood faculty to learn more about complex conceptual frameworks that are prioritized in school districts across the country. One of these, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), became a non-negotiable component of the new program. An essential learning outcome became preparing pre-service teachers to utilize UDL. After the program was approved, content-area faculty questioned whether they were prepared to implement the framework. Having varied expertise in UDL, faculty wondered if they were teaching UDL effectively, and questioned whether they were modeling UDL concepts with fidelity in their own teaching. Thus, the Dual Licensure Implementation Team (DLIT) was born. This case stu...
Although mobile phones and tablets can be effective tools for searching and retrieving informatio... more Although mobile phones and tablets can be effective tools for searching and retrieving information efficiently, accessing interactive learning platforms, and capturing audio/video, the inappropriate use of mobile devices can create distractions in the classroom that are detrimental to learning. This column presents a classroom management strategy for reducing the inappropriate use of mobile devices and increasing academic engagement in middle and high school classrooms, including students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
As the capabilities of portable technology continue to advance and become more accessible, educat... more As the capabilities of portable technology continue to advance and become more accessible, educators express concern about the impact of the inappropriate use of mobile devices on academic engagement and learning. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness of an antecedent (Clear Box) intervention and an interdependent group contingency (Clear Box + Good Behavior Game [GBG]) intervention to typical classroom management techniques (Control) in increasing the academic engagement and decreasing mobile device use of high school students during instruction. The results indicate an increase in academic engagement and a decrease in the inappropriate presence of mobile devices in both classrooms with the implementation of the Clear Box + GBG, as compared with the Clear Box and Control conditions. In addition, teacher and student social validity data suggested that teachers and students viewed the Clear Box + GBG intervention favorably. Discussion focuses on contr...
fied learning disability, was extremely social. Her friends were her life, and school gave her ac... more fied learning disability, was extremely social. Her friends were her life, and school gave her access to her friends. Friendships were important to her; she was good with people. At the start of the year, Katie wasn’t interested in math—she rarely participated. Her stock response to her math teacher was, “Who cares?” As the year progressed, math increasingly engaged her attention and interest. Katie explained, “I like PALS because you can help people understand and if I’m confused about something, or I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, my pal would help me.” Later in the year, she even prepared a PowerPoint presentation on peer-assisted learning strategies to assist her teachers in a regional middle school educator conference.
Educators from four states participated in a pilot study to enhance and field-test an assessment ... more Educators from four states participated in a pilot study to enhance and field-test an assessment guide for assisting teams in creating student-centered behavior plans. The assessment guide attempts to consciously match the multilayered tenets of positive behavior support with the behavioral intervention and support process for maximum effectiveness. The guide is a map that assists a teaching team in considering all relevant aspects of a supportive behavior plan to help the student succeed in the school environment and beyond.
The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of co-teachers.Students with dis... more The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of co-teachers.Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely as their peers withoutdisabilities to leave school early (Kortering & Braziel, 2002; Wilson & Michaels,2006). Students in two inclusive classrooms in an urban middle school participated ininterviews about their perceptions of being in a co-taught class. Data from the studentinterviews indicated that students were positive about having two adults in theclassroom, however, willingness to ask for assistance varied across environments.Acceptance of instruction and discipline from either teacher also varied fromclassroom to classroom. The findings from this study illustrated the need for inclusionto apply to all members of the classroom—students and teachers. When teachers’ rolesare reduced to that of an assistant or aide in the classroom, the students show anawareness of that power differential and status. Implications of the study suggestedthat parity...
Microteaching is a way of doing professional development for teachers wanting to incorporate new ... more Microteaching is a way of doing professional development for teachers wanting to incorporate new evidence-based and high-leverage practices into their instructional toolboxes. Given how much work is required in teaching and the limited time professionals have available, microteaching is an accessible process that supports instructional improvement by practicing evidence-based and high leverage strategies. Professionals, working with a small group of peers, engage a four-phase process that includes planning, enactment of a strategy, as well as individual and group reflection. Professionals use the opportunity to explore a teaching strategy that is responsive to student needs in the context of critical friends. Having an opportunity to try it out before introducing it in the classroom can be a valuable way to work out bugs, discover aspects that need development, and build a sense of efficacy. Microteaching is a way to support collegial growth by seeing into each other’s classroom pra...
Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for di... more Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for diverse K-12 classrooms, faculty at one Midwestern university redesigned their education program to prepare preservice teachers for dual licensure in general and special education. The redesign required middle childhood faculty to learn more about complex conceptual frameworks that are prioritized in school districts across the country. One of these, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), became a non-negotiable component of the new program. An essential learning outcome became preparing pre-service teachers to utilize UDL. After the program was approved, content-area faculty questioned whether they were prepared to implement the framework. Having varied expertise in UDL, faculty wondered if they were teaching UDL effectively, and questioned whether they were modeling UDL concepts with fidelity in their own teaching. Thus, the Dual Licensure Implementation Team (DLIT) was born. This case stu...
Research Anthology on Inclusive Practices for Educators and Administrators in Special Education, 2022
Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for di... more Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for diverse K-12 classrooms, faculty at one Midwestern university redesigned their education program to prepare preservice teachers for dual licensure in general and special education. The redesign required middle childhood faculty to learn more about complex conceptual frameworks that are prioritized in school districts across the country. One of these, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), became a non-negotiable component of the new program. An essential learning outcome became preparing pre-service teachers to utilize UDL. After the program was approved, content-area faculty questioned whether they were prepared to implement the framework. Having varied expertise in UDL, faculty wondered if they were teaching UDL effectively, and questioned whether they were modeling UDL concepts with fidelity in their own teaching. Thus, the Dual Licensure Implementation Team (DLIT) was born. This case stu...
Although mobile phones and tablets can be effective tools for searching and retrieving informatio... more Although mobile phones and tablets can be effective tools for searching and retrieving information efficiently, accessing interactive learning platforms, and capturing audio/video, the inappropriate use of mobile devices can create distractions in the classroom that are detrimental to learning. This column presents a classroom management strategy for reducing the inappropriate use of mobile devices and increasing academic engagement in middle and high school classrooms, including students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
As the capabilities of portable technology continue to advance and become more accessible, educat... more As the capabilities of portable technology continue to advance and become more accessible, educators express concern about the impact of the inappropriate use of mobile devices on academic engagement and learning. An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness of an antecedent (Clear Box) intervention and an interdependent group contingency (Clear Box + Good Behavior Game [GBG]) intervention to typical classroom management techniques (Control) in increasing the academic engagement and decreasing mobile device use of high school students during instruction. The results indicate an increase in academic engagement and a decrease in the inappropriate presence of mobile devices in both classrooms with the implementation of the Clear Box + GBG, as compared with the Clear Box and Control conditions. In addition, teacher and student social validity data suggested that teachers and students viewed the Clear Box + GBG intervention favorably. Discussion focuses on contr...
fied learning disability, was extremely social. Her friends were her life, and school gave her ac... more fied learning disability, was extremely social. Her friends were her life, and school gave her access to her friends. Friendships were important to her; she was good with people. At the start of the year, Katie wasn’t interested in math—she rarely participated. Her stock response to her math teacher was, “Who cares?” As the year progressed, math increasingly engaged her attention and interest. Katie explained, “I like PALS because you can help people understand and if I’m confused about something, or I didn’t know what I was doing wrong, my pal would help me.” Later in the year, she even prepared a PowerPoint presentation on peer-assisted learning strategies to assist her teachers in a regional middle school educator conference.
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