Curriculum Mapping in Higher Education: A Vehicle for Collaboration

This qualitative study makes the case for the implementation of curriculum mapping, a procedure that creates a visual representation of curriculum based on real time information, as a way to increase collaboration and collegiality in higher education. Through the use of curriculum mapping, eleven faculty members in a western state university Teacher Licensure program aligned and revised the teacher education curriculum across a sequence of courses. An increase in collaboration and collegiality among faculty emerged as an unintended outcome as a result of participation in the project. Kay Pippin Uchiyama  is currently the Assessment Coordinator for the Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Colorado. During this study, she was an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at Colorado State University and a co-primary investigator for the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Data grant. She received her Ph.D. in Instruction and Curriculum in the Content Areas with an emphasis on Teacher Education and Learning to Teach from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her interests include data driven instruction, assessment for learning, teacher education, professional development schools, and mathematics education. Her email is kuchiyam@psdschools.org. Jean L. Radin  is an adjunct professor at Colorado State University and a co-primary investigator for the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Data grant. She received her Ph.D. from Colorado State University. Her interests are brain-based teaching and learning, data driven instructional practices, teacher education and professional development schools. Her email is jradin@cahs.colorado.edu.     

Strengthening the Preparation of Early Childhood Teacher Candidates Through Performance-Based Assessments

Performance-based assessments require teacher candidates to demonstrate proficiency on specific teaching tasks and apply knowledge in authentic settings. This article describes the development and use of performance-based assessments (PBAs) for advancing the learning and evaluation of teacher candidates in an early childhood special education teacher preparation program. Teacher candidates completed PBAs under supervision during culminating practica experiences at three age levels (infant/toddler, preschool, and primary practicum). Methods for determining proficiency on national (Council for Exceptional Children) and state (Colorado teacher licensure) standards are described, along with the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of PBAs. Performance-based assessment data over a 5-year period indicate teacher candidate performance meeting and exceeding national standards and state licensure requirements.     

大学本位教师培养选择性路径的兴衰得失——美国科罗拉多州立大学“承诺计划”剖析

文章探讨了美国科罗拉多州立大学“承诺计划”的学程安排和主要特点,从该计划与PDS及传统教师教育模式的比较、学员满意度和专业稳定性、用人机构满意度、成本与收益等几个方面,分析了其所具有的优势以及在成本和效益方面存在的问题,指出培养成本是制约教师教育变革的重要变量,我国教师教育的变革也应充分考虑成本和效能的性价比因素。     

Revisiting the Trajectories of Special Teacher Education in China through Policy and Practice

The preparation, recruitment, work, and career of teachers are important in education. This is no exemption for special education. However, the shortage of qualified teachers serving students with disabilities has long been an international problem. In China, both the quantity and the quality of special education teachers are of concern. This places unrelenting pressure on special teacher education. Given its growing size and challenges, special teacher education has received increasing attention from research, policy, and practice. However, there is a dearth of scholarship published in English to address these issues. To the best of our belief and knowledge, there is no systematic, comprehensive, and contextualised examination of special teacher education in China to date. This article aims to make a contribution in this regard. First, we present the complexities of the Chinese context in which special teacher education is situated. Second, we synthesise recent literature on special teacher education in China through an extensive review of the relevant studies scattered in English publications. Third, we provide insights into special teacher education in China, regarding its trajectory of policy-making, its history of development, and its strategies and challenges. Finally, we conclude our article with some practical recommendations to aid the future development of special teacher education.     

“It enables me to realise my fantasies regarding the practicum”: A preliminary study of an academia–school partnership in Israel

Models of collaboration between teacher training institutions and Professional Development Schools have become commonplace in general teacher education. These partnerships are less well documented when it comes to special education teacher training, and are particularly scarce with regard to models of collaboration with special education schools. This article presents an exploratory study of a 10-year-old partnership between a special education department at a Teacher Training College in Israel and a special school for children with developmental disabilities. The partnership is analysed utilising criteria that characterise successful Professional Development Schools. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are discussed and recommendations for future directions and research are presented.     

我国特殊教育教师职后培训模式新探

改革特殊教育和提高特殊教育质量的关键是教师水平的提高。因而积极探讨出符合我国国情的特殊教育教师师资培训模式 ,强化师资队伍建设 ,推动我国特殊教育事业的发展就显得尤为关键。而一直以来 ,特殊教育教师的职后培训模式都是困扰我国特殊教育事业发展的一大难题。本文结合现行的教师教育体系理念 ,从特殊教教育教师职后培训的必要性出发 ,有针对性地提出了一套较为符合我国国情的特殊教育教师的职后培训模式 ,以供同行商榷     

Recognizing and Supporting the Critical Roles of Teachers in Special Education Leadership

Most discussions about special education leadership address the work of principals and district administrators, without reference to the collective and distributed forms of leadership that have taken center stage in contemporary discussions about improving schools. To explore the contributions of and roles for teacher leadership in special education, selected teacher leadership literature in general education is reviewed, including the emergence of new teacher roles in schools, roots and meanings of teacher leadership, and possible benefits of teachers as leaders. Although no studies were found that specifically investigated the work of special education teacher leaders, illustrations of their work are provided as they lead through school-wide collaboration, participate as clinical faculty in Professional Development Schools (PDSs), serve as mentors to new colleagues, and work in district-wide professional development. After a review of several examples of teacher leadership in special education, barriers to teacher leadership and ways of supporting the work of teacher leaders are considered.     

专业化视野下的特殊教师教育——关于特殊教师教育培养目标和培养模式的研究

本文从教师专业化理论的视角,结合三年制专科特殊教师教育实践,主要对特殊教师教育专业化发展的必要性、特殊教师教育培养目标和培养模式做一探索。     

我国特殊教育教师职业化问题探析

职业化是职业的专业化发展水平得到社会确认和制度认同的过程,特殊教育教师的职业化是特殊教育发展的内在要求。当前,特殊教育教师的职业化发展呈现三个特点：一是爱心和奉献心态阻碍职业意识建立;二是身份不明导致职业角色混乱;三是重专业化轻职业化研究导致职业化进程缺乏制度氛围。提高特殊教育教师职业化发展水平的策略：政策层面建立特殊教育教师职业化配套制度,实施动态资格认证,构建开放的教育培训体系,引进社会力量投入师资培训;学校管理层面尝试实施校长职业化,并在管理中关注专业工作的结果;在社会舆论层面建立合作机制,通过行业协会引导社会对特殊教育职业的认识;在研究层面发挥专业人员的作用,帮扶特殊教育老师快速提升职业素质。     

综合化:中等特师向高等特教学院转型的必由之路--论高等特教学院的办学定位和发展模式

中师升格为高校是历史发展的必然趋势 ,但是 ,升格后的学校继续办清一色的师范教育 ,还是走多科性学院 (即综合化 )的发展道路 ?这是处在转型时期的中师迫切需要回答的一个战略性问题。本文在对特师所面临的社会环境及人才需求作出分析之后认为 ,综合化是特师走向高等教育的必由之路 ,并进一步对多科性特教学院的办学定位和发展模式提出自己的观点。     

What makes special-education teachers special? Teacher training and achievement of students with disabilities

Using statewide data from Florida, we analyze the impact of both pre-service and in-service training on the ability of teachers to promote academic achievement among students with disabilities. We find students with disabilities whose teacher is certified in special education have greater achievement in both math and reading than similar students whose teacher is not special-education certified. However, students without disabilities experience slightly lower achievement when taught by a special-education certified teacher. In-service professional development has no effect on the value-added of teachers in special education courses, but non-disabled students whose regular education teachers received special education training exhibit modestly higher achievement. Similarly, the gain in effectiveness associated with teacher experience is greater for teachers of regular education courses than for teachers of special education courses. Teachers with advanced degrees are more effective in boosting the math achievement of students with disabilities than are those with only a baccalaureate degree.     

融合教育背景下我国高等师范院校特殊教育师资培养模式改革的思考

提高随班就读教育质量,高质量的师资是关键。通过分析国际融合教育发展对教师培养体系改革的影响,发现普通教育和特殊教育知识和技能的融合成为当今教师教育改革的必然趋势。在此基础上,就我国特殊教育师资培养模式进行讨论,并对建立符合我国特殊教育发展实际的高等师范院校特殊教育师资培养体系进行思考与探索,培养特殊教育骨干人才、融合教育专门人才以及随班就读普及型人才是当前特殊教育师资培养模式变革的主要方向。     

我国高校本科层次特教师资培养模式问题与启示

特殊教育与特殊教育学之间模糊关系、随班就读师资的培养及特殊教育师资专业化等对高等特殊教育本科师资培养提出新的要求。从特殊教育与特殊教育学之间关系、特殊教育专业划分、高等特殊教育师资培养模式的培养目标、课程问题以及培养模式类型角度,探讨高等特殊教育师资培养模式。得到本科层次特教师资培养的启示：应拓宽特教师资培养模式类型;既要培养言语治疗师、物理治疗师等专业师资,又要培养特教学科教师或随班就读的复合型师资。     

师范教育中的特殊教育与特殊教育学

教育不等于教育学。师范院校的教育专业不等于教育学专业。对于特殊教育来说 ,特殊教育学专业同样也不能代替聋校语文、聋校数学、聋校外语、聋校体育等面向具体学科的专业。学科特点与教育学相通的特殊教育学只是应该设置的面向特殊教育的专业中的一个部分。师范院校设置的有关特殊教育的专业中 ,除了应该包括特殊教育学专业之外 ,还应该包括其他面向基层特殊学校特定课程的各种专业。     

上海市特殊教育50年回顾与展望

本文从特殊教育的事业发展、经费投入、师资培养和培训、改革和研究,以及社会支持系统的建立等几个方面,对上海市５０年以来,尤其是改革开放以来特殊教育的发展进行了回顾,并对上海市未来特殊教育的发展进行了初步的展望     

Promoting inclusive education in secondary school in Norway: a national programme for teacher development

There is a great need in many countries for extended and new teacher competence to meet the challenges of inclusive education. This paper presents a national programme for developing new teacher competence in secondary schools in Norway. The programme was developed and implemented during the 1990s, its aim being to start a continuing process in schools directed at promoting inclusive education and improving the quality of education for pupils with special educational needs. Further, the paper presents some findings from a national survey of 2240 teachers and school administrators in 104 schools one year after the implementation of the programme. The survey partially replicated a survey carried out before the programme started. The purpose was to give an overall picture of the situation with respect to teacher competence in special needs and inclusive education, and the impact of the competence building programme on teacher practice, and to identify possible system changes in schools.     

特殊教育教师专业化与特殊需要教育

教师专业化发展是促进我国特殊教育事业更快发展的重要途径。而国内对教师专业发展的研究多指向于普通教育 ,对特殊教育教师的专业成熟尚未进行系统的理论和实践的研究。本文立足于分析目前我国特教教师素质的现状和教师专业化存在的问题 ;指出特教教师走专业化道路的重要性和必要性 ,并试图总结出我国特教教师达到专业化的标准和提高专业化水平、促进专业成熟的途径。     

试论我国特殊教育师资培养中的几个争议问题

随着社会变迁和特殊教育的发展,我国的特殊教育师资培养在观念、体系、目标、课程设置等方面出现了一些与时代发展不同步的地方,并由此产生了一些有争议的问题。本文在简单回顾我国特殊教育师资培养发展历史的基础上,对目前关于特殊教育师资培养体系、培养模式、培养层次上的三个争议问题做出分析。作者认为,目前我国特殊教育师资培养应逐渐倾向于在普通师范院校和综合性大学中进行,培养模式应以不分类为主,培养层次也应由过去的中师提高到大学本科水平及本科以上水平。     

关于加强高等特殊教育师资队伍建设的几点思考

论述了加强现代化高等特殊教育院校的师资队伍建设的重要性,指出要强化先进的特殊教育理念、先进的现代教育技术、良好的特殊教育师德三种素质,培养学术大师、教学大师、“双师型”教师三种人才．树立以人为本、教学为本、持续发展二三种观念。     

教师专业成长中的自我意识

高质量的教育离不开高素质的教师,高素质的教师需要拥有不断发展与完善的教育教学专长。促进教师专业成长,需要国家对教育的特别关注,需要完善的教育制度,需要教育管理部门的大力支持,更需要教师自身的不断学习与实践。完善的自我意识是教师专业成长不可或缺的条件。关注教师的自我意识,推动教师自我意识的发展,必将促进教师的专业成长。