Preparing Educators
Exploration of In-Service Teachers’ Preparedness and Perceived Challenges about Inclusive Education in the United Arab Emirates
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Laila Mohebi, Areej El Sayary, Lawrence Meda
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic led to the deterioration of exclusive pedagogical practices in different learning institutions. This is because the pandemic forced teachers to make an abrupt instructional switch from face-to-face to online learning without having sufficient time to prepare. Various studies have reported that students with special needs in learning have to tolerate the burden of this tumultuous instructional transition. The educational policymakers have requested that in-service teachers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) attend an inclusive education professional development program to equip them with knowledge and skills for teaching and supporting special needs children. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which in-service teachers were prepared to teach inclusively and the challenges they perceive after completing a six-month inclusive education teacher professional development (TPD) program. The study was done using a qualitative case study within an interpretive paradigm. Fourteen teachers from different schools across the country were purposively selected to complete an open-ended questionnaire and participate in semi-structured interviews. It was found that teachers gained comprehensive knowledge from the program and they felt confident and ready to implement inclusive pedagogical approaches in their classrooms.
Developing Culturally Responsive Secondary Educators: A Four-Year Study of a Teacher Education Program
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tracy Pelkowski
This longitudinal, qualitative program study investigated the impact of a four-year curriculum designed by the lead author to prepare Secondary Education Preservice Teachers (PSTs) to engage in culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP). Participation was voluntary and included six (n=6) White students enrolled at a small Catholic liberal arts college in the U.S. attended by a majority of White (74.0%) female (70.0%) students. Data collection took place over the course of three and one-half years and included student and instructor interviews, analysis of student work, and Helms’s Racial Identity Attitude Scales (pre-and post). Findings confirm that the development of PST’s critical consciousness and culturally responsive practices must be developmental, spiraled, and open to consistent change. The importance of educating PSTs in antiracist teaching practices in addition to CRP, as well as implications for undergraduate teacher education programs, are also discussed.
Co-teaching: An Instructional Strategy in Teaching Training Programs
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Evelyn Valverde
Co-teaching as an instructional strategy in teaching training programs can generate multiple benefits for pre-service teachers. This strategy refers to having two teachers working together with the same group of students. Co-teachers who participate in this type collaborative approach are not only obtaining feedback from their supervisors but also from their peers and students. Working in pairs to teach a class increases the learning experiences pre-service teachers encounter prior to their future jobs as it might develop interpersonal competencies that boost their negotiation, assertive communication and leadership skills. I present the findings of a qualitative research project that analyzed the experiences of co-teachers in an English as a Foreign Language teaching program in a public university in Costa Rica. The over-arching research question was: What are pre-service English teachers’ experiences when engaged in co-teaching practices at a language mentoring project? The answers to this question came from the perceptions of nine pre-service teachers working in a project that offers free English classes and tutoring sessions to high schoolers. Students in the English Teaching major co-teach classes to teenagers on a weekly basis throughout the school year. The findings of this case study provided information on the role of co-teaching in their development as future teachers. The pre-service English teachers’ perspectives were gathered through three instruments: an interview, a reflective log, and a journal. The findings reveal that co-teaching: promotes the development of teamwork, builds a strong sense of community, helps students develop assertive communication skills, and builds self-knowledge.
