Education Commons^™

The Importance Of Teacher Behavior In Increasing Student Success: Are Teachers Prepared To Meet The Needs Of Students With Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders?, Justin T. Cooper

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Despite the dissemination of specific instructional practices including High Leverage Practices and other pedagogical strategies that are considered fundamental to the success of students with emotional/behavioral disorders, research suggests that many of these practices are occurring in schools at unacceptably low rates. This research-to-practice gap is not a new phenomenon. This paper provides an overview of some of these specific teacher-driven instructional behaviors and the implications of the paucity of their use in schools. In addition, the importance of the role that teacher preparation programs play, and steps that they can take to alleviate the research-to-practice gap are discussed.

Collaboration With Community Partners To Enhance Clinical Practice, Susan Keesey, Christina Noel, Nancy Hulan, Pete Hoechner

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Teacher preparation programs are shifting focus to models that integrate pedagogy and coursework into an applied clinical teaching model. Research clearly supports this change to help new teachers prepare for the demographics of today’s classrooms. Teacher preparation is improved through the implementation of high-leverage practices, the key skills new teachers are expected to know and apply. This article highlights a collaborative professional development day designed to strengthen the clinical partnership by developing a shared vision and common language by incorporating high-leverage practices.

Music Therapy’S Role In The Education System, Madison Riley, Tori L. Colson, Moriah Smothers

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Music therapy is a lesser-known and used related service, yet it provides significant benefits to students that have language, behavioral, and social needs. This article reviews the literature on music therapy, discusses its historical and theoretical roots, and examines its use in educational settings. Special attention is given to therapeutic practices that are geared toward students on the autism spectrum because their social and communication needs are often a good fit for music therapy practices. Recommendations on using music therapy in special and general education classrooms are also made. Additionally, recommendations for including music therapy content in teacher preparation programs …

Choice As An Antecedent Intervention Provided To Children With Emotional Disturbances, Alexandra J. Taylor, Amy Lein

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Students with ED typically demonstrate social, behavioral, and academic deficiencies within the school setting. This article addresses the antecedent behavior interventions (ABI) of the provision of choice-making opportunities which are an effective practice within the PBIS framework. This study employed a single-subject multiple-baseline across-participants design to examine the effect of choice-making provided in social skills instruction on both academic (i.e., correct responses) and behavioral outcomes (i.e., task engagement, disruptions) for three elementary-aged students with ED.

Results demonstrated improved behaviors of three student participants. All participants showed an increase in task engagement and a decrease in number of disruptions from baseline …

Using A Token Economy Combined With A Mystery Motivator For A Student With Autism Exhibiting Challenging Behavior, Todd Whitney, Justin T. Cooper, Amy S. Lingo

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

A common characteristic of students with autism spectrum disorder is difficulty attending to and staying on task in classrooms, which can lead to inappropriate and/or disruptive behavior.

Benefits of a token economy have been examined with various individuals but few have examined its effects with children with autism spectrum disorder. This study examined the effectiveness of a token economy combined with a mystery motivator in decreasing inappropriate behaviors displayed by a student with an autism spectrum disorder in a small group setting. Results indicated that the token reinforcement program was effective in decreasing the inappropriate behaviors displayed by the student.

Bringing High Leverage Practices To The Bluegrass: A Statewide Collaborative Effort, Kera B. Ackerman, Todd Whitney, Amy S. Lingo

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

As a means to improve instruction for all students, Kentucky joined the national network of states engaged with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accreditation, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center. Part of this initiative was to hold a statewide summit for all Kentucky stakeholders in an attempt to build awareness of high leverage practices in educator preparation programs; strengthen and sustain partnerships; build capacity for continuous improvement; and share strategies for enhancing clinical practice. This article discusses the results of a survey given to those attending the statewide summit. Participants were asked to rate their knowledge and perceived importance of eight …

Transformative Apprenticeship: Enacting Teacher Identity In A Clinical Model, Melissa Wrenn, Peggy Otto, Rachel Leer

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

This content analysis investigates how teacher candidates (TCs) in a clinical model enact professional identity through their reflections. The researchers assume that learning is situated within specific contexts, and discursive interactions reveal much about individual beliefs. TCs in this study are part of an elementary and special education dual degree program situated within a clinical teacher preparatory academy at a large, public university. Findings indicate that TCs transition to teaching, construct practice, and internalize teaching experiences. Results contribute an understanding of how TCs develop new schema for teaching experiences and transition from novices to experts within their classroom communities.