The supervisor-mentors
have modified concepts of effective teaching for the special needs classroom as
follows:
¨
Understanding and friendly
Shows concern for student needs
Tolerant of errors from students
Calls attention to good things students are doing
Encourages pupil’s viewpoints
Cooperative with other teachers/parents/assistants
¨
Planned and organized
Utilizes state standards
Businesslike,
consistent, thorough
Tells class what to expect
Has materials ready
Understands developmental levels
Keeps good records
¨
Stimulating and imaginative
Presentations hold student interest
Enthusiastic
Capitalizes on student interest
¨
Possesses self-confidence
Speaks confidently
Poised with students
Takes mistakes and criticisms in stride
Accepts new tasks readily
¨
Mastery of subject matter
Understands concepts and generalizations
Relates material to other fields
¨
Communicates well
Shows sensitivity to student perceptions
Makes presentations at level of understanding
Draws examples from interests of students
Makes effective use of media
No distracting mannerisms
Speaks well
¨
Uses reasoning and creative
thinking
Asks open-ended questions
Frequently asks “why?”
Encourages
application of knowledge
Encourages students to see the relationships among facts
¨
Uses logical operations
Encourages students to make inferences from information
Demands examination of evidence
Leads students to state assumptions
Examines beliefs and opinions
Modified. From Henry, M., & Beasley, W. (1996). Supervising Student Teachers. Sycamore Press.
Challenge:
Documenting Student Teaching Effectiveness in Special Education Setting
The EESP supervisor-mentors
recommend using the following strategies to document student teaching
performance in special needs classroom:
¨
Running
commentary—notetaking focused on specific skills
¨
Categorical frequency
instruments
¨
Visual diagramming
¨
Videotape recording
¨
Written communication and
analysis
¨
Behavior assessment
¨
Written Communication
ü
Evaluates the progress of
student teacher
ü
Offers suggestions for
improvements
ü
Gives encouragement to
student teacher
ü
Provides a record of
progress
ü
Defines responsibilities
ü
Helps the student teacher to
think about teaching
ü
Examines ideas and practices
Note:
Documentation is essential for due process hearings to dismiss a prospective
teacher from field experiences