| Teachers are increasingly expected to teach students with special learning needs in general education classrooms. However, formal teacher preparation programs and district induction and support may not sufficiently provide for development of knowledge and skills necessary for teachers to work effectively with these students. Past research on teacher development identifies background experiences, teacher training, and teaching context as factors that may shape new teachers. This study sought to discover how four elementary school beginning teachers view the influence of background, teacher training, and teaching context on their development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to working with special needs students. Beginning teachers from a semi-rural school district were selected as participants. All had special needs students with Individualized Educational Plans in their classrooms. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document review and in-depth case studies were developed. Analyses focused on similarities and differences among teachers regarding their backgrounds, teacher education, and teaching contexts, as well as views of knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to work with special needs students.; Findings suggest that background factors influenced teachers' decisions to choose teaching as a career. Pre-service teacher education tended to be useful in developing anticipation of having special needs students in their classrooms. However, specific knowledge and skills for accommodating special needs students, including knowledge of IEPs and participation in the IEP process appeared less well developed. Findings related to teaching context revealed few induction activities for new teachers. Three teachers reported receiving minimal formal support, while informal support (e.g., grade-level teams) was considered more useful. Support from special educators was largely absent and teachers generally reported specific knowledge of student IEPs to be low. Teachers' views of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to work effectively with special needs students included advocacy and problem solving skills. Views were, at times, highly similar to their views about teaching their very diverse classes. All teachers expressed a desire to help special needs students. Among the contrasts revealed in the case studies was that despite their empathy for special needs students, these teachers had not yet learned to individualize instruction for them. |
