The supplement describes instructional alternatives for a curriculum module addressing stress reduction for rural teachers of special education. Designed to help teach the personal survival and development skills that special education teachers need to live and work in rural communities, the module helps teachers understand stress and its…

A peer coaching approach was developed for use in the Multidisciplinary Diagnostic and Training Program (MDTP) at the University of Florida, in collaboration with Old Dominion University in Virginia. The MDTP provides diagnostic services to elementary-aged children with learning, behavior, and/or medical problems. The peer coaching model includes…

The resource paper for regular and special teachers of learning disabled students on cooperative initiatives between regular and special education is presented in a question and answer format. The following questions are discussed: How can I recognize children with learning disabilities in my classroom? If I suspect a student to have a learning…

For six years, San Jose State University has offered a training program aimed at the problems of special education teacher recruitment and preparation in rural areas. Program features include Rural Community Advisory Committee which participates in student recruitment and program development, instruction via interactive television, field-site…

This study of instructional priorities in preparing mentally retarded students for mainstreaming found that 41 primary-level regular class teachers gave higher priority to academic areas of reading and writing and to the behavioral problem of aggressive behavior than did 35 teachers in special schools for mentally retarded students. (Author/JDD)

The process of teacher appraisal is illustrated in this examination of the experiences of two British schools for children with disabilities. Issues discussed include: use of a triadic model involving teacher, support teacher, and appraiser; job descriptions; secretarial requirements; time demands; multidisciplinary approach; and appraisal of…

Ethnographic research at 2 work activity centers for mentally retarded clients revealed that 16 production supervisors and 9 adult basic education teachers differed in their connotations of the term "functioning." Teachers defined functioning in narrowly academic terms, whereas supervisors defined it as a set of mental, physical, and moral traits…

Special educators experiencing stress are urged to take greater responsibility for their own well-being by maintaining a balanced lifestyle, planning for success, expanding their support network, creating a positive belief system, making learning a lifelong priority, and learning to cope with complexities and challenges. (DB)

This paper addresses effective longitudinal technical assistance for professionals serving young children with challenging behaviors. Critical components of such assistance include identifying and training districtwide technical assistance teams, developing operating procedures, generating districtwide support, and evaluating team effectiveness.…

A best practices checklist is provided to assist special education teachers in self-evaluation and peer evaluation, and assist administrators in providing feedback to teachers. The checklist covers introducing the lesson, presenting the lesson, encouraging student participation, and providing corrective feedback. Each area identifies specific…

This guide to the Internet is geared toward special education teachers. Descriptions of various resources, including discussion groups (sometimes known as LISTSERVS) or conferences that appear to be beneficial for educators who instruct students with learning disabilities, are provided. The explosion in communication via the information…

A questionnaire sent to 274 Michigan special education teachers in resource rooms and self-contained classrooms were dsigned to identify the treatment methods and materials used by these teachers to teach penmanship and spelling to learning-disabled students. A review of the literature examines the theoretical background of written expression,…

The paper examines issues in special education teacher attrition and reviews a variety of induction and mentorship programs to lessen the common isolation of beginning teachers. Statistics indicating the high attrition rate among beginning teachers, especially special education teachers are cited and related to lack of training and ongoing…

Recruitment and retention of special education teachers and related services staff have been persistent problems of rural school districts nationwide. High teacher attrition rates have serious ramifications for personnel development and program stability. Effective recruitment strategies for rural areas have four main components: (1) emphasis on…

This curriculum guide, designed for use by special education teachers of kindergarten through twelfth grade students in Lexington County, South Carolina, addresses five major areas of affective development: (1) understanding emotions; (2) self-concept development; (3) interpersonal skills; (4) skills in behavioral responsibility; and (5)…