ERIC Number: EJ1098067
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0887-8730
EISSN: N/A
Integrating Differentiation in English Education Methods Courses: Learning from the Perceptions and Experiences of Teacher Candidates
West, Jessica A.; West, Craig K.
Teacher Educator, v51 n2 p115-135 2016
The practice of inclusion as a response to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act means that English teachers teach students who demonstrate a wide range of abilities in the same classroom. This qualitative study explored the developing attitudes toward differentiation of English education teacher candidates participating in a methods course cotaught by an English education professor and a special education professor. Findings revealed that their pedagogical beliefs were influenced by having knowledge of individual students, proactively engaging with professional concepts, and attending to students' affective needs in academic contexts. The teacher candidates in this study were able to discuss differentiation, but they struggled to implement it in practice; therefore, we argue that instruction on differentiation must be explicitly integrated into English methods courses. Using cognitive flexibility theory, we suggest ways teacher educators can help future teachers develop advanced knowledge of differentiation to meet the needs of their future students.
Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Special Education, Beliefs, Individualized Education Programs, English Teachers, Teacher Educators, Individualized Instruction, Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Disabilities, Equal Education, English Instruction, Methods Courses, Special Education Teachers, Teacher Education Programs, Semi Structured Interviews, Inclusion, Observation
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A