This qualitative study examines the perspectives of 14 teachers of students with severe disabilities whose role changed from special education teacher to integration facilitator. All 14 participants expressed strong beliefs that students with severe disabilities would learn more in an integrated environment. The teachers identified themselves as…

The development and current status of coteaching to meet the needs of students with disabilities in mainstream settings are reviewed. Issues are identified concerning resources (finances, time, and space); participants (role clarification of both professionals and paraprofessionals); and implementation (the need for documentation of coteaching…

Discusses team-teaching or coteaching in the special/regular education integration approach. Describes the development of integration approaches, the limits of the consultation model, the restructuring demands of coteaching, barriers to implementation, advantages to the approach, and 10 suggestions for developing coteaching in schools. (JB)

Co-teaching is undertaken because students with disabilities are more likely to have their needs met if their supports are moved to the general education classroom. In co-taught lessons, a special educator and a general educator teach together in the general education classroom during some portion of the instructional day in order to accommodate…

A program developed at West Virginia University trains special education teachers to be collaborative consultants to general educators implementing inclusive education. From 1991 to 1994, 30 special education teachers completed requirements in two areas of specialization for teaching students with mild disabilities. In addition, they completed a…

This report discusses the outcomes of a 1996-1997 review that investigated the current role of Learning Assistance Services in the delivery of special education support services to students in 115 British Columbia public schools and the students who receive these services. Learning Assistance Services are described as school-based, non-categorical…

Co-teaching approaches to support students with disabilities in inclusive secondary classrooms were investigated through interviews with and classroom observations of 17 teachers. Data collected in Queensland (Australia) and Pennsylvania (USA) public schools allowed comparisons of teacher roles and responsibilities under two education systems. The…

Provides an overview of cooperative teaching, in which a general educator and a special services provider teach together simultaneously in a general education classroom composed of academically heterogeneous students. It identifies problems sometimes experienced and offers practical suggestions for enhancing this method's effectiveness. (Author/DB)

This project attempted to combine pre-service methods, student teaching and in-service curriculum improvement. The participants were 18 elementary classroom teachers, 22 college students, 1 Miller-Unruh teacher, 1 Title I teacher, 4 special education teachers, and a principal. The college students were assigned to one elementary (K-8) school for…

This brief discusses the outcomes of a study that examined the views of 32 secondary education teachers in four secondary schools on the inclusion of students with disabilities in their classrooms. Analyses of the interview data indicate that the general education teachers were committed to inclusion and that they did make instructional…

States that educational priorities for secondary special needs students require an emphasis on vocational rather than academic training and a more structured learning situation. Presents a model of comprehensive career education for behaviorally disordered and learning disabled students featuring a cooperative teaching approach. (MF)

Six special educators at secondary level were observed and interviewed in their co-taught classrooms. The special educators took on roles ranging from providing support to the general educators to team teaching. Knowledge of content, attitude of the general educators, and scheduling issues influenced the role that each teacher took. (Contains…

A team teaching approach was implemented by a regular and a special educator in a kindergarten class to facilitate social integration of 7 children with hearing losses and their 17 hearing peers. Social integration occurred, with the hearing children developing sign language skills and a positive acceptance of their peers with hearing impairments.…

Describes a Kentucky program designed to train special-education personnel in moderate/severe-disabilities and early-childhood special education. The model used satellite, compressed video, and on-site delivery systems; support services from the university, state, and federal governments, and various methods of team teaching. Program effectiveness…

In teacher education settings, the extent of collaboration is far less evident than in K-12 education. There is some evidence that suggests, however, that this may be changing. Teaming among higher education faculty has been identified as one way to provide teachers with greater exposure to diverse fields of knowledge and practice, as well as to…