Evaluation of Preservice Teachers' Interactive Teaching Skills in a Direct Instruction Practicum Using Student Teachers as Supervisors

Abstract

Providing sufficient supervision for preservice teachers in field-based practica is often difficult for large teacher education programs. One method of supervision that may help relieve some of the supervision burden from faculty is to yolk beginning preservice trainees with more advanced students who are student teaching. The purpose of this paper is to describe an evaluation of an experimental program in which eight student teachers supervised new preservice trainees in a Direct Instruction practicum. Trainees' presentation and error correction skills improved throughout the practicum. Moreover, trainees indicated that they enjoyed the practicum and would recommend it to other students. The results of the evaluation are discussed in terms of research on peer coaching and supervision in Direct Instruction practica.

Using Coaching to Improve the Fidelity of Evidence-Based Practices: A Review of Studies

“…For example, Lignugaris-Kraft and Marchand-Martella (1993) coached 19 undergraduate special education students to deliver Direct Instruction (DI) programs (e.g., Reading Mastery, Corrective Reading, Spelling Mastery) to students with intellectual disabilities. The authors' dependent variable was a frequency count of specific DI components teachers delivered accurately in lessons including: signals (e.g., holding one finger up for each sound during phonemic awareness activities); presentation accuracy (e.g., pointing to letters, using model-lead-test procedures); specific praise; and fast pacing.…”

Effects of Coaching on Teachers’ Use of Function-Based Interventions for Students With Severe Disabilities

“…Third, the body of literature on coaching has shown that coaching can be effective in improving teachers' behavior when implementing classwide positive behavior supports (Filcheck et al, 2004), reading interventions (Jager et al, 2002;Kohler et al, 1999;Lignugaris-Kraft & Marchand-Martella, 1993;Morgan et al, 1994), explicit math instruction , and teacher praise in an RTI model (Myers, Simonsen, & Sugai, 2011). This study expands the areas where coaching has been shown to be effective to include teacher implementation of function-based interventions.…”

“…Coaching has been effective in increasing teacher accuracy in a range of areas including implementation of classwide positive behavior supports (PBS; Filcheck, McNeil, Greco, & Bernard, 2004), reading interventions (Jager, Reezigt, & Creemers, 2002;Kohler, Ezell, & Paluselli, 1999;Lignugaris-Kraft & Marchand-Martella, 1993;Morgan et al, 1994), explicit math instruction , and teacher praise in an RTI model (Myers, Simonsen, & Sugai, 2011).…”

The Effects of a Fluency Training Package on Paraprofessionals’ Presentation of a Reading Intervention

“…However, data from sessions immediately before a phase change were not combined with data from sessions after the phase change, even if they included fewer than five error corrections. The target criterion for percentage accuracy on error corrections was 95% of error correction steps completed accurately (adapted from K. Engelmann, personal communication, January 6, 2009, and Lignugaris/Kraft & Marchand-Martella, 1993).…”