Preparing Special Educators for the K–12 Online Learning Environment

Abstract

Pioneering research studies in teacher preparation in online settings have taken place, yet little to no work has been done specifically focused on teacher preparation for special education and learners with disabilities. In the present study, researchers from the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities conducted a web-based survey of special education teacher preparation faculty to determine the level to which they were attending to online education preparation. The survey was developed with a specific alignment to the International Association for K–12 Online Learning (iNACOL) online teacher standards. The results of this survey pinpoint several areas of need in the preparation of teachers who are will be working in online education and attending to students with disabilities in these settings.

E-inclusion: online special education in Italy during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…The second section included six open-ended questions focused on the research topics. These questions were identified on the basis of a number of studies, especially the iNACOL's National Standards for Quality Online Teaching, as used in Smith et al (2016a); Alamri and Tyler-Wood (2016) developed a research instrument focused on how to facilitate and support social and teaching presence; the study of Straub and Vasquez (2015) was the key reference for online writing instructions; and Hanghøj et al (2018) focused their research on the topics related to well-being, engagement and performance of students with special needs. The resulting questionnaire was completed by 785 teachers from schools located in the Genoa region of northern Italy.…”

“…how teachers implemented e-inclusion during the school closure to enable inclusive online teaching/ learning strategies, emphasising the interaction between digital tools, contexts, pupils, families and teachers to prevent the digital divide from increasing the difficulties of pupils with SEND (Selwyn & Facer, 2007).…”

That Really Escalated Quickly—Online Learning Moves Into the Mainstream: Introduction to the Special Issue

“…In that special issue, the Principal Investigators and other colleagues from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities (http://www.centerononlinelearning.res.ku.edu) provided empirical evidence from studies detailing methods and results for students with disabilities in online learning. Topics included an introduction to personalized learning using online learning options (Basham et al, 2016a), providing accommodations and modifications in the online environment (Carter & Rice, 2016), aligning UDL design principles to various offerings within the online learning environment (Basham et al, 2016b), design and delivery of online reading instruction (Pace & Mellard, 2016), and implications for teacher preparation and online learning (Smith et al, 2016b).…”

PreKindergarten and kindergarten virtual school programs under COVID‐19: A two‐case comparative study

“…A quick scan of the existing literature reveals very few research studies in the field of on learning for younger children, and a majority of the studies took the perspectives of the instructors and the online program service providers (Huh & Reigeluth, 2018; Luo, Hibbard, Franklin, & Moore, 2017; Smith, Basham, Rice, & Carter Jr, 2016). There lack studies that explore the virtual settings and the appropriate pedagogical designs to effectively engage K‐12 school students, especially the students of lower grades, while also addressing their cognitive, social–emotional needs under self‐quarantine.…”