©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 11 Characteristics of Effective Teachers in Inclusive Programs

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teacher Professional Development Teacher training in child development is a must. Teachers also need to be a member of the interdisciplinary team. They will share their knowledge and implement plans set forth by other professionals to meet goals in the IFSP/IEP.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teacher Professional Development (continued) Teacher concerns –Teachers feel unprepared to work with children who have disabilities. –Supports are available to help teachers. –Teachers need to want to seek out information to help them help the child with disabilities. –The more informed the teacher is, the better prepared that teacher will be for the classroom.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Teacher Professional Development (continued) Supplemental professional development –Teachers need additional training as each child is enrolled in the school. –On-the-job experience is also necessary. –State support agencies have resources available to help teachers learn about the different disabilities.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach A child is a child –Teachers need to view each child as a child. –Blaming a behavior on a disability is unfounded. –Children are children first and need to be treated as such.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach (continued) Review of developmental principles –Developmental sequences Understanding that a child moves through skill sequences is more important than knowing how far a child is behind or ahead. –Interrelationships among developmental domains Recognize that the whole child needs to be taught, not just the cognitive domain of the child.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach (continued) –Developmental inconsistencies This is when a child seems to be progressing then begins to slow or regress. –The transactional process Learning goes on directly and indirectly. Teachers need to examine the environment to see the full effect of their teaching.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach (continued) –Contingent stimulation The more a child is rewarded for communicating, the more the child will communicate. Self-esteem develops, attachments are more secure, development is smoother. –Readiness to learn Given the opportunity to learn in a quality environment will give the child skills needed to be ready for school.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach (continued) –Teachable moments Those naturally occurring opportunities when a child is most likely to learn something new. –Milieu teaching The child initiates a learning activity by asking a teacher for help, materials, or information.

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach (continued) Characteristics of effective teachers –Enthusiasm –Sense of humor –Patience –Consistency –Flexibility –Trustworthiness –Provides limits –Facilitate experiences

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. The Applied Developmental Approach (continued) Teacher as mediator –The teacher is the mediator between the child and the environment. –The teacher decreases support as the child is ready for more independent learning. Also known as scaffolding

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Curriculum A framework for teaching that outlines –the program’s philosophy –objectives for children –physical environment –roles of teachers & families 5.1

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Engagement Children’s productive interaction with objects, persons, & space 5.2

©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Responsive Teaching 1.Let the child select the activity 2.Attend to what the child does 3.Allow the child to play 4.Encourage elaboration 5.Allow for practice 6.Reinforce 5.4