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ESE668: EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS FOR STUDENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE DISABILITIES

Instructor Guidance

Week 5

Welcome to Week Five of ESE 668: Evidence-Based Instructional Methods for Students with Mild to Moderate Disabilities. Please be sure to review the Week Five homepage for this course to see:

· The specific learning outcomes for the week.

· The schedule overview.

· The required and recommended resources.

· The introduction to the week.

· A listing of the assessments.

Next, be sure to read this entire Instructor Guidance page.

Overview

Week Five continues our learning on the development of EBP methods for students with mild to moderate disabilities. We will revisit collaboration as it pertains to collective implementation of EBP, as well as introduce action research and its role in EBP guidelines and instructional methods. This week also continues our focus on career development as you progress through your program toward mastery of all program learning objectives.

Intellectual Elaboration

Who are the Educational Stakeholders?   Stakeholders are people that hold a vested interest in the outcome of a particular situation. When we talk about special education, we have educational stakeholders for each student that walks through that door. Stakeholders include first and foremost the student. Then there are the students’ parents and family; the teacher and IEP team, the team of educators, specialists, and professionals that work directly with that student; the campus and district administrators and specialists; the community; etc. These stakeholders make up the collaborators discussed in our course discussion this week, as well as our on-going collaboration discussions. Collaboration: An EBP We have already discussed collaboration in great detail during this program. Collaborating with educators from general education and special education backgrounds has been a recurring theme, as well as a focus when the IDEA recommendations emphasizing best practice by placing a student in the LRE to meet their needs (2004). This mandate began a precedent for special education teachers to support the teachers of the general curriculum who had students in their classrooms on IEPs and 504 plans. It is still important to review ways to make this collaborative relationship work (Links to an external site.) , such as between our Mr. Franklin and you, the teacher of special education. Collaboration goes far beyond just the teachers working with a student, however. Working with all stakeholders, and especially collaborating with the team responsible for direct instruction to the student will promote more outcomes that are positive. Action Research: A Driving Force of EBP What is action research? Action research “is a disciplined process of inquiry conducted by and for those taking the action. The primary reason for engaging in action research is to assist the “actor” in improving and/or refining his or her actions” (Sagor, 2000, pg. 1). This model of research closely aligns with the needs of educators to constantly assess the effectiveness of their teaching, as well as determine effective, differentiated instructional methods for students in the classroom. This is especially the case for teachers of special education. Action research contains seven research steps (2000):

1. Selecting a focus.

2. Clarifying theories.

3. Identifying research questions.

4. Collecting data.

5. Analyzing data.

6. Reporting results.

7. Taking informed action.

This week, you will be examining what action research is. As you progress through the MASE program to your Capstone One course, you will have the opportunity to study the process of educational research and action research in greater depth. To find research-based articles containing research studies rather than descriptive, informative articles, it requires a scholarly search for action research. What is a Scholarly Search? What does it mean to conduct a “scholarly search”? Scholarly searches involve search engines and databases that filter search terms that have been peer-reviewed and come from reputable sources. The internet is full of information. Not all of that information is based in research or evidence. Without some sort of review process in place for a site or article, there is no guideline for verifying the source. Utilize the tutorials on the Ashford Library Website (Links to an external site.)    For this week, especially take the time to review the required resources listed in your course guide:

· Why Can't I Just Google? (Links to an external site.)

· Scholarly and Popular Resources (Links to an external site.)

· Database Search Tips (Links to an external site.)

· Internet Research (Links to an external site.)

You will see this information appear again to review in the Capstone One course for the MASE program, Educational Research. Additional resources for scholarly searches for either research-based or informative peer-reviewed articles include the WWC (Links to an external site.)  and the ERIC Institute for Education Services (Links to an external site.) . Closing Remarks Working as a team to achieve successful outcomes for all students involves many moving parts. Including collaboration between instructors and staff, and sharing information with all stakeholders in the student’s IEP and education builds a strong team working toward this long-term goal.

Assessment Guidance

This section includes additional specific assistance for excelling in the discussions for Week Five beyond what is given with the instructions for the assessments. If you have questions about what is expected on any assessment for Week Five, contact your instructor using the Ask Your Instructor discussion before the due date. Discussion One: Instructional Collaboration For this discussion, you will combine what you have learned about collaboration in special education with the components of an effective individualized program: Accommodations, modifications, and differentiation. More specifically, you will respond as if you are team member of Huang’s IEP team and provide evidence-based suggestions that a person in your role might be able to contribute, know Huang’s PLAAFP, assessment history, and goals and objectives. Discussion Two: Evidence-based Instructional Methods & Action Research: Driving Force As we have mentioned, action research is a primary source for developing what works in the field of special education. In this discussion, you will demonstrate your understanding of a scholarly search and action research by directly Mr. Franklin to conduct a search and what to look for in an article that constitutes a research article. Assignment: Developing a Strong Resume and Cover Not only do we focus on the skills you need to be successful as a special educator through completion of this program, but we also look beyond to your professional contributions to the field and career success. In this assignment, you will be developing your current professional resume and cover letter in preparation for seeking a career in special education. You will use sources provided by Ashford University’s Career Services Center.  

References

Education research information clearinghouse (Links to an external site.) . Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov   Henley, M., Ramsey, R. S., & Algozzine, R. (2009). Characteristics of and strategies for teaching students with mild disabilities. 6th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Publication. Hernandez, S. (2013). Collaboration in special education: Its history, evolution, and critical factors necessary for successful implementation (Links to an external site.) . US-China Education Review, 3(6), 480-498. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED544122.pdf Mertler, C. (2016). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. 5th edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. Sagor, R. (2000). Guiding school improvement with action research. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Sharpe, M.N. & Hawes, M.E. (2003). Collaboration between general and special education: Making it work (Links to an external site.) . Examining Current Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition, 2(1). Retrieved from http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1097 Webster, J. (2016). Happy stakeholders in special education (Links to an external site.) . About Special Education. Retrieved from http://specialed.about.com/od/Managing-relationships/a/Happy-Stakeholders-In-Special-Education.htm