Job-embedded professional development: implementing co-teaching practices in general education classrooms

ABSTRACT

This article presents the findings of an empirical research project that focuses on the job-embedded professional development of special education in relation to a school district initiative for greater inclusive practices and the reduction of segregated and ‘pull out’ special education services. The professional development comprised the coaching and modelling of research-based instructional strategies and co-teaching practices wherever the special education teacher was, which was typically in a general education classroom. The co-teaching approaches included one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, alternative teaching, parallel teaching, station teaching, and teaming, as described by Friend [2015. “Welcome to Co-teaching 2.0.” Educational Leadership 73 (4): 16]. Job-embedded professional development (JEPD) is a relatively new approach for improving co-teaching practices between general and special educators in the United States. This approach was adopted by a school district in West Central Florida serving approximately 70,000 students (pre-kindergarten to 12th grade). Participating elementary, middle, and high school special educators’ reflections on the co-teaching instructional models are examined. The sources for this study include a collation of observed co-teaching approaches and teacher survey responses. Overall, the JEPD appeared to increase the use of co-teaching practices and was well-received by the teachers across all settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• co-teaching
• job-embedded professional development
• collaboration
• special education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Sarah Semon, Ph.D. is a Visiting Instructor of Special Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of South Florida. She has over 20 years of experience teaching in K-12 and higher education settings. Sarah has dedicated her career to improving inclusive education for diverse learners. She has extensive experience consulting, writing, and managing federal and state grant projects. She has presented educational research findings at national conferences and has co-authored numerous journal articles and book chapters.

Dr. Danielle Lane is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Elon University in North Carolina. Her research focuses on global understandings of disabilities in various cultural contexts. Specifically, she is interested in centralising the importance of inclusive practices in educational provisions that are provided to students with disabilities. Danielle teaches courses in Special Education at the undergraduate level and serves as a university supervisor for pre-service teacher candidates. She also serves as the editorial assistant for International Journal of Whole Schooling.

Dr. Phyllis Jones is a Professor in the Department of Teaching & Learning at the University of South Florida. Phyllis taught and was a deputy head in schools in the UK for fifteen years before she entered teacher education. She is author of Curricula for Students with Severe Disabilities: Narratives of Standards-Referenced Good Practice, Inclusion in the Early Years: Stories of good practice, co-author of Collaborate Smart and lead editor of ‘A Pig Don’t Get Fatter the More You Weigh It’: Balancing assessment for the classroom, Leading for Inclusion, Creating Meaningful Inquiry in the Inclusive Classroom, Pushing the Boundaries: Developing Inclusive Practices through Integration of Insider Perspectives, co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties and The Foundations of Inclusive Education Research. She is co-editor of International Journal of Whole Schooling, sits on the editorial board of Disability & Society and is a regular reviewer for British Journal of Special Education, Journal of Child and Family Studies, International Journal of Inclusive Education, Journal of Teacher Education and International Review of Education. Internationally, she has worked in England, Ireland, New Zealand, Thailand and Mexico.

Sharlene M. Smith earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction in Adult Education, and cognate in Autism Spectrum Disorder from the University of South Florida. She is a Behavior Specialist at the Rutgers University Center for Adult Autism Services. She is an advocate for inclusive and equitable communities to ensure every student receives the requisite resources to achieve success. For the past five years she has been working with individuals with disabilities, specifically autism, and their families. Dr. Smith is also a national and international scholar. She co-authored several peer-reviewed journals, and book chapters. Her research centres on the adult education of general and special needs population. Some of her present research focus includes the professional development and continuing education of educators who work with individuals with special needs. She also serves as a reviewer for the International Journal of Whole Schooling.