Supervising and Coaching Special Education Teachers

Bernard Williams

EDU-530-O501

September 1, 2021

Karin Johnson

I did a full pre-conference with the special education instructor for this project. Before B the pre-conference, I needed to produce queries and characterize the replies I expected to receive from the special education teacher for each topic. “A pre-conference is an essential part of good coaching. A pre-conference with a teacher results in an agreement on what to observe. I know what to monitor and document throughout my observation because of an excellent pre-conference. In the post-conference, I know precisely what the instructor is looking for” (Barkley, 2019).

The administration must examine who is being assessed before starting a coaching cycle. A self-contained sixth-grade instructor, for instance, will be evaluated quite differently from a self-contained special education teacher with pupils who need special help. When designing questions to lead the pre-conference, the admin should consider this when comparing two special education instructors. My mentor principal and I visited our school's special education teacher, who provides push-in services, for this report.

Lessons and Student Needs

“What are the objectives of the class?” I may ask the special education instructor while examining the course and the requirements of the students. “What are your expected results for each pupil after the lecture?” and “What are your desired response for each student after the lesson?” I anticipate the instructor to reply to the first question by identifying the instructional objective that is consistent with the Common Core State Standards. In response to the second question, I anticipate the special education instructor outlining each student's unique lesson outcomes, referencing the kids' IEP or 504 plans.

Differentiated Instruction

Since “observation instruments applied to all teachers may not account for the specialized strategies used by special educators in their classrooms, as well as the nontraditional instructional settings necessitated by the learning needs of the students” (Lawson & Knollman, 2017, p. 7, para. 3), it's critical to pose questions about how instructors intend to educate learners. “What do you have in your lesson to address the varied learning requirements of students?” and “Do you employ a range of explicit instruction techniques based on relevant data?” are two questions that come to mind. I'll want the instructor to respond to both questions by listing alternative techniques for differentiating the lesson and referencing important data that will be utilized to steer the session.

Struggling Students

“What could hinder the students from meeting the expected outcomes?” is what I might wonder to identify the areas in which the special education teacher thinks students struggle as well as how the teacher will resolve it. Because our special education teacher provides "push-in" services, I anticipate him mentioning the learning environment, approved curriculum, or limited resources. “In what areas do you believe the children may stumble, and how do you plan to address these areas?” is yet another subject I would ask their opinion on. Because “teachers in general education courses want their students with learning impairments to be accepted,” they “make limited modifications for them and prefer to keep only those that benefit the whole class.” (Garnett, n.d.). I would anticipate the special education teacher to refer to the kids' IEP or 504 plan to fix the areas in which they suffer and how they may assist the teacher during the class, as well as providing the teacher with tools to assist them when he is not there.

Prior Knowledge

“How important is determining a student's prior knowledge before teaching a concept?” or “Was the students' prior knowledge considered when planning the lesson?” are queries I pose to determine the special education teacher's development of student's previous knowledge and how, if at all, it has guided the instructional scheduling for this lesson. I'd expect the instructor to include methods like a KWL chart, concept map, anticipatory guides, and brainstorming in response to these questions.

Classroom Management

“How do you handle a student who is non-compliant during instruction?” is a question I may ask to establish the special education teacher's classroom management strategy and any behavioral modification strategies for individual students. “Do you have a behavior intervention plan for specific students?” and/or “Do you have a behavior intervention strategy for individual students?” I would expect the instructor to bring up the children's IEP/504 plan as an essential point. I'd also want him to describe how he and the general education teacher collaborate to ensure that they're on the same page when it comes to the classroom management plan and individual student behavior interventions.

References

Barkley, S. (2019, January 29). Pre-Conferencing: A critical element of effective coaching. Steve Barkley. https://barkleypd.com/blog/preconferencing/#:%7E:text=Having%20a%20pre

%2Dconference%20with,leads%20to%20a%20next%20step.&text=With%20an%20effective%20pre%2Dconference,and%20record%20during%20my%20observation.

Garnett, K. (n.d.). Attention required! | cloudflare. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-are-classrooms-students-learning-disabilities

Lawson, J. E., & Knollman, G. A. (2017). Evaluating Special Education Teachers: School Administrators’ Perceptions of the Process. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 30(1), 6–18.