According to Widen et al. (1998) there are four features in preservice programs that produce change; 1) teaching that leads students to unearth their beliefs, 2) a vision of program consistency, 3) a program that has faculty-student collaboration 4) ”carefully constructed field experiences” where collaboration occurs between faculty at the university and the district. Furthermore, preservice teachers need to be provided opportunities to reflect and connect on the coursework and field experience (Brownell, Ross, Colon, & McCallum, 2005).
Where does that leave the preservice special education teachers? What does a high quality teacher preparation program look like for our special education teachers? In the general education preparation program, educators strive to build pedagogical content knowledge while providing field experiences that reinforce the building of this knowledge; in the realm of special education, it doesn’t stop there. How do we teach preservice special education teachers to do all of the things that general education teachers do while meeting the special needs of their students? Why isn’t there more research in “special education teacher education?” Is it because our special education students typically don’t score as well on tests, therefore more research is invested in student’s who have the potential to score higher?
Teaching is a complex profession. General education teacher programs as well as special education teacher programs need to provide opportunities for collaboration and alignment of coursework and field experience while providing environments where preservice teachers can develop their beliefs about teaching.