CO-CREATE: Teachers' voices to inform special education teacher education

Kirsty Young
University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Teacher education is under increasing scrutiny regarding the preparedness of graduates to work in the profession in the early years of their career. To inform a teacher education program on the issues affecting graduates working in the field of special education, 77 special education teachers and principals were surveyed. Findings highlight the importance of consultation and engagement with adults with a disability and the families of children with disabilities, in meaningful ways, such as Q&A sessions, tutoring, presentations and involvement in local support groups. The research seeks to add teachers' voices to uncover potential ways for universities to enhance course delivery for pre-service teachers wishing to work in special education. Six key areas emerged as necessary for inclusion in special education teacher education programs, summarised by CO-CREATE (Consult, Observe, Collaborate, Resource, Evaluate, Analyse, Technology integration and Engagement).
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Author: Dr Kirsty Young is Senior Lecturer in Education and coordinates the Special Education and Inclusive Education program at the School of Education, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney. Dr Young is the UTS School of Education Research Co-ordinator and is a member of the UTS STEM Education Futures Research Centre. Dr Young also serves on the Executive Committee of the Australian Association of Special Education (NSW Chapter). Email: kirsty.young@uts.edu.au Please cite as: Young, K. (2018). CO-CREATE: Teachers' voices to inform special education teacher education. Issues in Educational Research, 28(1), 220-236. http://www.iier.org.au/iier28/young.pdf