Date of Award
Fall 12-14-2023
Document Type
Project Abstract (696 or 796 registration)
Degree Name
Master of Science in Special Education
Department
Graduate Studies
Committee Chair
Marci Glessner
Abstract
Topic:
Video Coaching for First-Year Special Education Teachers
Abstract:
There is a shortage of special education teachers, especially in rural areas (Hopkins, 2023). School districts have attempted to address this shortage by hiring people on a variance and providing them with a specific timeline to obtain a special education teaching license (Tier Requirements, n.d.). Based on my school district and my experience, many of these teachers are hired without formal training in education and/or experience teaching in a special education setting. They may not have background information regarding due process and may need guidance on special education paperwork as well as best practices for teaching students in special education. How can schools provide this?
Mentoring programs can assist early career special education teachers in learning the basics and assist in the beginning stages of independent practices. This matches Billingsley et al. beliefs that special education teachers need more assistance, practice, and clear information in order to be successful when carrying out their responsibilities (2011). While this assistance is important for teachers, it is also important early career teachers have resources for when they are no longer receiving extended support and mentoring (Pierangelo et al., 2018).
The purpose of my capstone project was to provide support for early career special education teachers in ensuring clear information and instructions are available at any time extra support is needed. After initially interviewing two special education colleagues about support they may have needed or wanted during their first years as a special education teacher, and reviewing my own experiences, I set about creating short (ten minutes or less), close-captioned videos for teachers. The content of each video was specific to the school district we work for, and the education district that it is within, to ensure that early career educators can most effectively and appropriately benefit from them. A map describing themes and topics of the video content accompanies them so viewers can easily find videos on specific topics such as collaborating with general education teachers, enhancing partnerships with administrators, and communication with parents. The 26 videos are all stored in a shared google file for anyone with the password to access. In this way anyone seeking information can quickly find the video they need – and watch it as many times as they need.
Recommended Citation
Gadient, Katherine, "Video Coaching for First-Year Special Education Teachers" (2023). Dissertations, Theses, and Projects. 884.
https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/884