Inservice Teacher Education for Vocational Special Needs Personnel.

Overview & Synopsis

In Texas, inservice and preservice education has been mandated for teacher certification. This education covers least restrictive environment, characteristics of handicapped students, informal assessment, and individualized educational programs. The training provided has taken many forms--statewide conferences, school district inservice, retreats, technical assistance, self instructional modules, and a statewide lending library. A typical workshop for both special and vocational educators might include pre- and post-tests, an informative presentation, interaction with a handicapped person, a film, a participatory activity, and a question-and-answer session. Several research projects have assessed the effectiveness of such programs. A Competency Inventory on Vocational Education for the Handicapped has been developed to measure a broad body of knowledge. Another study has compared preservice and inservice education to determine which was more effective in positively modifying attitudes of vocational educators working with mainstreamed handicapped students. Findings are that teacher inservice workshops are the most effective method of modifying attitudes; infusing information into existing vocational education courses is the least effective. Inservice seminars to graduate courses and to public school systems have also been proven effective. (YLB)