Incorporating four levels of interaction characteristic of effective course design are possible in online coursework. These levels, including (a) interaction with the content, (b) interaction with the instructor, (c) interaction with classmates; and (d) interaction with self (Lynch, 2002) are critical to effective instruction and difficult to replicate in an online format. The need for students to be involved in the process of activities such as "discussing issues" may pose a significant challenge. Techniques and strategies to manage and maximize the use of synchronous chats and asynchronous discussions are described.
Professional development programs tailored to address co-teaching performance in Arkansas provided data for 3 cohorts of middle school co-taught teams. This study provides an analysis of middle school plans and provides recommendations as to how to more effectively meet the needs of co-taught teams. Using a content analysis approach, monthly lessons plans submitted by teams over a 3-year period were analyzed. The purpose of this analysis is to provide the field with considerations about what is and is not occurring in the written process related to co-teaching, specifically co-planning in middle schools. In total, 155 lesson plans were analyzed, which were further broken down into 755 days of plans. Findings indicate these teachers utilized a diversity of co-taught models, but 1 model (1 lead, 1 support) dominated their planning. Areas of concern focused on a lack of focus on behavior and utilization of technology for students with disabilities.
The purpose of this study was to provide content validation for quality indicators included in an observation instrument developed to evaluate classrooms serving students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A panel of 103 subject-matter experts consisting of a mixture of field personnel ( n = 64; 59 classroom teachers, five school administrators) and university faculty ( n = 39) provided feedback regarding construct validity. Results were analyzed using two approaches: a simple aggregation of responses in the form of averages, with an a priori threshold for the determination of what will be considered acceptable, and Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio methodology. All items in the instrument were deemed to have demonstrated content validity as did the overall instrument. Based on the data from this study, the Quality Indicators for Classrooms Serving Students With ASD (QIASD) instrument can be considered to have demonstrated content validity.
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