Preservice Teachers’ Learning Among Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

This article reports on a collaborative venture between Autism Spectrum Australia and the University of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Social Club network was formed for children and adolescents to provide structured opportunities for positive peer interactions in safe, stimulating and nonjudgmental environments. The Social Clubs were run by expert facilitators with additional workers drawn from preservice teachers undertaking a service-learning unit of study within the Master of Teaching Secondary course at the University of Western Sydney. The research design included surveys and reflections. Data were drawn from 4 sources: 58 parent survey responses, 51 Social Club member survey responses, 9 facilitator survey responses and 9 preservice teachers’ reflections. Data analysis was framed by Bourdieu's work, which refers to the allocation of social power. After the experience, surveyed parents confirmed that their children were relaxed when changing topics in a conversation and working in groups. Members demonstrated that they engaged with other members and with preservice teachers. Club facilitators felt that the preservice teachers developed an understanding that students with autism spectrum disorder thrive in structured environments and that they would set up their own classrooms accordingly. For the future teachers, it was authentic learning that enriched their preparation for the classroom, however multilayered its student population might be.

Effectiveness of authentic performance tasks: The case of a special education course

“…Furthermore, a collaborative initiative between Autism Spectrum Australia and the University of Western Sydney arranged for students with SEN and student teachers come together through a social network to interact safely. It was found that student teachers developed a comprehensive understanding of people with autism spectrum disorder in an authentic environment, which could be transferred to other teaching contexts (Power & Costley, 2014). Bain and Hasio (2011) also found that, in such experiences, student teachers learned how to work with different groups of learners, be flexible, be patient, and how to differentiate teaching for students with different learning levels and paces.…”

The Autism Spectrum Disorder Evaluative Education Model

“…This model has been tested through a series of Continuous Improvement Projects, Small Pilot Studies, and Evidence-Based Research Trials. The findings from the Evidence-Based Research Trials have been published in peer-reviewed journals (Baldwin, Costley, & Warren, 2014;Keane et al, 2012;Power & Costley, 2014), books (Costley et al, 2012), and Aspect-published and distributed fact sheets, e-newsletters (Bedwani et al, 2013;Kilham & Costley, 2012;Kilham & Williams, 2011), and community and professional development workshops.…”

Pre-service educators' understanding and perceptions of ASD before and after reading ASD narrative fiction

“…With the increase in inclusive models in public schools and the increase of students with ASD in general education classrooms, it is imperative for teachers to be prepared to understand, teach, and learn from students with ASD in various settings (Power & Costley, 2014). This new challenge is especially relevant for teacher preparation programs as they foster pre-service teachers' experiences that improve inclusive models.…”