Ann Cranston-Gingras

Developing and Using Teaching Cases in a Partnership Environment

Teaching cases, which are true narrative accounts of authentic situations presented within their original contexts, are being used increasingly by teacher educators as a vehicle for reflective interaction about actual teaching practice. A collaborative research team at the University of South Florida has been developing, modifying and evaluating the application of teaching cases in the teacher education program. In this article, a brief history and rationale for the use of teaching cases in teacher education is presented with a description of how teaching cases are being used by the collaborative team. Cases developed by the group and the results of case teaching with undergraduate and graduate students are discussed.

Examining Perceptions of Systematic Integration of Instructional Technology in a Teacher Education Program.

In this article, the authors describe a systematic effort by a department of special education to integrate technology into teaching through a one-to-one laptop initiative and to examine preservice teachers’ perceptions concerning their experiences with the initiative. The authors investigate beliefs about preservice teachers’ proficiency in using technology for teaching, their attitudes toward the use of technology for teaching, and their perceptions of the integration of instructional technology practices by faculty across three semesters using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Preservice teachers’ perceptions of their ability to integrate technology in their teaching increased whereas their attitudes toward integrating technology remained consistently high across program semesters. They believed that faculty effectively integrated and modeled the use of technology in their instruction. Implications of the results are discussed.

Ethics and Students with Disabilities from Migrant Farmworker Families

Students with disabilities from migrant farmworker families face multiple and complex challenges in their pursuit of an appropriate education. An ethical framework based on principles of care and hospitality is presented to help guide educators and policy makers in their decisions regarding these students.

Police officer perspectives on intellectual disability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine police officer perceptions about persons with intellectual disabilities. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, 188 officers from three police districts in the Southeast USA were surveyed using a modified Social Distance Questionnaire. Findings – Results indicate that the majority of police officers surveyed had little or no training with regard to disabilities and that most are willing to interact socially with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Further, this study found that female officers had significantly greater positive attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disabilities than male respondents and that white respondents were more knowledgeable about these individuals than those from minority backgrounds. Research limitations/implications – While these results are significant, it should be noted that the number of female and minority participants was relatively low. Practical implications – The paper includes recommendations for...