James K. McAfee

Providing Performance Feedback to Teachers: A Review

Teacher preparation programs are under scrutiny for their role in the troubled American educational system. Thus, teacher educators must encourage teachers to use effective teaching practices. One technique for increasing use of effective practices is providing feedback to teachers on both newly acquired and ingrained teaching behaviors. To determine attributes of effective performance feedback, a systematic search for empirical literature was completed. Analysis of the ten identified studies indicates attributes of feedback that have been studied fall into categories of (a) nature of feedback, (b) temporal dimensions of feedback, and (c) who gives feedback. Through this review, attributes of feedback were classified as either promising or effective practice in changing specific teaching behaviors. Only immediate feedback was identified as an effective attribute. Promising practices for feedback to teachers included feedback that was specific, positive, and/or corrective. These findings, recommendations and directions for additional research in feedback and teacher preparation are discussed.

Effects of Corrective Feedback Delivered via Wireless Technology on Preservice Teacher Performance and Student Behavior.

In teacher preparation most supervisory feedback is deferred, allowing learners to perform skills incorrectly and delivery of on-site immediate feedback may interrupt instructional flow. This study used a multiple baseline design to examine effects of immediate, corrective feedback delivered via wireless technology on completion of three-term contingency trials. Participants were five preservice special education teachers working on academic skills with students with special needs in elementary and middle school classrooms. Corrective, immediate feedback was shown to be an effective way to increase completion of three-term contingency trials by teachers. During baseline, percentage of completion ranged from 30-92. With corrective, immediate feedback, all five teachers reached criterion level of 90% completion. Overall, mean percentage of correct student responses increased 3 to 17 percentage points over baseline results for four of the five teachers. All teachers rated the method as beneficial. Implications for practice are discussed.

Decreasing Self-Injurious Behavior in a Student with Autism and Tourette Syndrome through Positive Attention and Extinction

This case study was conducted with a student diagnosed with autism and Tourette syndrome who displayed severe self-injurious behavior (SIB). We conducted a functional behavioral assessment which indicated that SIB was maintained by multiple functions using an ABAC design to determine the effect of positive social attention and extinction. Results show a considerable decrease in SIB incidents, particularly when session duration was reduced from 10 minutes to 5 minutes during the second intervention phase. Thus, the combination of contingent social attention formulated from the functional assessment and extinction was successful in bringing about significant decreases in SIB. This combination holds great promise as a nonintrusive positive strategy for SIB.

Community Colleges and Individuals with Emotional Disorders.

Many children with emotional disorders continue to experience interpersonal difficulties when they become adults. Emotional and behavioral problems result in low levels of participation in postsecondary education, suppressed achievement, and eventual underemployment. To determine how postsecondary educational programs accommodate the needs of individuals with emotional disorders, 200 community colleges were surveyed. From the 137 surveys returned, it was determined that individuals with emotional disorders have been identified on most campuses (77.4%). In addition, 83% of the respondent colleges provide services for students with emotional disorders. The large majority of respondents reported a desire to serve adults with emotional disorders but funding limitations and priority conflicts place restraints on service expansion.

Integrating Therapy Services in the School: A Model for Training Educators, Administrators, and Therapists.

The presence of therapists in early childhood special education programs has grown in recent years and will grow even more during the next few years. Research has shown that inclusion of therapists in an educational setting does not ensure integration of therapy technologies or integration of the therapists themselves into the social fabric of the education center. There are numerous sources of conflict between therapists and educators. Each of these sources is discussed in the ensuing article. Finally, a model for training is presented. This model is designed to improve the integration of therapy and therapists into early childhood special education environments.

Liability in Early Childhood Special Education

All educators face the possibility that they may be sued for negligence or malpractice. Courts have determined that special educators and early childhood educators must conduct their classes and supervise their children with special care, which means that these educators are more vulnerable. Basic definitions and concepts in educational liability are presented in this article, as well as descriptions of the conditions under which early childhood special educators may be held liable for physical, educational, or psychological injury of students. Litigation is discussed. Finally, preventive measures are enumerated and legal defenses are considered.

Legal Aspects of Teacher Education Letters of Reference, Recommendations, and Defamation of Character

Teacher educators are subject to the increasing complexities of our legal system. Legal complexity in teacher education has been engendered by the need to accommodate cultural and personal diversity, the decline of university paternalism (in loco parentis), an increase in the number of older college students, and the evolution of an implied contract between colleges and students. This article describes how teacher education is affected by evolving law, especially when the teacher is called upon to communicate evaluative comments about a trainee in the form of letters of reference, telephone recommendations, or submissions for placement files.