Research on Teaching: Opening the Door to Special Education Classrooms

Abstract

Although much research has been done on the effectiveness of teaching for nonhandicapped students, relatively little analysis has been made of teacher effectiveness in special education. Most of the recommendations about what special education teachers should do to be effective are based on the following: inferences from basic research showing exceptional students learn more slowly, with greater difficulty, or in different ways from normal learners; conclusions from applied research showing that specific groups of exceptional students respond more favorably to particular “packages” of instructional methods and materials; and analysis of opinions about what teachers should do to be effective. In this article, the results of teacher effectiveness research in general education are summarized, the best practices in special education are hypothesized, and the discrepancies between prevailing and actual practices are discussed. Areas for further research are suggested based on discrepancies that exist between levels of current practice.