The Use of Rehearsal to Enhance Special Educator Teacher Preparation

Abstract

Teacher educators can use rehearsal to enhance special education teacher candidates’ mastery of foundational teaching practices. Rehearsals (i.e., brief practice teaching segments) are conducted within college and university courses and are intentionally different from field-based or clinical practice. The use of rehearsal reflects a practice-based approach to teacher preparation that can be incorporated within special education instructional methods and behavior management courses. This article provides an overview of what rehearsal is and how teacher educators can incorporate rehearsals within their courses using an explicit instruction framework. The article concludes with a sample lesson illustrating how special education teacher educators can use rehearsal to teach candidates how to increase opportunities to respond using a student-response routine.