Effects of a 6‐week, co‐taught literacy unit on preservice special educators' literacy‐education knowledge

Abstract

AbstractFor special education preservice teachers to be prepared to assist students with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential in literacy, an innovative, co‐taught literacy unit was implemented within existing methods courses. The intensive, 6‐week unit was created to prepare all candidates in both mild interventions and severe interventions licensure programs to meet the literacy needs of diverse learners. The curriculum was designed around the National Reading Panel's five critical components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension) in addition to the topics of emergent literacy and writing. Pre‐ and posttests were administered, revealing a significant growth in participant knowledge related to literacy assessment and instruction. Implications for future efforts to improve literacy outcomes for students with disabilities by improving teachers' knowledge and skills related to literacy instruction are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.