Abstract
This article examines the value of using an alternative approach to college course instruction in an off-campus location, an agency for individuals with developmental disabilities. The situated learning model is an alternative to the traditional college course instructional approach for preservice teachers. This model immerses students in the actual setting where they can practice the skills and apply the concepts emphasized in the curriculum. Through a partnership between the college, the community agency, and a public school, graduate students in the special education program developed and implemented a life-skills curriculum for individuals with developmental disabilities, at the same time learning essential principles of delivering instruction. The school-aged students who participated in the study were from a racially mixed urban school district, while the adult clients from the community agency attended the program at the end of their community-based workday. Based on the results of surveys and focus group discussions, participants in the study indicated that the situated learning model of instruction in a community setting better prepared them in the acquisition and application of their teaching skills, and built their competence in developing educational programs for individuals with disabilities.
Highlights
This article presents evidence that graduate students enrolled in special education teacher preparation classes that offer a situated learning experience through a community partnership believe they are more responsible for their own learning and more proficient in their teaching skills compared with the training they received in a more traditional college course
They indicated that the situated learning model facilitated their skills in working as team members, helped sharpen their problem-solving skills, and provided opportunities to practice multiple skills, and explore different models and approaches for instructional decision making
Both groups of graduate students reported that they sharpened their analytic skills, understood the learning process, explored their academic interests with faculty and other students, and felt part of a group that was committed to learning
Summary
This article presents evidence that graduate students enrolled in special education teacher preparation classes that offer a situated learning experience through a community partnership believe they are more responsible for their own learning and more proficient in their teaching skills compared with the training they received in a more traditional college course. Similar studies by Contu and Willmott (2003) emphasize that students who learn within an organization are better able to integrate and transfer skills and knowledge into that setting. The researchers in the present study examined the effects of using the situated learning model of instruction through a community partnership based on the hypothesis that the graduate students would benefit further than if instruction was offered in a traditional course presentation. The study provided an instructional process that can be replicated in other college-level teacher preparation courses
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