Itinerant Teachers Research Articles

Folkelighedsbegrebet i praksis - en vandrelærers arbejde i 1920'ernes Sydslesvig

The concept of “folkelighed” in practice. The work of an itinerant teacher in the southern Schlesvig of the 1920’sThis article attempts to pin down the way in which an element of “folkelighed” was central to the wide variety of work carried out by itinerant teachers in southern Schlesvig. After the referendum of 1920 and the fixing of the national boundary with Germany, the occupation of itinerant teacher was established south of the new border for the purpose of strengthening, in conjunction with private tuition in Danishminded homes, elements of Danishness. Taking the activities of the itinerant teacher, Jørgen Jørgensen, as an example, we see how popular nationalism at grassroots level was just as clearly visible in games and woodwork lessons as it was in history and Danish. The concept of “folkelighed” was on a par with Christianity, and nationalist thinking was an indispensable part of the mental baggage that belonged to the period and to the area and was therefore a natural component of everyday activity. Jørgen Jørgensen made a very committed contribution. He was a firebrand, who devoted his life to itinerant teaching and his significance for local society can be compared to the earlier platoon commanders. His work can be seen as an example of the way in which the concept of “folkelighed” was acted out in practice. The article concludes with some thoughts on the subject of the concept of “folkelighed” in our day, which, however much its reduced emphasis on nationalist and Christian elements has made it less distinct, nevertheless remains in great demand.

Hungary: Changing Attitudes in the Education of Children and Youth with a Visual Impairment

The author gives an overview of the history and present situation of the education of children with a visual impairment in Hungary. A survey of the different services shows that they began long before they had a legal basis. Hungary has sound laws but the economic situation, even though it has substantially developed, is still not so strong as to provide enough financial support for programmes. The number of itinerant teachers is not sufficient, mainstreamed children are not equipped well enough and the price of access technology is extremely high. An Eastern European Network for Access Technology (Project EENAT) aims to address many aspects of access technology. The main challenge and development in this field is Windows accessibility in the Eastern and Central European region.

Academic and Social Benefits of a Co-enrollment Model of Inclusive Education for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/hh) students are traditionally educated within self-contained programs at residential or special day schools, within self-contained or resource classrooms in public schools, or within regular education classrooms with support provided by an itinerant teacher. The co-enrollment model offers a promising alternative in which these students are educated within a regular education classroom composed of both d/hh and hearing students and team-taught by a teacher of the deaf and a regular education teacher. This article examines the development of one such program and the social and academic performance of the d/hh students within the program. Data on social interaction between d/hh and hearing classmates suggest that specific instructional strategies that promoted students' sign language development, identified d/hh students as "sign language specialists" and grouped d/hh and hearing students during academic activities resulted in increased interaction between these two groups of students. Stanford Achievement Test scores in the areas of reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, mathematical problem solving and procedures indicate that although d/hh students scored below the national normative hearing group, reading comprehension levels exceeded the national normative sample of d/hh students during both years two and three of the program. We discuss the challenges of implementing a co-enrollment program.

The management of ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ complaint sequences in research interviews

Complaining as a conversational activity has been the topic of much recent research. However, no studies have been found which address the formulation and management of complaint sequences in research interviews. This article focuses on how complaint sequences are produced and managed by speakers within the socially situated setting of the research interview. Transcripts are drawn from data collected during a three-year study examining the work of itinerant primary music teachers. Complaint sequences examined here are derived from the pilot study phase of the project in which 12 practicing teachers were interviewed at length in 1996 by the researcher (who is also a music teacher). Analysis of interview accounts follows conversation analytic procedures and encompasses talk of the interviewer and interviewee. Using Sacks's (1992) notion of 'safe' and 'unsafe' complaints, four complaint sequences are used to examine (a) the management of unsafe complaints; (b) the reformulation of an initial 'unsafe' complaint into a 'safe' complaint; and (c) the formulation and management of a 'safe' complaint. Findings from this analysis indicate that for participants of research interviews in which the researcher shares co-categorial incumbency, the production of complaint sequences may be 'risky business'. This contrasts with findings from other studies which suggest that in conversational settings, complaining accomplishes a rapport building function.

Seeking the Light: Welcoming a Visually Impaired Student

to make everyday, the perspectives we choose to take, and how we choose to see the proverbial glass. I was one of the lucky ones—a teacher with a very special stu dent whose determination, outlook, and indomitable spirit provided special lessons in living. Gathary sees the beauty in what is invisible to the eye. She takes delight in everything around her and celebrates life. Her mind is filled with images; her heart is filled with joy. Those of us fortunate enough to know Gathary have gained in countless ways. She has forced us to reassess what we perceive to be our own limitations and has made us aware that each of us is responsible for determining what limits we reach. Gathary is blind, and has been from infancy; but, in a sense, Gathary has opened our eyes by sharing her visions of hope and wonder. Gathary joined our sixth grade class, a language arts and geography block, in January 1997. For most of us, it was our first opportunity to interact with someone who is blind. While everyday did not go smoothly, the journey was worth every bump; and in the end, we all gained in kindness, understanding, and empathy. What follows is based on a conversation that took place at the end of the school year. Gathary, her mother Leslie (an art teacher at our school), Beth Gordon (the visual itin erant teacher), three friends, and I met to discuss many issues that affected Gathary, her classmates, and teach ers and to evaluate the ways in which the classroom atmosphere and curriculum met the needs of the visu ally impaired. As the classroom teacher, I was especially anxious to know what changes and adaptations were most worthwhile and what I might have done different ly to contribute to an even more successful experience. With the growing popularity of inclusion, more and more teachers will be concerned with mainstream ing and its ramifications. Teaching middle school adds to the challenge simply because of the very nature of middle school students who are experiencing dramatic physical, social, and emotional changes. It is sometimes difficult for middle school students, who are coping with their own lives, to empathize and reach out to oth ers. Often, their own lack of confidence and lowered self-esteem cause them to appear heartless and unfeel ing. Their need for peer-acceptance makes inclusion not only difficult for the special needs students who so desperately want to fit in, but also for the regular class room students who desire conformity and wish to find their own place in which to fit. Since the conversation shed light on many impor tant issues affecting the visually impaired in the main streamed setting of a middle school, a synthesis of the responses to specific questions pertinent to teachers are being shared in the hope that it will provide ideas and inspiration for those working with middle school students who face special challenges.

Itinerant teaching: the inside story.

The number of students who are deaf or hard of hearing attending local neighborhood schools has increased steadily over the past 20 years (Holden-Pitt & Diaz, 1998). This increase has led to larger numbers of teachers serving these students as itinerant teachers. However, little research has been conducted to examine the efficacy of this model of service delivery (Brelje, 1992; Luckner & Miller, 1994). Qualitative research methods were used to investigate itinerant teachers' perceptions of their responsibilities, job satisfaction, and effectiveness. Individual interviews were conducted with 10 itinerant teachers. Participants reported they preferred working directly with students rather than consulting with general education teachers and families. They noted the primary advantages of working as an itinerant teacher were variety, autonomy, time for reflection, and the diversity of students with whom they worked. Some of the most significant disadvantages they cited were isolation, time and budget constraints, and the distances required to travel from school to school. Essential skills and challenges to being an effective itinerant teacher are identified, recommendations for future itinerant teachers are discussed, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Learning disabilities in Costa Rica: challenges for an "army of teachers".

Special education services in the country of Costa Rica have been affected by factors that most developing countries confront: shortages of trained personnel, geographic isolation of a large sector of the population, and severe economic limitations. Despite these challenges, services for students with learning disabilities in Costa Rica have rapidly expanded in the last 15 years through the development of resource rooms, recargo classrooms, and itinerant teacher delivery systems. The history and evolution of special education services in Costa Rica are described, along with critical issues that impede the expansion of educational services to students with learning disabilities, particularly in rural areas.

Pskov, Russia

On the initiative of Theofaan International two teachers from Convergo, the educational institute for visually impaired children (in The Netherlands), visited a school for visually impaired in Russia. The Convergo delegation consisted of Mrs Ingrid Stekelenburg, teacher at the Rotterdam school, and Mr Jan Linders, itinerant teacher at the Grave school. They visited School nr 7 in Pskov, a town of some 200,000 inhabitants, situated 300 km to the south west of St Petersburg.

Queensland's Itinerant Teacher Service, 1901–1930

Moving from homestead to homestead, in a horse and cart, to bring schooling to isolated children in Queensland's outback was the role of itinerant teachers at the turn of the century. Later, the horse and cart was replaced by motor cars and motor bikes, but the harsh conditions of the ‘bush’ were never really conquered. The Itinerant Teacher Service was no longer in existence by the Thirties, being replaced by the Primary Correspondence School which offered a service itinerant teachers could not. The travelling teachers, however, were significant in bringing a degree of literacy and numeracy to ‘bush’ children and in preparing the way for the smooth inception of the Primary Correspondence School.

Itinerant teachers. Responsibilities, perceptions, preparation, and students served.

Increased numbers of deaf and hard of hearing students live at home, attend their neighborhood schools, and receive major portions of their educations from general education teachers with support from itinerant teachers of deaf and hard of hearing students. Although the itinerant service-delivery model is used extensively, there is a paucity both of information about itinerant teaching and of research that has examined its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to begin a database of information about the job responsibilities, perceptions, and preparation of itinerant teachers, as well as about the characteristics of the students they serve. Data from surveys returned by 319 itinerant teachers was analyzed. The responses indicate that itinerant teaching differs in numerous ways from more-traditional approaches to educating deaf and hard of hearing students. Results, implications, concerns, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The Historical Setting of Mark's Gospel: Problems and Possibilities

Some proposals for the setting of Mark's Gospel are reviewed, highlighting the complexities of identifying a particular Markan community. Mark's Gospel provides very little indication of its supposed immediate context. To explain this fact it is suggested that the Gospel should be approached as oral-traditional literature, such as was performed in many contexts before various audiences: a story told by an itinerant radical teacher. Possible role models for such an itinerant storyteller are discussed to show the historical possibility and plausibility of an oral performer (storyteller) with links to a written text. Some methodological and theoretical issues are elaborated, emphasizing the interrelationship of contents (the story), the linguistic characteristics of the text (its 'texture') and context.

Editorial

EDITORIAL Teacher Morale Recently I was involved in writing up the final report for a study investigating changing perspectives on the meaning and the implementation of the Least Restrictive Environment requirements of Public Law 94-142 in relation to educational placement and provision of services to deaf children. Twenty-eight programs were included in the study, serving children in residential, separate class, resource room, and integrated settings across the United States. As might be expected by educators of the deaf, the results reflected a complicated situation; there was a great deal of variation across and within categories. In one area, however, the findings were consistently negative: the morale of teachers of the deaf appeared to be well below published norms for general education teachers. Regardless of the teaching environment, teacher satisfaction ratings were uniformly low. Whether functioning as itinerant teachers, resource room teachers, teachers in self-contained public school classes, or teachers in residential schools, all showed greater dissatisfaction than regular classroom teachers. Preliminary analysis suggests that this dissatisfaction exists in teachers of the deaf regardless of hearing status, ethnic background, or gender. These results are in sharp contrast to findings in the same study suggesting that the self-concept of American deaf children in various types of educational settings is similar to that of hearing norms, and to encouraging data indicating that parents seem to be adjusting to the presence of deaf children in the family and learning to communicate more effectively than they have in the past. The low morale of teachers of the deaf is especially troubling, as the information was gathered from a well-educated and well-trained sample. The education of deaf children has always placed additional strains on teachers, because most deaf children do not start school with the same English language—or any other language— skills thathearing children bring to the educational process. As a result, much of the curriculum is devoted to closing the English and related communication gap between deaf children and their hearing peers. Teachers of the deaf typically deal with a situation in which their children have normal intellectual potential but academic progress is constrained by limited English and other communication skills. Teachers may see only small incremental growth in standardized test scores from year to year and may— mistakenly in my opinion—hold themselves responsible for what they perceive to be an unsatisfactory rate of progress. Low morale among teachers of the deaf apparently is caused by a number of factors and is more complex than simply dissatisfaction with mastery of English skills by their students. Our results show that the greatest difference between teachers of the deaf and teachers in general is related to feelings about the workload, with teachers of the deaf expressing much greater dissatisfaction. Perhaps teachers of the deaf work harder than teachers in general. This itself is an area in need of study. Another area in which there were great differences lay in the fact that teachers of the deaf felt much greater pressure from community expectations. Possibly, teachers of the deaf believe that the expectations of others for the progress of deaf children are unrealistic, or maybe they believe that the responsibility for fulfilling those expectations falls disproportionately on teachers. Perhaps the situation is not as grim as the results suggest. However, with 213 participants from across the country, there is every reason to believe that the results are valid. In any case, future research is called for to ascertain the validity and generalizability of the findings. If morale is low, this maybe one explanation for the greater turnover among teachers of the deaf that has been documented for more than a decade. If so, it may be necessary to explore the causes of low morale in depth. It is highly likely that preservice training procedures should be modified extensively and that professional in-service training should concentrate much more comprehensively on teacher morale . Last, but certainly not least, we should be paying attention to the environments—physical and otherwise— in which teachers of the deaf function. Donald F. Moores Editor Vol. 136, No. 3 AAD 243 ...

Competencies Critical to Teachers of Students with Hearing Impairments

it is essential that the knowledge and skills acquired during the preparation program be those needed by future teachers once they are delivering services to students with hearing impairments. A national survey of teachers in nonintegrated classes in residential schools and day programs, teachers in integrated settings in regular public schools, and itinerant teachers who work in regular public schools but who travel from school to school was conducted to determine perceptions of the competencies most critical to their job. The results of this study suggest that there are many similarites and some important differences in teacher competencies across service delivery models.

The View from Helsinki

Pekka, a young blond lad?they're all blond?raised his hand. Pro fessor Wendel, he anxiously asked, when are you going to tell us about California! It was a surprise. Here I was at the University of Helsinki in 1988 dutifully fulfilling my fourteen-week lecture as signment on American colonial his tory, but all these young Finns knew I was from California, and that's what they wanted to hear about. Well, I had one more lecture, and I somehow con trived what must indeed have been a historiographical breakthrough: the in tegration of the history of California through the twentieth century into the colonial period. Pekka's question, in fact, raised the complicated matter of the mission of the college teacher in a foreign coun try. It goes without saying that I was there to teach my discipline. But on the other hand, the students really seem to want to hear about America today. They want to learn about it, and they probably signed up for my class as much for those reasons as for the sub ject matter. The itinerant college teacher, then, must be ready to talk about the present state of the United States. The students are enraptured with American pop cul ture?music, the movies, sports?and

Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired Population of Israel

This article describes the various models of educating blind and visually impaired students in Israel, including residential schools, resource rooms, itinerant teachers, and joint and individual initiatives. Although the overall policy on special education encourages the mainstreaming of blind and visually impaired students into regular classrooms, the staff of special education have considerable autonomy in planning programs. This freedom encourages the development of programs that cater to the needs of individual students.

Educating Blind and Visually Impaired Children in Western Australia

The vastness of Western Australia presents special problems for the provision of equal education to blind and visually impaired children who are mainstreamed in schools throughout the state, especially those who are in underpopulated areas. This article describes the history of education of blind and visually impaired people in the state, culminating in the granting of integrated education in the 1970s and the subsequent effects of mainstreaming. It also discusses the special problems of itinerant teachers, who often travel hundreds of miles, by car, and airplane, to see one student.

Status of school children's hearing aids relative to monitoring practices.

Data concerning hearing aid monitoring practices and hearing aid malfunction were collected for three groups of mainstreamed hearing-impaired children: 248 children receiving services from itinerant teachers of the hearing impaired, 43 who participated in a study involving extensive psychoeducational evaluation, and 10 children who attended a 6 week residential treatment program in which hearing aid function was checked at least twice each day. Comparisons of the three data sets revealed that even conscientious parental and professional monitoring practices prove inadequate. As a result, it is hypothesized that children must take active roles in the monitoring process. A program to help children develop hearing aid monitoring skills is outlined.

Meeting the Needs of Rural Teachers of Visually Impaired Students

A survey of itinerant teachers in Texas found that, despite the numerous shortcomings of the job, the respondents believed there were many advantages. The respondents further identified the much needed ability to adjust to change, to put things in perspective, to modify their expectations, and to exercise a healthy sense of humor. This article details these shortcomings and advantages, suggests strategies for overcoming obstacles, and discusses the implications of the findings for administrators of schools and personnel of teacher-training programs.

Rural special education itinerant service delivery: Practical suggestions to overcome job realities and shortcomings

This article focuses on the realistic shortcomings and advantages of rural special education itinerant service delivery. Practical strategies for overcoming the job realities are provided. Discussion centers on implications for school administrators, teacher training personnel, and the itinerant teachers themselves. The article emphasizes the much needed abilities to adjust to change, to modify expectations, and to exercise a healthy sense of humor.

Competencies for Professionals in Learning Disabilities

Two hundred and sixty-one professionals in learning disabilities rated their proficiency on CLD competency statements in eleven areas. The evaluation included ratings of real competence, i.e., skills used on their jobs, and ideal competence, i.e., skills participants considered important for being able to function at maximum efficiency. The respondents were divided into subgroups based upon nine demographic conditions: Service Model, Teaching Level, Years of Teaching Experience, School Type, Years in Special Education, Degree, Location, Sex, and Age. Results revealed that reading was the most important competency area and that the majority of professionals felt most proficient in reading skills. At the other extreme, competence in cognition and career/vocational education was not viewed as particularly important. Other areas such as mathematics, written language, and oral language were regarded as important, but specific groups of professionals believed they were not fully competent in certain aspects of those areas. Other results suggested that teachers benefit from experience and academic degrees, and that they have little interest in research or professional organizations. Educational diagnosticians and supervisors believed that they had better training than other personnel; itinerant teachers viewed themselves as less competent than others in many areas.