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Knowledge and skills for special educators in the 1990s: Perceptions from the field

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Peter Westwood  and
Carolyn Palmer
Peter Westwood*
Affiliation:
The Flinders University of South Australia
Carolyn Palmer
Affiliation:
The Flinders University of South Australia
*
Peter Westwood is Senior Lecturer and Carolyn Palmer is Lecturer in Special Education at Flinders University of South Australia. The address for correspondence is GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia.
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Abstract

Since the early 1970s special education courses at graduate and post-graduate levels have become standard offerings at many Australian universities. As these courses continue to be the main avenue of professional development for special educators in this country, it is pertinent to wonder how often the objectives and content of the courses are examined and revised to ensure contemporary relevance. It must be recognized that the field of special education appears to be in what Tomlinson (1982, p.24) has described as a ‘permanently dynamic state’, with frequent changes in policy, service delivery, roles and responsibilities. The roles and responsibilities of special educators have certainly changed significantly during the past decade (Watts, 1990; Dyson, 1991), and the earlier studies of essential competencies required by special education teachers (e.g. Whitmore,1982; Scott, 1983; Davis, 1983) may not provide reliable data on which to design current courses. There has been renewed interest overseas in the issue of what constitutes essential knowledge and skills for teachers working in special education (Best, 1988; Ramsey & Algozzine, 1991; Ramsey, Algozzine & Smith, 1990; Glomb & Morgan, 1991; Folio, 1990; Cannon, Idol & West, 1992; Reynolds, Wang & Walberg, 1992; Swan & Sirvis, 1992), and it is worth analysing some of this material to determine its relevance for the Australian context. The information could well prove useful as a basis for evaluating special education courses here.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , January 1993 , pp. 31 - 41
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 1993

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