Promoting Interface and Knowledge Sharing: A Joint Project Between General and Special Education Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Addressing the Diverse Needs of All Learners

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a study aimed at building a greater interface via a joint project between general and special education preservice teachers. The study addressed three questions: 1) What common affordances does this joint class project have for the general and special education preservice teachers? 2) What unique affordances does this joint project have for each of the groups? 3) What do the preservice teachers learn about designing UDL-based math lesson accessible to diverse learners? The results indicated that the joint class project, with the emphasis on the integration of visuals and technology, allowed the preservice teachers to develop collaboration skills and design appropriately challenging and inclusive unit plans through shared expertise and problem-solving.

Author

• Xiuwen Wu, National Louis University