What is a “highly qualified” teacher? It seems that there are many disagreements as to what this truly means. While it seems exceedingly important for a teacher to be well educated on the appropriate content knowledge, there is also a need for this same teacher to have the capability to apply this knowledge effectively to a classroom. Is what to teach more important than how to teach? Which is more effective? A valid concern for the field of education is that the “highly qualified” teacher requirements and expectations may differ in effectiveness between a regular education class and that of a special education environment. Pedagogical preparation appears to be a more useful skill while working in a classroom with students who have special needs. When there is a classroom filled with students who consistently need help with addressing their behaviors, it makes sense that one should be qualified in handling these situations at any moment. If “highly qualified” teaching requirements are strongly focused on content knowledge our special education teachers may not have the skills to successfully educate and manage their classroom in a way that meets the students needs.
I seem to be more receptive to the Professional education groups. This group advocates for more rigorous standards for teachers. While these standards include and emphasize knowledge of subject matter, they also include the ability to transfer this knowledge effectively to a classroom. I believe that it is not beneficial for laws to be so overly focused on having content knowledge that they forget how crucial and necessary it is to not only present this knowledge effectively, but also have the skill to successfully manage a classroom.
I too have a hard time understanding what "highly qualified" should mean. Last year was my first year teaching and I found out really quick how important it is to have a highly qualified status. I am sure you are aware that there are 4 Praxis tests we must pass to get our license in Special Education. They are: PLT, Reading Across the Curriculum, SPED core content and mild/moderate or comprehensive. I thought I was covered, but guess what? I wasn't highly qualified in anything except reading. Wow! I was a glorified assistant with a teaching license. I took a PRAXIS K-8 which made me highly qualified in that area and I also got highly qualified in math k-12. I am not a content specialist in math but I am highly qualified. I have no doubt that highly qualified and being a master of the content DO NOT correlate. Special Ed teachers are required to know all subjects. With all that said...I think the most important thing to know is "how" to teach not having a label like "highly qualified."
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is a need for both the knowledge and the know how to apply that knowledge in the classroom. I for one believe that all teachers today need to be dually certified in both general education and special education in order to meet the diverse needs of all of the students placed in their class. You can have all the knowledge in the world but if you can not manage the needs of your students you certainly are not providing a "high quality" of instruction to those students.
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