Critical Issues in Preparing Effective Early Childhood Special Education Teachers for the 21 Century Classroom

Festus E. Obiakor, Valdosta State University, USAAlicja Rieger, Valdosta State University, USAAnthony F. Rotatori, Saint Xavier University, USA

• List of Contributors.Foreword, Brian Gerber.Preface, Festus E. Obiakor, Alicja Rieger, and Anthony F. Rotatori.Chapter 1. Teacher Education—Then and Now, Deb L. Marciano.Chapter 2. Performance Assessments of Teaching and the Current Discourse on Teacher Education, Jessica B. Graves, Barbara J. Radcliffe, and Karla Hull.Chapter 3. Dismantling Deficit Thinking Through Teacher Education, María L. Gabriel, James Martínez, and Festus Obiakor.Chapter 4. Preparing Teachers and Leaders for Urban and Rural Special Education in This Age of Change, Tachelle Banks, Festus E. Obiakor, Floyd Beachum, Bob Algozzine, and Sean Warner.Chapter 5. Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Teacher Preparation to Support Students With Exceptionalities, Shaunita D. Strozier, Margaret M. Flores, Vanessa Hinton, Margaret Shippen, and Stephanie Taylor.Chapter 6. Preparing Teachers to Maximize the Potential of Young Students With Gifts and Talents, Sunday Obi, Festus E. Obiakor, Don Drennon-Gala, Tachelle Banks, and Satasha Green.Chapter 7. Preparing Teachers and Practitioners to Work With Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Lynn Adams.Chapter 8. Preparing Teachers for Adaptive Physical Education for Young Children With Special Needs, Eugene F. Asola.Chapter 9. Preparing Educators Through Relationships Between Schools, Families, and Communities: Sullivan Literacy Center, Gina M. Doepker.Chapter 10. Preparing Teachers to Teach With Comics Literature In K–12 Classrooms, Alicja Rieger, Ewa McGrail, and J. Patrick McGrail.Chapter 11. Using Technology to Prepare Teachers and Leaders in Early Childhood Special Education, Sunday Obi, Floyd Beachum, Festus E. Obiakor, Carlos McCray, Elizabeth Omiteru, and Marty Sapp.Chapter 12. Teaching at a Distance: Perspectives on the Growth and Impact of Electronic Learning in Special Education Teacher Preparation, Kelly Heckaman, Anthony Scheffler, and Patti Campbell.Chapter 13. Clinical and Field-Based Teacher Preparation Pedagogy and Professional Development of Teacher Educators, Jessica Graves, Carolyn Gish, Karla Hull, and Jamie Bird.Chapter 14. Forging Evidence-Based Inquiry and Teaching in Teacher Education, Alicja Rieger, Ewa McGrail, and J. Patrick McGrail.Chapter 15. Moving Forward: Coalescence of General Education, Special Education, and Teacher Education Programs Into Collaborative Partnerships in Education, Satasha Green, Cheryl A. Utley, Florah Luseno, Festus E. Obiakor, and Alicja Rieger.