After reading the attached discussion post from classmates, write a 150 word response for each of the two discussion posts. Your responses must be written at or above a Master's level quality and adhe

Discussion post #1 - Elizabeth

Improving and understanding the educational processes are key components in teachers’ practices, attitudes, and beliefs. All these components are closely interconnected to a teachers’ strategies for handling challenges that are presented to them in their daily professional life as well as their personal life and well-being. Teachers are the vessel that molds students’ and influences their achievement, motivation, and shapes their learning environment which directly impacts a students’ ability to learn. Getting to know your students and understanding how they best learn will set you up for success and allow the students to grow and exceed their goals.

Direct instruction including classroom management, well-structured lessons, clear presentation, adequate pacing, close monitoring, and encouraging and informative feedback and critical aspects in instruction have shown to positively correlate with students’ success rates. Although teachers providing learning opportunities is crucial, it isn’t enough, all aspects previously mentioned must be utilized and understood by the student to be effective. Direct instruction is important but the framework surrounding the instructional quality is broader than just that.

Educators often remain distrustful of implementing evidence-based practices (EBP’s) because although they are mandated, in a lot of their experiences they new “full proof” way may not have been effective and did not improve student outcomes like they were told it would. With that said, an EBP that has been through high quality research can be effective. Another reason that educators have when being encouraged to implement new ideas is that the new program or practice will require excessive amounts of resources and time. This is not always the case and even when true, it might be worth all the time and effort if the EBP seems beneficial and can offer something they may not currently be getting.

An increased likelihood of a positive outcome and happy child, increased accountability because there are data to back up the selection of practice or program, which in turn facilitates support from administrators, parents, and others; Less wasted time, and fewer wasted resources because educators start with an effective practice or program and are not forced to find one that works through trial and error; An increased likelihood of being responsive to learners' needs; and A greater chance of convincing students to try it because there is evidence that it works are all considered benefits of implanting EBPs for students and educators.

Six challenges, at least, when increasing teacher use of an EBP are but not limited to: lack of reinforcement, competing demands, lack of generalization, absence of an EBP culture, and lack of expertise. Without good practice implementing EBP long standing teacher may not be able/willing to learn and accept what the new EBP is about and therefore would encourage new teachers to stick to the “old” methods and not try and branch out to something new that could potentially be more beneficial.

Reinforcement is one of the main behavioral principles that is used to maintain and increase behavior. Lack of support could also be a concern when trying to implement an EBP. Reinforcement contingencies for teachers are either not in place in schools or not used as frequently as they could be. The observational feedback for teachers only happens, at most, a couple times a year, and the feedback is summative vs informative. Without reinforcement eventualities through self-monitoring or feedback a great teacher could be susceptible to cognitive overload related to the next barrier.

Part of the reason is human nature; change is difficult. Another reason is that it takes work to make a study relevant to what's happening on the ground. Plus, practitioners are often skeptical of experts. Academics, after all, often seem far removed from daily work experience. It has been proven that in not just teaching but many jobs that research alone will not be enough to convince a change in strategies, there needs to be some kind of reinforcement to ensure the change occurs. One of the main reasons for their being human nature. Most people do not like change and will oppose to as much as they possibly can.

Discussion Post #2 - Cindy

As a special education teacher you play a crucial role in informing decision-making and improving student outcomes. Within my idea school setting evidence-based practices would highly be encouraged and supported by the administration. This is achieved through professional development opportunities, research-based interventions, collaboration, and a data-driven decision-making approaches.

By staying up to date with research findings through professional development, teachers can incorporate the latest evidence-based strategies into their instruction. The organization invests in programs and resources aligned with evidence-based practices to ensure students receive appropriate interventions. Collaboration provides access to valuable expertise and resources, while data-driven decision-making helps monitor student progress and evaluate the effectiveness of instructional practices.

Implementing evidence-based practices is effective as it provides a foundation of knowledge and proven strategies, increasing the likelihood of success and promoting consistency in instruction. However, challenges exist in utilizing evidence-based best practices, such as limited resources, time constraints, and translating research into practical strategies.

To address these challenges and bridge the research-to-practice gap, recommendations include establishing professional learning communities: with these communities place where teachers can collaborate, discuss research findings, and share effective instructional strategies. This promotes peer support and shared learning. Also provide user-friendly research summaries and guidelines, fostering research-practice partnerships, and offering ongoing support through coaching and mentoring. These strategies promote collaboration, disseminate research findings, and provide practical guidance for teachers to effectively implement evidence-based practices.

By implementing these recommendations, educators can bridge the research-to-practice gap in special education, ensuring that evidence-based practices are utilized in classrooms to improve student outcomes. This approach promotes informed decision-making, consistency, and coherence in instruction, ultimately benefiting students with special needs.

Proverbs 18:15: "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." This verse highlights the significance of seeking knowledge and being open to learning for those who are wise and have understanding.