Effective Direct Instruction Practices in Special Education Settings

This study examined effective and less effective teachers of special education students as differentiated by their direct instruction practices. Twenty-eight teacher interns were equally divided into two effectiveness groups based on their students' achievement. Each group was observed teaching lessons to special education students. Analyses of teacher behavior indicated that more effective teachers maintained a brisker lesson pace, had higher student accuracy, and prompted rather than told correct answers following student errors. The results of the study support prior research in teacher effectiveness and the hypothesis that teacher behavior is an important factor contributing to student achievement.