Trainer's Guide to Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers With Special Needs

An essential teaching companion for instructors of pre-K educators, this convenient CD-ROM is a vivid blueprint for effective inclusive education using the popular Building Blocks approach.

Following the structure of the bestselling textbook with almost 40 pages of all-new material, this comprehensive guide helps teacher educators provide effective instruction on the three types of Building Blocks inclusion strategies. Ideal for use with preservice or inservice early childhood educators, this CD-ROM gives trainers everything they need to enhance their teacher preparation sessions:

• 8 engaging audio-visual presentations with optional audio narrationvideo clips of teachers and children demonstrating successful curriculum modifications and adaptations
• a NEW module (not in the textbook) on planning successful inclusive classrooms
• helpful presentation notes that can be used as a general guide or a more explicit script during professional development courses
• group activities that prepare pre-K teachers to solve challenges and promote learning in inclusive classrooms
• more strategies on inclusion and assessment that aren't in the textbook
• explicit instructions on how to use the forms in the book

With this comprehensive trainer's guide, professional development leaders and college professors can be confident they're delivering effective instruction on the Building Blocks model—and preparing pre-K teachers to create high-quality inclusive classrooms.

Get pre-K teachers ready to use the three Building Blocks of inclusion:

• curriculum modifications that allow all children to participate
• embedded learning opportunities used in typical classroom activities
• child-focused instructional strategies that help students with individual learning objectives

Gail E. Joseph, Ph.D., Mental Health Specialist at the Head Start Bureau in Washington, DC. She completed her doctorate at the University of Washington and was Head Teacher in an inclusive Head Start classroom in the Experimental Education Unit. Dr. Joseph's research and practice focus on the social and emotional development of young, high-risk children and mental health interventions for children and families. She is co-author of the DEC Recommended Practices Program Assessment (with Mary Louise Hemmeter, Barbara J. Smith, and Susan R. Sandall, Sopris West, 2001).

Dr. Sandall is an assistant professor at the University of Washington in special education with a specialization in early intervention and early childhood special education (EI/ECSE). She has directed personnel preparation projects, developed curriculum materials for all age groups, and published materials on instructional strategies to facilitate optimal outcomes for young children with disabilities. Dr. Sandall is a board member of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC), Council for Exceptional Children, and an investigator on DEC's research project to synthesize EI/ECSE research practices and translate them to recommended field practices. She is also co-editor of DEC's Young Exceptional Children monograph series and co-editor of DEC Recommended Practices in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (with Mary McLean and Barbara J. Smith, Sopris West, 2000).

Ilene S. Schwartz, Ph.D. is Professor at the University of Washington in the area of special education. Dr. Schwartz has an extensive background working with young children with special needs, specifically with young children with autism and other disabilities. Dr. Schwartz is the faculty advisor for the inclusive preschool and kindergarten programs at the Experimental Education Unit at the University of Washington, where she maintains an active line of research and personnel preparation activities. Dr. Schwartz is Principal Investigator of several projects, including a model demonstration project to develop school-based services for young children with autism, a research project to assess the differential effectiveness of preschool programs for young children with autism, and a personnel preparation program for early childhood education teachers who work with children with severe disabilities in inclusive settings. Dr. Schwartz has published numerous chapters and articles about early childhood education and social validity. She serves on the editorial review boards of the Journal of Early Intervention and Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.