Competencies and Skills Required To two-thirds of the subjects held bachelor's

degrees, while one-third had received

Be an Effective Resource Teacher master's degrees.

Procedure

The instrument employed in the study

was a comprehensive questionnaire, Re-
source Teachers' Survey (RTS) (Davis
William E. Davis, PhD 1981). The RTS was developed by the
author and consisted essentially of a
5-point Likert-type scale format. The in-
strument was based upon (a) information
Resource programs generally are regarded as the most common administrative! contained in the literature relative to re-
instructional vehicle for meeting the educational and social needs of pupils with source teachers' recommended skills and
mild-moderate specific learning disabilities. This study investigated the perceptions of competencies, (b) input solicited from
420 resource teachers (grade levels 1 to 12) in Maine public schools relative to the practicing resource teachers, and (c) a
most important competencies/skills required to be an lieffective resource teacher." Of pilot study with randomly selected re-
32 competencies/skills, identified as the most important were 1) "knowledge and skill source teachers in Maine conducted by
in employing a variety of methods for teaching reading" (91.5%), 2) "ability to deal this investigator.
effectively with personal/professional frustrations" (88.9%), 3) "ability to communi- The RTS, which allowed for respon-
cation with parents" (87.8%), and 4) "knowledge of and skill in a variety of pupil dent anonymity, was distributed to all
behavior management techniques" (87.4%). Implications of the findings of this study personnel listed as resource teachers by
for personnel responsible for the pre-service and in-service training of resource the Maine Department of Education and
teachers who work with learning disabled pupils include the need for more training in Cultural Services (N =635) and returned
communication and interpersonal skills. by first class postage-paid mail. 420 ques-
tionnaires were fully completed and con-

R esource programs generally are re-

garded as the most common and
effective administrative/instructional
model for children with mild to moderate
specific learning disabilities. Typically
such programs are viewed as providing
learning disabled pupils with the oppor-
tunity to receive appropriate instruction
in their specific academic deficit areas
while likewise allowing them to partici-
pate in regular class activities to the
maximum possible extent, thereby meet-
ing the requirements of an "individual-
ized educational program in the least
restrictive environment" (Gearheart 1977,
Hammill and Bartel 1978, Larsen and
Poplin 1980, Mercer 1979, Sabatino
1972).
Even though special education resource
programs currently are so popular, few
studies are reported in the literature that
attempt to assess the perceptions of re-
source teachers themselves relative to the
specific competencies and/or skills that
are most important for them to possess in
order to function as an effective teacher
with mild to moderate handicapping con-
ditions, including specific learning disa-
bilities. The purpose of this study, in
part, was to investigate which specific
competencies and/or skills resource
teachers regard as the most important and
necessary in order for them to most ef-
fectively meet the demands of their re-
stituted the final sample for the study.
The subjects were asked to indicate,
based upon experience as a resource
source programs as well as the needs of teacher, their perceptions of the relative
their individual pupils. importance of 32 specific competencies
and/or skills required to function as an
METHOD "effective resource teacher" with their
specific age/grade level pupils. Responses
Subjects were recorded on a 5-point scale ranging
from (1) "not important," (2) "somewhat
The subjects were 420 special education important," (3) "moderately important,"
resource teachers throughout the state of (4) "very important," to (5) "extreme/
Maine, representing 66% of the total most important."
number of resource teachers functioning
in the state's public schools. Seventy- RESULTS
nine percent (79%) of the respondents
dealt with learning disabled pupils as Since the majority of the information
part of their teaching load, the majority obtained via the RTS was essentially de-
of whom were taught in non-categorical scriptive in nature, a simple and com-
program settings. Approximately two- bined presentation of the data was chosen
thirds of the teachers worked in elemen- to convey the results. Table 1 contains a
tary schools, while approximately one- summary of the resource teachers' re-
third functioned at the secondary level. sponses regarding the question asked in
Ninety-three percent (93%) of the re- the study, reflecting a rank ordering of
spondents held full-time positions. Rela- the subjects' responses (#1 to #32) in
tive to resource teaching experience, 62% the combined "very important" and
indicated one to three years of such expe- "extreme/most important" categories.
rience, while 28% of the respondents An analysis of the data reported ir
reported four to six years of teaching Table 1 shows that the #1 perceivec
experience in resource settings. Regard- competency/skill is "knowledge of anc
ing academic training, approximately skill in employing a variety of method?

596 Journal of Learning Disabilitie

 are "demonstration teaching" ( # 3 1 ,
Table 1. Rank Order of Resource Teachers' Perceptions Relative to the Importance of
25.5%) and "grantsmanship" (#32,
Specific Competencies/Skills Required To Be An Effective Resource Teacher (Re- 18%).
sponses in Combined Very Important and Extreme/Most Important Categories) These findings appear interesting in
(N = 420) that, of the five top ranked competen-
cies/skills, three deal with teaching skills/
strategies while two reflect personal/inter-
Rank Competency/Skill Number Percentage (%)
personal and communication concerns.
1 Knowledge of and skill in employing a variety Of particular note is the fact that such a
of methods for teaching reading 380 91.5 large percentage of resource teachers
2 Ability to deal effectively with personal/ (88.9%) view the "ability to deal effec-
professional frustrations related to position 368 88.9
tively with personal/professional frustra-
3 Ability to communicate with parents 366 87.8
4 Knowledge of and skill in employing a variety tions related to the position" as such a
of pupil behavior management techniques 364 87.4 critical skill.
5 Knowledge of and skill in employing a variety Only slight percentage differences were
of methods for teaching math 360 87.2 noted in the overall response patterns of
6 Knowledge of instructional materials 352 84.8
elementary and secondary level resource
7 Consultation skills with regular class teachers ....350 84.5
8 Knowledge of various curriculum approaches 338 81.4 teachers relative to the perceived impor-
9 Developing and monitoring lEP's 330 79.3 tance of competencies and skills required.
10 Informal pupil assessment techniques 328 78.8 The specific rank ordering of the 32
11 Ability to deal effectively with school skills remained constant. However, sev-
administrators 322 77.8 eral secondary level respondents com-
12 Ability to interpret formal pupil
psychoeducational techniques 319 77.0
mented relative to the particular need for
13 Pupil observation techniques 315 75.7 teachers at this level to have specific
14 Knowledge of the characteristics of the skills in adapting elementary level meth-
various categories of handicapped children 293 71.2 odologies and curriculum for older pupils.
15 Individual pupil counseling skills 290 70.2
16 Competency in teaching spelling skills 281 68.0
17 Overall program evaluation techniques 274 67.0 DISCUSSION
18 Ability to administer formal pupil
psychoeducational tests 250 60.1 The results of this investigation suggest
19 Knowledge of pertinent legislation relating to that resource teachers who deal with
handicapped children 242 58.2
learning disabled pupils continue to re-
20 Group counseling skills 219 53.3
21 Knowledge of current research and professional gard skills in the teaching of the basic
literature re: handicapped children 214 51.6 academic subjects, skills in pupil behavior
22 Knowledge of public/private agencies serving management techniques, as well as know-
handicapped children in region, state, etc 204 49.2 ledge of instructional materials as critical
23 Competency in teaching gross motor, sensory to their role (all ranked within the six
motor, and perceptual motor skills 194 47.2
24 Organization and physical layout of resource
most important skill/competency areas).
room 188 45.2 However, in addition to these more
25 Competency in teaching handwriting skills 171 41.6 traditional and widely recognized compe-
26 Staff development/in-service training 170 41.5 tencies/skills required for teaching learn-
27 Ability to speak in public 143 34.7
ing disabled children in a resource pro-
28 Supervisory and administrative skills 119 28.8
29 Use of audio-visual equipment 118 28.7 gram, one might conclude from this study
30 Budgetary and financial matters related to that resource teachers, in order to func-
special education 115 27.7 tion effectively, also require specific skills
31 Demonstration teaching 104 25.5 in the areas of communication and the
32 Grantsmanship 73 18.0 ability to cope with the perceived frustra-
tions of the resource teaching position.
One might infer from the findings of
this investigation that resource teachers,
as a group, either are highly frustrated by
the demands and expectations placed
for teaching reading" (91.5%). Ranked skill in employing a variety of pupil be- upon them—or, at least recognize the
#2, # 3 , # 4 , and # 5 respectively are: havior management techniques" (87.4%), importance of developing coping skills in
"ability to deal effectively with personal/ and "knowledge of and skill in employ- order to avoid the personal/professional
professional frustrations related to posi- ing a variety of methods for teaching frustrations related to such a position.
tion" (88.9%), "ability to communicate math" (87.2%). Conversely, considered It is suggested that teacher training
with parents (87.8%), "knowledge of and as the least important competencies/skills institutions preparing resource teachers at

Volume 16, Number 10, December 1983 597

the pre-service level as well as the agen-
cies responsible for the in-service train-
ing of resource teachers should critically
review their training program's design
and content in an effort to determine the
extent to which skills in the communica-
tion and interpersonal areas are directly
addressed. Possibly in many such pro-
grams, this entire area has been ignored,
although such skills are reported by prac-
ticing resource teachers as extremely
important.
One might legitimately raise the ques-
tion of the potential and actual negative
impact that "teacher frustration" may have
directly upon effective pupil program-
ming and learning. In this light there
appears to exist a need to identify the
specific causes and/or situations that are
contributing to this apparent high level of
frustration among resource teachers, and
further, to develop strategies for dealing
effectively with them.
In a similar vein, the results of this
study suggest that those responsible for
the training of special education resource
teachers to work with learning disabled
pupils should examine their programs to
determine the degree of training which
exists in them that specifically deals with
skill acquisition in the areas of consulta-
tion and interpersonal communication.
Perhaps these skill areas are being treated
in such programs in too much of a pe-
ripheral sense rather than directly focus-
ing upon them—for the benefit of the
resource teachers themselves as well as
their pupils.
REFERENCES
Davis, W.E. An analysis of resource teachers' roles,
responsibilities, concerns, and training needs.
Orono, Maine: University of Maine Press, 1981.
Gearheart, B.R. Learning disabilities: Educational
strategies (2nded.). St. Louis: C.V. Mosby, 1977.
Hammili, D.D., and Bartel, N.R. Teaching chil-
dren with learning and behavior problems (2nd
ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1978.
Larsen, S.C., and Poplin, M.S. Methods for edu-
cating the handicapped: An individualized edu-
cation program approach. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 1980.
Mercer, CD. Children and adolescents with learn-
ing disabilities. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E.
Merill, 1979.
Sabatino, D.A. Resource rooms: The renaissance in
special education. Journal of Special Education,
1972, 6, 338-348.

PROFESSOR STORIES
(Continued from page 595)

haberdashery as there are for the wearing of its ceremonial
gowns, hoods, and other finery. But go tell all of this to a
know-it-all.
Professor Gilbert Bruder was the scion of Morris Bruder,
the King of Seventh Avenue. First Morris: he came to the
United States at the turn of the century, a ten-year-old orphan
with neither money nor prospects, nurturing the fragile links
which connected him with Uncle Irving's family of new
immigrants. And although never more than on the periphery
of his one known genetic link to the past, Morris played it for
all he could and managed to have a sort of a "family" during
his early years in America. As luck would have it for Morris
Bruder, Uncle Irving Bruder did well in the new country.
Being an enterprising man, Irving opened a small contracting
plant on the lower East Side, making cheap men's pants for
local manufacturers. Bit by bit, his capital increased to a size
where he knew he was now ready for a major move forward—
of course, only if a perfect opportunity came along, which it
did. Irving Bruder became America's Corduory Mogul. The
always necessary combination of timing, daring, luck, ability,
and hard, hard work powered Uncle Irving's small contracting
shop on the East Side into a hundred million dollar empire
strung across the entire northeast and into eastern Canada.
Irving's success didn't hurt his nephew Morris one bit. By the
time Morris was old enough to vote, he was old enough to
have a wife, a home in Flatbush, a new car, and a thriving
clothing factory in Manhattan. And by the time Gilbert was
born, Morris had more money than he would ever need to
spend.
Some say that the second generation American has not been
tough or as materialistic as the first generation. It's probably
true, especially among those families where the success of the
new immigrant made it unnecessary for their children to
worry about practical matters and material needs. This was
exactly the situation in the Morris Bruder family.
Gil grew up living the life of the proverbial young prince,
catered to in every manner, doted over by parents and friends
of parents, of which there were many, not only because so
many people were indebted to Morris Bruder for livelihoods
and security. Gil did exceptionally well in the public schools,
so well that he was accepted to the Bronx High School of
Science and, of course, went directly to the City College of
New York for his undergraduate studies. There was no ques-
tion but that the Binders could have sent Gil to any college he
desired, there was no question but that Gil would have been
accepted at virtually any college he cared to apply to, but at
that time the City College of New York was as good as any
and better than most, and close to home, and exactly what Gil
wanted for himself.
Nobody was surprised when Gil Bruder graduated summa
cum laude from City College. And no one was surprised
when he won a fellowship to Columbia University Graduate
School. And no one was surprised that his dissertation re-
search made an important contribution to his field of plasma
physics. Consequently, no one was surprised when he was
offered an appointment at Yale.
Almost everyone was surprised when Gil and his wife
suddenly decided to leave Yale after his initial three year
contract had ended. People couldn't figure out why Gil had
decided to return to New York to take a position in the Physics
Department of Brooklyn College. After all, Yale had every-
thing. Besides its Sterling library, its great laboratories and
schools, Yale had an ambience of scared academic traditional-
ism which could not be duplicated anywhere in New York,
and certainly not anywhere within its city colleges. But Gil
(Continued to page 626)

598 Journal of Learning Disabilities