SpecialEducation
SpecialEducation
Goalstatements for collaborations
Theteacher and the paraeducator will collaborate as a way of ensuringthat the students receive better care and better education in theirlearning process.
Thisis a process where educationists work together and in harmony tosolve a common concern. The goals include:
Commitment- All the members of the collaboration task force need to be committed and available when they are needed.
Consultation.-The members of the team should be in continuous dialogue on the best way to support and accommodate each other. At all attempts the consultations made should be meaningful and appropriate.
Authority- All issues done in the team should be under authority. Caution needs to be taken in handling of the students and when done, authority should first be sought.
Basicrules and expectations for all the students in the classroom
Inthe class, the students are expected to participate in all theactivities. They should show response to the teacher or theparaeducator, and be ready to learn. Response is not limited toanswering and asking of questions. The students are equally needed tobe accommodative to each other’s unique needs and requirements(Giangreco et al., 2009). Additionally, the students are alsoexpected to be disciplined and respectful to the “new teacher”,the paraeducator.
Eachstudents need to have their own goals set. In this way, all theeducation provided will meet a yardstick in measuring their progress.Are the goals set being met? What do they require to meet theirgoals? There should be additional resources provided andreinforcements that need to be implemented for all the students to befully participative.
Rolesand responsibilities of the teacher and the pareducator
Therole of the paraeducator has seen a lot of dynamism. It has changedshape into various forms. It started from a simple system of workingunder a special needs teacher. Progressively, a lot of modificationshave been done since then. However, both the teacher and theparaeducator have needful interactive roles (Giangreco et al., 2009).They work in a union to complete the inherent roles of the teacherwhether special or in a general way. To a more specific approach theteacher roles are:
Planning
Thisis a crucial stage in any classroom. Good planning is key to expertresults. Failure at this stage makes all the other stages a shamble.In planning, other things that are considered are the instructionstrategy, reports and student progress.
BehaviourManagement
Careis taken when dealing with student behaviour since it determinestheir interaction with learning. It is an area which indicates whatkind of instruction that will be employed to the various learners.
Workingwith Families
Thereis need for contact and follow up on a constant basis with thefamilies. The contact can be through filling of students’ diariesand even family visits. Through this and more, the families feel partand parcel of their students’ academic journey.
Evaluation
Attimes, with the support of the paraeducator, the teacher performsevaluation. A wide range of tests can be used to gauge the progressof the learners, provide proper developments in terms ofprofessionalism and enable the paraeducator to be effective indischarging their duties (Giangreco et al., 2009).
Theroles of the paraeducator are:
They work under the direct supervision of special education teachers in a resource room for a significant part of the day or the whole day.
Assist the students with disabilities in general classrooms. This includes various forms of reading interactions, administering routine, helping in health care cases and even keeping records for playground activities and behaviour trends.
Assist the teacher to implement their plans. This includes a ray of activities from preparation of materials, note taking and materials duplication.
Communication support- They stay on standby for immediate decision making and instruction delivery in the classes. To some extent they are equally used in student evaluation and giving feedback to the parents (Giangreco et al., 2009).
Offer a hand in aiding students encountering educational challenges. This include among other things in lesson planning. Instructional procedures are keenly outlined to include all the learners in the classroom.
Be there for clerical work. This is a routine activity as it involves daily recording of attendances, filing materials and entering progress reports.
Provide basic personal care to the students with disabilities. Other roles include teach in the functional life skills areas, teach the vocational skills in available community based sites and facilitate interactions amongst the peers with disabilities.
Outlineof the training that the teacher will provide for the paraeducator.
Theteacher and the paraeducator are required to work as a team at alltimes. The paraeducator is expected to come alongside the teacher toprovide an anchorage for the success of the collaborative efforts.One of the most crucial areas is that of planning. In planning of thetraining, the teacher should develop a detailed lesson plan. Thelesson plan should contain lesson objectives, materials,instructional procedures and evaluation. The lesson plan is the voicethat the teacher will use to communicate to the paraeducator. It iscontains all that happens in a classroom including students conductand other adjustments that have been made in the lessons.
Duringteaching, a sample lesson of what is expected is portrayed to theparaeducator. The objectives are outlined through expert modelling bythe teacher. Also, of crucial need is the various ways that theteacher should use to engage the students in class. Correctivefeedback, reinforcing behaviour, and student motivation are the keypillars in teaching.
Moreover,the teacher needs to train the paraeducator on how to keep records,and monitor documents that show student progress. After modelling alesson, the teacher should let the paraeducator to be assessed by thesupervisor. When this happens, they can equally take a video of themodelled lesson. This can be quite useful in correction of themistakes that may occur in the lesson.
Recommendedsteps to take for all involved stakeholders, to evaluate studentprogress
Analyse the tasks- This is the first step. In analysing the task, all the factors are to be considered and the members present, will carry out the tasks.
Decide on what to delegate- All issues about student progress should be done by the appropriate people. Minor issues are the only ones that can be delegated to others.
Create a specified action plan- It should clearly outline who does what and at what time. The method of execution should also be clear for the success of student progress.
Matching-by-skill-specialisation- In cases of more than one paraeducator available, the choice should be biased to the most suitable paraeducator. Make sure one is available and answerable when the need arises. It is also needful in cases of clearing all ambiguity scenerios. Ensure there is monitoring of performance all round. This should be done without bothering the paraeducator (Giangreco et al., 2009).
References
Giangreco,M. F., Hurley, S. M., & Suter, J. C. (2009). Special educationpersonnel utilization and general class placement of students withdisabilities: Ranges and ratios. Intellectualand Developmental Disabilities, 47(1),53-56.