Did you know that 14% of all public school students ages 3-21 receive special education services?
As a special education teacher, administrator, paraprofessional, clinician or parent, those 7.3 million students with disabilities rely on you to be one of the dependable individuals in their lives that can uplift them with constant support, motivation to succeed and endless flexibility to ensure these students can learn and grow into the best possible versions of themselves.
Let’s walk through these four tips to implement in your classroom to help create a positive environment for your students:
First and foremost, you must always be clear and intentional about your expectations with students with disabilities. At the beginning of the school year, provide your students with a general overview about what they can expect throughout the school year – whether that is about what educational topics will be covered, what the grading and evaluation system looks like, what the structure of the day will be like, etc. Then make it a habit to begin each day by covering the specific expectations so that the students feel comfortable with how their day will be laid out.
Walk into each day with a clean slate never assuming a student is capable of partaking in a specific task or learning activity. Recognize that all students learn in a unique way and at different paces, and what one student is capable of, another may not be.
It goes without saying that all individuals, with or without a disability, learn differently. Creating goals in the classroom that are attainable is key not just for the learning process, but in building confidence among your students, as well. If goals are not defined and not tailored to each individual student, the students will only be met with failure.
You can create a well-structured lesson plan that you feel confident would be successful on any given day, in any given situation, only to be proven wrong. An abundance of flexibility is essential when working with students with disabilities who may be working through social, emotional or behavioral challenges. Meet your students where they are at and be open to adjusting plans depending on how the day unfolds.
In addition to those four quick tips, TeachTown, an education company that focuses exclusively on serving the needs of students with moderate to severe disabilities, offers educators, clinicians and parents/guardians evidence-based, ready-to-use solutions that aim to improve the academic, behavioral and adaptive functioning of students with moderate to severe disabilities.
Let TeachTown support your intervention and instructional needs in a way that has been designed to help your students meet their educational goals.
Check out TeachTown’s solutions to see what thousands of other educators, clinicians and parents rely on each day. After you find the solution that best fits your needs, click on request a demo to see what you’ve been missing!