As educators working alongside students with moderate to severe disabilities, we celebrate every milestone that helps our students gain more independence. The ability to self-regulate is key in fostering independence in and out of the classroom.
When you’re working as an educator within the field of special education, it’s important to implement lesson plans that are grounded in evidence-based practices (EBPs). With EBPs in play, you have consistent evidence from reliable reviews of research showing that the practice produces positive outcomes with students with moderate to severe disabilities (MSDs).
We're approaching a school break soon. While many educators and students feel the excitement of receiving a pause in formal learning, parents and guardians of students with disabilities may feel a bit of apprehension. Loss of learning time, regression, the ability to relearn lessons or tasks are valid concerns that families have when their child is home during a school break.
School breaks are a phenomenal time for your kids to rest, for you to spend some quality time together, and for teachers to recharge – but what happens to the routine and structure your kiddos are used to having at school? Not to worry! As fall, winter and spring breaks approach throughout the school year, reference this quick resource, broken down according to different age brackets, that we put together to ensure your kids are having fun while sticking to age-appropriate learning activities at the same time. Put on some music, try some of these, and have fun!
In most professions, professional development is essential in building your craft, growing your knowledge base and boosting your productivity and performance at work. This holds true for doctors, nurses, chefs, marketing professionals, mechanics, etc. For now though, let’s focus on professional development for educators and why it is so vital to not only your success, but your students, as well.
The first five years of a child’s life are often viewed as the most influential when it comes to learning growth and development. Naturally, every child will develop at a different pace, but if you have questions about your child’s development, it's never too early to schedule an appointment with your local pediatrician or early intervention agency to discuss your concerns.
Just like any other relationship in your life, your professional relationships require effort to maintain and blossom. Without phenomenal communication, compromise and respect, your working relationships may fall flat, ultimately affecting the students you serve. As an educator working with students with moderate to severe disabilities, maintaining a strong relationship with your paraprofessional is key.
As a special education teacher, administrator, paraprofessional, clinician or even 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.
An Individualized Education Program, sometimes known as an Individualized Education Plan and more commonly referred to as an IEP, is a formal document outlining a child’s individual educational plan from Pre-K through 12th grade in public schools.
We have LOTS of ideas here at TeachTown – tons of them actually! And, while we’d love to stick around and share them all with you now, that’s not the kind of idea we’re referring to when we say, “Hey! What’s the big IDEA?”