Are you scrambling to navigate the virtual world of online teaching? Times have changed due to the Pandemic and special education teachers have a new set of challenges in teaching remotely. Here are tips to help you succeed in remote teaching special ed.
I highly recommend cooking in the classroom for any age students. It's particularly important with older students, but there are a ton of skills that can be integrated into cooking regardless of the grade level.
Great set of suggestions on how to teach special ed online. Support students with special needs during distance learning or at home learning.
I am so excited to share some of the best hacks and advice with you for your special education classroom from our very own SSE Blogger Team!
Direct instruction is a crucial component of special education programs. Our students require direct instruction in order to learn, master and generalize skills. Here are some tips to help make your direct instruction time easier. In my classroom. we set aside an hour a day to do direct instruction centers. During this time, we take ... Read More about Direct Instruction Hacks For Special Education Classrooms
What do you do as a special ed. teacher when a student with autism refuses to work? It depends on the function of the behavior! Learn the 12 Best Strategies!
Are you navigating this school year with a co-teacher? As you tackle your teaching adventure together, here are 10 practical tips for making the most of your partnership and ensuring that students with and without disabilities reach their learning goals. These tips are excerpted from How to Co-Teach by Elizabeth Potts and Lori Howard—an excellent guidebook […]
Unsure how to take ABC data? This post will explain each step of the three step contingency and how to record data for each step.
What do you do as a special ed. teacher when a student with autism refuses to work? It depends on the function of the behavior! Learn the 12 Best Strategies!
ideas and tips for working with special education students with significant disabilities
Teaching the different between public and private is important for so many reasons for our students with special needs. When teaching these concepts, I first talk about the difference between public and private places. We come up with a list and sort those places accordingly using visuals of one person versus multiple people. I created this sort from a boardmaker template and uploaded here on Board Maker Online. After talking about places, we move on to talking about both public and private places AND behaviors. We talk about what behaviors are appropriate in each area. This book and additional resources are found for free from SET-BC here and are available in PDF or Boardmaker files. (update: direct link here - other link now takes you to search) I love cut and paste activities because not only do they reinforce the skills taught, but also incorporate fine motor skills...and it takes a little while to complete :) Here's the other Board Maker Online activity that includes both public and private places and behaviors. Plus, check out all of these other great activities for this topic on Board Maker Online. I think it's so important for students to realize that private behaviors aren't bad, but they just need to be done in private! Here's to hoping there is no more nose picking or inappropriate self stimulation in my PUBLIC classroom! :) If you are looking for something more detailed to use with your students, I found this resource here. It is very informative and I didn't feel the need to go that in depth, but completely understand how some students might need those specifics.
Teachtown enCORE is a standards based curriculum for special education. It includes reading, math, writing, science, and social studies.
Teaching Students who are Low-Functioning: Who are they, what do you teach them, and how do you get them included in academics?
Are you prepared for teaching Extended School Year this summer?! Here are 4 tips you NEED to know for teaching ESY!
Are you teaching ESY (Extended School Year) this year? I am teaching ESY this year, and I have a few tips for creating a simple ESY routine.
4 Must Do's on the First Day of Pre-K. Worried you missed something while lesson planning for the first day of school?
Special Ed Data using Google Forms - check out these user-friendly tips and tricks for busy special educators to streamline IEP tracking and student progress monitoring!
Whether you're fresh out of college or a veteran teaching who needs a change, it always feels good to be prepared for an upcoming interview. This list of 58 - and growing! - interview questions for special ed teachers will help you feel prepared and confident for your upcoming interview. Blog post at Mrs. D's Corner.
Toilet training is a big undertaking. Use a toilet training task analysis to make it simple!
Teachtown enCORE is a standards based curriculum for special education. It includes reading, math, writing, science, and social studies.
Teaching Students who are Low-Functioning: Who are they, what do you teach them, and how do you get them included in academics?
Theater for kids with special needs? Yes! Check out these myths about theater in special education and hear why you should be incorporating theater with your students.
Special Ed Data using Google Forms - check out these user-friendly tips and tricks for busy special educators to streamline IEP tracking and student progress monitoring!
No matter what subject you teach, chances are that you will teach students with IEPs. That is why it’s important that you know common special ed jargon.
Creating a Nurturing and Safe Learning Environment Providing High-Quality Instruction Materials for Children with Special Needs Latest Products Latest on the Blog Free Reading Resources for the Primary Classroom By teachingspecialthinkers | November 1, 2022 20 Pumpkin Activities for the Classroom This Fall By teachingspecialthinkers | September 16, 2022 20 Apple Activities for the Classroom
Whether you're fresh out of college or a veteran teaching who needs a change, it always feels good to be prepared for an upcoming interview. This list of 58 - and growing! - interview questions for special ed teachers will help you feel prepared and confident for your upcoming interview. Blog post at Mrs. D's Corner.
Essential Skills is a self -contained classroom for students with disabilities kindergarten-sixth grade in a public Elementary School.
Teaching science in the special education classroom can be one of the most interesting but challenging topics for our students. Hop over to find some ways to present it and document progress for alternative assessment.
I am so excited to share some of the best hacks and advice with you for your special education classroom from our very own SSE Blogger Team!
Learn all about the types of student schedules I use in my classroom: first-then, 1-2-3-choice, vertical, and checklist schedules.
Special Ed Data using Google Forms - check out these user-friendly tips and tricks for busy special educators to streamline IEP tracking and student progress monitoring!
Special Education Teacher Blogs to Follow
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) is an invaluable tool for supporting students with diverse learning needs in preschool classrooms.
Teaching Students who are Low-Functioning: Who are they, what do you teach them, and how do you get them included in academics?
How to Differentiate Activities for Special Ed... it can be easily done by adapting the content, process, project, or environment. Read more with ideas to help!
Using Unique Learning Systems (ULS) can be overwhelming the first time you log on. Here are my top 10 tips for using Unique Learning System.
What questions should you ask before co-teaching with content teachers? Ones that inform collaborative teaching and bring language into focus.
Special eduction law can be a bit gray at times. Although it should be clear cut, it can be difficult to get explicit answers to some of the basic questions that pop up in the day-to-day life of a special education teacher. Here is a scenario that you may have run into before. You need to set up an IEP meeting, but have been unable to confirm a meeting time with the family. How many attempts do you need to make to set up an IEP meeting with a family? What do you do if they don't respond? Can it all be done through email and phone calls or does one of the attempts need to be a letter? Does one attempt need to be a certified letter? While there are laws related to these questions (which you can find HERE), you may find the answer given still leaves you a bit confused. When it comes to these questions, and many more, the law does not give specifics. The specifics tend to come from each state's interpretation of the law and from court case rulings. So how is a special education teacher supposed to make sense of the scattered out information and try to teach at the same time? Well... it's really hard. Some districts have incredible administrators who have a deep understanding of the law, current court cases, and best practice. Many of these districts also reach out to lawyers for guidance. They do the leg work so you can focus on providing your students with what they need to be successful. With that being said, it is still in everyone's best interest to know how to seek out the answers to your own questions. If you do not have this level of support in your district, you will have to take the extra steps to become informed of your role and responsibilities as a special education teacher. I cannot answer all of your questions here. However, I can provide you with some links and resources that will empower you to become more informed and confident in your understanding of special education law. I am going to share a ton of information. I recommend bookmarking this page so that you can refer back to it as questions arise throughout the school year. But first, let's start with the basics. There are three main federal laws that address disabilities. I recommend you click on the links and skim through each of the laws. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - The primary purpose of IDEA is "to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living." IDEA (2004) This is a major law in the world of special education and there is a lot jam packed into this act. You can use the search feature on this page to find information related to a specific topic. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - This is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on disability. This law is less applicable to public education, but is still valuable to review. Section 504 Rehabilitation Act - Section 504 extended civil rights to people with disabilities in education and other settings. The act outlines the need for a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) which may include reasonable accommodations. Unlike IDEA, students do not need to qualify for an IEP to fall under the umbrella of 504 services. Please note - this is why it is extremely important that the accommodations listed in the IEP or 504 plan are being followed. If they are not, it becomes a civil rights issue, not just a special education issue. Click on Subpart D for information related directly to preschool, elementary, and secondary education. If reading through those three acts seems daunting, don't worry. I am going to share with you some great resources for synthesizing the plethora of information found above. WrightsLaw - I cannot recommend this site enough. It is run by Pete Wright, an attorney who represents children with special needs, and Pam Wright, a psychotherapist who has worked with children and families since the 70s. They summarize court cases in a way that is easy to understand and provide concrete takeaways from the rulings. They have also written numerous books related to special education law and provide training around law and advocacy throughout the country. Make sure you sign up for their newsletter to stay on top of current court cases. The website has quite a bit of information and can be a little difficult to navigate. However, you can click HERE to watch a quick video about how to sift through all of the information. Center for Parent Information and Resources - This website was produced under the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. While it is geared primarily toward parents, it serves as a great resource for anyone working with students with special needs. Their resource library provides links to documents related to disability services and special education. This site is easy to navigate and the information is accurate and concise. National Education Association (IDEA & Special Education) - This site offers "IDEA Briefs" to explain developments about and aspects of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They are presented in a question and answer format, and are quick and easy to read. The site also offers a nice summary of the 2004 reauthorization of IDEA found HERE. Department of Education - The specifics surrounding special education law can vary between states. Search your state's department of education website for state specific laws, codes, and policies. You can search for your state HERE and get a list of helpful links. State Specific Education Association - Many states have their own rules and regulations that expand upon those found in IDEA. Your local union (if applicable) may have resources to help you learn more about special education law in your state. If you are unable to find answers on the website, don't hesitate to reach out to your local union reps to see if there are any resources or training opportunities that may be available for special education teachers. Understanding the law is a huge undertaking and I hope that this post has given you some guidence and resources to make it a bit easier. Do you have any other go-to resources for special education law? Please share in the comments below!
If you are a special education teacher chances are you are fairly familiar with velcro. Whether you are just starting out or a veteran teacher, I’m sharing all of my velcro tips and tricks in this blog post! ((This blog post contains affiliate links for your convenience. You don’t pay any more by clicking my […]
Learn all about the types of student schedules I use in my classroom: first-then, 1-2-3-choice, vertical, and checklist schedules.
