Ever wonder what teacher interview questions for special education are? I'm sharing my answers to help you prepare for job interviews!
Poorly implemented co-teaching practices may be taking the “special” out of special education, say many who train teachers and districts in collaboration.
As Special Education teachers and service providers, we know how huge of a role data plays in our professions. Here's how to go digital and make your life easier!
Education isn't one size fits all. Learn how to implement differentiated instruction in general education or special education. (This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a really small commision, at absolutely no cost to you.) You don't need to be a special education teacher to...
Collaborating with general education teachers is an important part of planning in support of students with disabilities. There are strategies that special education teachers can use to ensure that they are establishing and maintaining a collaborative relationship with their general ed colleagues. Learn more.
Getting students to think flexibly can be hard in both understanding and practicing the skill. Incorporating some fun games like...
Too many classroom icebreakers require students to take big social risks with people they barely know. Or they don't really help students get to know each other. Or they are just plain cheesy.
Great ideas from an librarian, SLP, and PK teacher!
Do you find yourself trying to decide how to move next in teaching students with autism how to communicate? Think about increasing communicative functions.
How do you teach students the concept of fair is not equal? Use this simple flash card activity as a fun and inclusive back to school activity in your special education or general education classroom to show students that being treated fairly does not mean they will all get the exact same thing.
Supporting kids with special needs works best when both regular education and special education staff work together. That's why it is helpful for all teachers to understand how they can modify and accommodate for students in their classrooms. For newer teachers, learning that you need to modify work
Successful inclusion is our last of the 10 Steps to Well-Run Classrooms series. Here are 7 steps to help your students be successful outside your room.
Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection! At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP. Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to consume your life! Share Information Be sure to share vital information with all teachers and assistants that work with your students. I have an accommodations organizer that I organize all of the information of my class. The information is in one place which is helpful for sharing information with assistants, special area teachers, and substitutes. When I first began teaching, I did not bother sharing such information with special area teachers until it was brought to my attention that a student of mine did not complete a test in physical education class. That student had trouble reading and was supposed to have his tests read. The PE teacher was unaware of his accommodations and therefore did not deliver them. I use a special form that reminds me of who needs to be informed of accommodations and modifications at the beginning of the school year and after an IEP annual review. Train Your Team If you have paraprofessionals in your classroom working with students, it is important to train them in how to deliver and how to track accommodations and modifications. Some interventions are more detailed than others. Observe your team while they are working with students and provide feedback as needed. The time you put in to properly train your team to record data the same way you would is so well spent! Use Checklists When I first started teaching, I used to write notes on a post-it that included which accommodations and modifications were used on assignments along with their effectiveness. It was very time consuming and often times, I forgot to add some things. Finally, I came up with a few checklists and forms to help the process. Level of Support One of the forms I use tracks the level of support a student needs from an adult. I use this one to determine the need for a 1:1 teaching assistant. It is useful before adding a TA and to collect data to see if continuing the intervention is a necessity. The adult that works with the student at that time fills it out while working with the student. Accommodations and Modifications Tracker I use this form two ways, depending on what I am collecting data for. As an IEP meeting approaches, I like to review the need for the interventions on the IEP. I can track the types of interventions are needed for different types of assignments and activities. More importantly, I can track the effectiveness of such interventions. I can also cut this tracker apart to staple it onto work samples. The work samples can be to show the Committee on Special Education the student's growth or regression. I also like to send work home with students with the form filled out from time to time so parents can see what kind of help the student needs in order to complete assignments at school. Frequency Tracker Another way I like to track the use of accommodations and modifications needed in school is with a frequency tracker I created. This gives me a quick visual of which interventions are being used and which are not. I focus on this during the weeks before a meeting so I can determine which accommodations and modifications need to remain, be added, or be removed from an IEP. Data collection is so important but it doesn't have to take over your entire life. Once you create a few checklists that fit your classroom or purchase one of the many checklists and charts from my TpT store, you will save yourself a ton of time and will have more data than you've ever had before!
Cooperative Learning is an instructional method where students work in small groups to finish or complete a common learning goal and the teacher – that’s you! – guides them. What’s great about cooperative learning strategies is that they aren’t for one classroom setting over another, or one specific academic area. They can be used across […]
Do you love the idea of inclusion but your students struggle to go into the general education setting? Are you looking for more peer to peer interactions? This is something I am always trying to do. Having general education peers involved in a special education students school day is extremely important. For the most part (there are always exceptions) general education students provide the perfect modeling example for students with special needs. Our students are able to see and hear typical language development and proper social interactions. They are forced to use the skills we have been working on in the classroom. Here are a few ways to get general education and special education students together throughout the school day. 1)Start a peer to peer program. These are awesome. At our school we call it STAR (Students Talking and Relating). General education students who are interested in learning more about disabilities are able to join. Each week we have a lunch group and the students learn about different situations that may arise and how to handle them. An example would be a non verbal student using an AAC device or sign language. How do you interact with them? What are some ways to include them in the group etc. Then the students get to practice these skills throughout the week. 2)Invite general education students into your classroom. Have weekly game time or dance parties. It doesn't have to be long or involve a lot of planning. This is just a way to get peer role models into an environment in which your students are comfortable. 3)Ask your specials teachers about starting adapted programs. At my school we started a program called Music Connections. Two times a week our music teacher, SLP and local college music student put on a class. Students from my classroom as well as select students from other general education classrooms (these change each class) come to the class. The class is geared towards our students with special needs and the general education peers are there to help, encourage and engage with our special education students. They get to dance, play instruments, sing and listen to stories with music incorporated. EVERYONE loves these classes (honestly I think the general education students love it more :)). The class is such a hit our P.E. teachers want to do something similar next year, since we don't have an adapted P.E. program. 4) Recess!! This is the perfect opportunity for kids to interact. Try purchasing some equipment that helps encourage peer interaction. Things like side walk chalk, adapted playground equipment, hula hoops, light weight balls, ribbon dancers, parachutes. bean bags (for tossing) etc. The biggest thing I can say here is let the kids explore. 5)Photo booth- Set up a photo booth in your classroom (again can be simple, put a sheet up for the background and have a few props). Invite some friends in to take pictures. Then show those pictures to your students. Talk about them throughout the week. If your students are able to, use the pictures for a writing assignment. These are just a few was to incorporate more peer to peer interaction throughout the day. Do you have any more ideas? If so, share them in the comments. **None of these photos are mine. They are all from Google. Follow my blog with Bloglovin
Differentiation is certainly a hot topic in education these days and as Special Educators we know a thing or two about differentiating for our student’s to succeed. Today I want to focus on how we can differentiate for our students during their inclusion times. This year, all of my students are included for PE and ... Read More about Top 3 Ways to Differentiate for Inclusion
As special education teachers, it's important that we work closely with general education teachers to ensure that our students are successful when they are in the general education classroom. However, this can sometimes be difficult due to a variety of reasons like. I truly believe that the most important aspects of partnering with general education teachers are: building relationships, having open communication and sharing information about students with the teachers. If you can do these things well, then you are most likely going to be able to work together well to meet all students' needs. Before the school year starts: -Schedule time to meet with general education teachers to discuss caseloads and groups of students that they will have. -Put yourself in the general education shoes and think, "What would I want to know about this student ahead of time?" -You'll want to share and explain students' IEP and important information with gen ed teachers. Make sure that you focus on the parts of the IEP that are most important to gen ed teachers, like: accommodations, modifications, behavioral supports and what they're working on academically, socially, etc. It might be helpful to give teachers a one page print out/ explanation of these things in addition to a copy of the IEP. -You can use this free and editable "All About Me" template to create a simple one pager for general education teachers. If the school year has already started and you haven't been able to do some of these, you can obviously catch up and do these at any time in the year! But I suggest doing them as early on in the year or before school starts, if possible! During the school year: -If you have students who go to general education classes without support or with a paraprofessional, then ask your administration to hire a sub or cover your classroom for an hour so that you can go to the to do observations once a month or every other month. This is really helpful if you have a student who is struggling with something in the general ed classroom because then you can see first hand what is going on and then support the teacher and give the teacher and/or paraprofessional tips and ideas on how to work through it. You can also jump in and model how to manage the specific situation. -Schedule weekly/ monthly check-ins with teachers to see how things are going and problem solve. Check-ins don't have to be in person or time consuming, but they are important! You can go as far as scheduling sit-down meetings once a month with general ed teachers to talk about how things are going or you can just send out monthly emails to check in and see if teachers need anything. These check-ins will go a long way in building relationships and problem solving before problems get out of control. If you are going to send out monthly check-in emails, I suggest putting in your calendar for the entire year to remind yourself and to keep yourself accountable! -Invite and include general education teachers in your parent-teacher conferences, home visits, parties, and after school events with parents! They won't be able to come all the time but it will be amazing when they are able to! -Give general ed teachers treats for their birthday and holidays! You don't have to go spend a ton of money on them, but having your students make or sign a card for them on holidays will make gen ed teachers feel more connected to the student (and you!). Again, that relationship piece is SO important! Prior to IEP meetings: -Make sure that you reach out to general ed teachers before IEP meetings about how students are doing in gen ed. It's best for general ed teachers to know what to expect before walking into the meeting and we should obviously be including the general education teacher's input in the IEP. Here are some questions I normally ask general ed teachers prior to IEP meetings: How is ___ doing in your class? What's going well? Is there anything that isn't going well? Is there anything you'd like ___ to work on in your class? Do you think the amount of time ___ is spending in your class seems appropriate? Do you think there are other times in the school day that __ could be included in your classroom that he/she isn't already? (I'm NOT pre-determining before the IEP meeting here, just trying to get an idea of how the current time is working). At the end of the day, it's important that general education teachers feel supported by US so that they are confident in supporting and working with ALL students. If you have any tips for working with general education teachers, leave them in the comments!
Research based teaching strategies you can use today with a free printable chart.
Cooperative Learning is an instructional method where students work in small groups to finish or complete a common learning goal and the teacher – that’s you! – guides them. What’s great about cooperative learning strategies is that they aren’t for one classroom setting over another, or one specific academic area. They can be used across […]
Have you ever had to use a district curriculum that doesn’t really fit the levels or needs of your special needs student? It can be hard to make a purchased program work for our students, but it IS possible! To do so, though, we need to be flexible and creative….We totally rock flexible and creative, […]
Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to our V.I.P. exclusive newsletter for SECRET SALES and FREE printables. Note: This blog post contains resources from our TpT store and our Amazon Associate store. --------------------------------------------- The Five W's Song ♫♪♫ Make sure you watch this video to the end to see the brief appearance of "How." So cute! You can't go wrong with the Electric Company! Solve the Mystery! I guarantee your students will be singing this one ALL DAY! Show this video to the students. Why? Because it is so stinkin' cute! Practice summarizing who, what, when, why , where and how. Summarizing Online Games Free Summarizing Lessons FREE Summarizing Sampler This summarizing bundle of activities will save you time and money: Descriptive Writing & Making Predictions Task Cards Fact and Opinion Task Cards Reading Response Journal Reading Strategies Nonfiction Text No Prep Worksheets -------------------------------------------- You may also like this poster from our Amazon Associate store: Teacher Created Resources Summarizing Chart --------------------------------------------- Click HERE to view our Teachers Pay Teachers Promoting Success store. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter for SECRET SALES and FREE printables. Click HERE to follow us on Instagram. Click HERE to follow us on Pinterest. Shelly Anton is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. ** This means there are Amazon affiliate links in these blog posts. This does not mean you pay a dime more when you purchase a product through the link. It just means I am trying to save you valuable teacher time by making it easier for you to find great resources for your students, and I earn a few cents for my research and time. Thank you for all you do for kids!
When it's decided that special needs students should be included in general education classes, teachers must work together to find ways to support them.
Students with ADHA can be successful in a general education classroom with clear expectations and a few accommodations in place.
Make sure you cover all subjects in the special ed classroom with the help of the Science and Social Studies Adapted Work Binders!
What are dyslexia strengths? Read about 4 of the many strengths dyslexics have and how to help kids develop their unique abilities.
The CUPS editing checklist - scaffolded edition! Perfect to use with students in general and special education. Simply print and laminate so students can self-edit their work every time! ...
Informal assessments for special education in the areas of Reading, Writing, and Math. Two versions: one printable and one digital.
Inclusion is more than simply having a child in the classroom. Here's what needs to happen to make the general ed classroom more inclusive so all children succeed!
sped curriculum, sped scope and sequence, special education scope, special education curriculum map,
Looking for a simple and efficient way to keep track of the accommodations your students receive? This completely editable Google Sheet is just what you need! Use the pre-filled accommodations and edit them as needed to fit your students needs. This digital tracking sheet has a tab for classroom accommodations and a tab for testing accommodations. Save yourself time and effort this school year! Perfect for general education teachers or special education teachers! Follow Me if you'd like to be notified when I post new products and freebies! Be sure to check out my other Back to School resources, including a FREEBIE! Looking for other special education resources? **Special Education Teacher Binder** **FREEBIE Special Education Acronym Cheat Sheet** Feedback is always welcomed and appreciated! You can earn credits toward future purchases by leaving me a review! IMPORTANT: If you ever have any questions or if something is not working as it should be, please email me at [email protected].
Welcome to the first post of Smashing Strategies for Guided Math, a monthly-link up between 9 teacher bloggers! Each of us will share a guided math strategies, tips and resources. Guided math is a way of structuring math instruction in a small group. I know what you are thinking… My kiddos don’t learn well in ... Read More about Small Group Math Instruction In The Special Education Classroom
Today I'm excited to have Corrina from From Mrs. Allen's Teaching Files here to share a really fun and exciting activity to use when talking about self control. Self control is such a hard
Here are 10 co-teaching tips for classroom teachers, intervention specialists, and anyone in an inclusion-type educational setting at school.
