A well-oiled teacher-paraeducator machine is good for students and good for morale. But school days are jam-packed, classroom environments can vary, and student needs can change. It can seem nearly impossible to find the time to get to know our teacher/paraeducator, let alone find the time to collaborate, communicate about students, and get on the same page with scheduling, lessons, and strategies. Still, our students count on us to find ways to get it done. Examining: Making It Work! is a 2 credit hour, Self-Study/Instructor-Guided course that gives paraeducators and teachers tools and resources to help them communicate and collaborate more effectively. Participants will learn to assess and compare work styles, preferences, and task confidence levels; develop clear classroom job descriptions; create working lists of academic and behavioral strategies and resources; identify areas of personal development; investigate a variety of collaboration and communication tools and ideas, and more!
Organization
This is a Self-Study/Instructor-Guided (SS/IG) course. Participants will work independently on the course content with feedback and guidance from the instructor. The course is organized into 7 modules. Lessons will be taught and goals will be met using a combination of text readings, external resources, activities, assignments, and enrichment materials.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will:
1. Be able to inventory personal styles, preferences and task confidence levels in order to communicate more effectively, develop classroom job descriptions and facilitate personal development plans
2. Have created a list of academic and behavioral strategies to draw from and develop on
3. Know strategies and tools for collaboration and communication about students
4. Know teacher/paraeducator resources to access for information and further development
Course Topics
1. Teacher/Paraeducator team overview
2. Assessing and comparing personal styles and preferences
3. Assessing task preparedness and confidence levels
4. Creating classroom specific job descriptions
5. Academic and behavioral strategies to know and develop
6. Communicating about students
7. What do I do when? Resources for teacher/paraeducator topics and concerns
Grading
Grading is the same whether the course is taken for graduate credit or for license renewal. Students are required to participate in all discussion forums and to complete all assignments and/or activities. A=90%-100%; B=80%-89%-Because this is a graduate level course, scores must be 80% or better to receive credit.
Required Text: No Text required. All materials will be provided online.
This is a Self-Study/Instructor-Guided (SS/IG) course. Participants will work independently on the course content with feedback and guidance from the instructor. The course is organized into 7 modules. Lessons will be taught and goals will be met using a combination of text readings, external resources, activities, assignments, and enrichment materials.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will:
1. Be able to inventory personal styles, preferences and task confidence levels in order to communicate more effectively, develop classroom job descriptions and facilitate personal development plans
2. Have created a list of academic and behavioral strategies to draw from and develop on
3. Know strategies and tools for collaboration and communication about students
4. Know teacher/paraeducator resources to access for information and further development
Course Topics
1. Teacher/Paraeducator team overview
2. Assessing and comparing personal styles and preferences
3. Assessing task preparedness and confidence levels
4. Creating classroom specific job descriptions
5. Academic and behavioral strategies to know and develop
6. Communicating about students
7. What do I do when? Resources for teacher/paraeducator topics and concerns
Grading
Grading is the same whether the course is taken for graduate credit or for license renewal. Students are required to participate in all discussion forums and to complete all assignments and/or activities. A=90%-100%; B=80%-89%-Because this is a graduate level course, scores must be 80% or better to receive credit.
Required Text: No Text required. All materials will be provided online.