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A Guide to Co-Teaching With Paraeducators

Practical Tips for K-12 Educators

By: Ann I. Nevin, Richard A. Villa, Jacqueline S. Thousand

Learn how co-teaching relationships with paraeducators can improve outcomes for students with special needs, and find guidelines for successful teamwork and authentic case studies of working paraprofessionals.

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Product Details

Grade Level: K-12
ISBN: 9781412957649
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2008
Page Count: 144
Publication date: August 15, 2008

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Description

"This book provides a valuable resource for the best utilization of paraeducators in the classroom, with tips and tools for making this a successful process."
—Melissa Miller, Science Teacher
Lynch Middle School, Farmington, AR

"Easy to read and understand, this book contains many examples, resources, and up-to-date information pertinent to the role of paraeducators."
—Mari Gates, Special Education Co-Teacher
Henry B. Burkland Intermediate School, Middleboro, MA

Learn how paraeducators can positively impact the achievement of students with special needs in the inclusive classroom!

Focused on the expanding role of paraeducators, this hands-on reference provides practical guidelines for collaborating with paraeducators to give students with special needs access to highly qualified instructors in the general education classroom and individualized attention that promotes learning for all students.

The authors outline a team approach bolstered by a plan for developing teachers and their paraeducators through built-in school-system supports that allow for appropriate supervision and encourage ongoing training. This comprehensive guide includes tips and strategies for a collaborative planning and instructional process and offers:

Reproducible forms that teachers and paraeducators can use to establish effective co-teaching roles
Numerous K–12 examples that provide clear direction on how paraeducators can impact student achievement
Real-life accounts from three paraeducators to provide authentic, firsthand scenarios
Concept maps, chapter summaries, and a glossary of terms for easy navigation of the material

A Guide to Co-Teaching With Paraeducators offers general and special education teachers and paraeducators a historical overview of paraprofessional roles, highlights the four types of co-teaching, and addresses legislative mandates, potential legal challenges, and requirements for certification of paraprofessional skills.

Key features

Reproducible forms for teachers that can be used for establishing roles in the classroom and assisting educators in the co-teaching process

A glossary of terms emphasizing important jargon used in working with paraprofessionals.

Chapter questions, serving as opening chapter objectives, provides answers and important information related to working with paraeducators in inclusive classroom environments.

Featuring 3 paraprofessionals-an elementary, a middle and a high school paraeducator-highlighting in detail the roles and responsibilities working in different classrooms and collaborating with different educators

A concept map visually organizes each chapter so the reader can follow along with the chapter's content.

Chapter summaries are included at the end of every chapter.

Many K-12 examples are provided giving clear direction on how paraeducators can impact student achievement.

Author(s)

Ann I. Nevin

Ann I. Nevin is professor emerita at Arizona State University and visiting professor at Florida International University. The author of books, research articles, and numerous chapters, Nevin is recognized for her scholarship and dedication to providing meaningful, practice-oriented, research-based strategies for teachers to integrate students with special learning needs. Since the 1970s, she has co-developed various innovative teacher education programs that affect an array of personnel, including the Vermont Consulting Teacher Program, Collaborative Consultation Project Re-Tool sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children, the Arizona State University program for special educators to infuse self-determination skills throughout the curriculum, and the Urban SEALS (Special Education Academic Leaders) doctoral program at Florida International University. Her advocacy, research, and teaching spans more than 38 years of working with a diverse array of people to help students with disabilities succeed in normalized school environments. Nevin is known for action-oriented presentations, workshops, and classes that are designed to meet the individual needs of participants by encouraging introspection and personal discovery for optimal learning.

Richard A. Villa

Learn more about Richard Villa's PD offerings

Richard A. Villa is president of Bayridge Consortium, Inc. His primary field of expertise is the development of administrative and instructional support systems for educating all students within general education settings. Villa is recognized as an educational leader who inspires and works collaboratively with others to implement current and emerging exemplary educational practices. His work has resulted in the inclusion of children with intensive cognitive, physical, and emotional challenges as full members of the general education community in the school districts where he has worked and consulted. Villa has been a classroom teacher, special education administrator, pupil personnel services director, and director of instructional services and has authored 4 books and over 70 articles and chapters. Known for his enthusiastic, humorous style, Villa has presented at international, national, and state educational conferences and has provided technical assistance to departments of education in the United States, Canada, Vietnam, and Honduras and to university personnel, public school systems, and parent and advocacy organizations.

Jacqueline S. Thousand

Jacqueline S. Thousand, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita at California State University San Marcos, where she designed and coordinated special education professional preparation and Master’s degree programs in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services. She previously taught at the University of Vermont, where she directed Inclusion Facilitator and Early Childhood Special Education graduate and postgraduate programs and coordinated federal grants, which, in the early 1980s, pioneered the inclusion of students with moderate and severe disabilities in general education classrooms of their local schools. Prior to university teacher, Dr. Thousand served as a special educator in Chicago area and Atlanta public schools and as the coordinator of early childhood special education services for children ages 3 through 6 in the Burlington, Vermont area. Dr. Thousand is a nationally known teacher, author, systems change consultant, and disability rights and inclusive education advocate. She is the author of 21 books and numerous research articles and chapters on issues related to inclusive education, organizational change strategies, differentiated instruction and universal design, co-teaching and collaborative teaming, cooperative group learning, creative problem solving, positive behavioral supports, and, now, culturally proficiency special education. Dr. Thousand is actively involved in international teacher education and inclusive education endeavors and serves on the editorial boards of several national and international journals.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Introduction

1. Why Paraeducators? What Experience, History, Law, and Research Say!

Questions

What Are Paraeducators?

When Did Paraeducators First Become a Part of the American Classroom?

Meet Paraeducators: Ms. O. and Ms. Begay

What Does the Research Say About Paraeducators?

What Are the Current Legislative Mandates Regarding Paraeducators?

What Are the Potential Legal Challenges?

2. Meet the Teams

Questions

Meet Ms. Hernandez: The Elementary School Paraeducator and Her Team

Meet Ms. Bartolo: The Middle School Paraeducator and Her Team

Meet Mr. Anderson: The Secondary School Paraeducator and His Team

3. Refining Roles and Responsibilities of Paraeducators

Questions

What Are the Variety of Roles and Responsibilities That Paraeducators Take On When They Work in Inclusive Classrooms?

What Are the Different Roles and Responsibilities for Others, Such as Classroom Teachers, When They Work With Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms?

What Is the Paraeducator's Role in the Instructional Cycle?

Gathering Information About Student Characteristics

Addressing Mismatches Between Student Characteristics and Classroom Demands

Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities

Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities

Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Paraeducator Roles and Responsibilities

Summary

4. Collaborative Processes: Tips and Strategies

Questions

Why Is the Collaborative Planning Process So Important?

What Are the Strategies to Make Planning Processes More Efficient?

What Are the Tips for Developing Interpersonal Relationships Among Team Members?

How Are Effective Planning Teams Assessed?

Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Collaborative Planning Scenario

Ms. Bartolo: Middle Level Collaborative Planning Scenario

Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Collaborative Planning Scenario

5. Co-Teaching and Collaborative Approaches

Questions

Who Can Be Co-Teachers?

What Are the Four Approaches to Co-Teaching That Paraeducators Are Most Likely to Experience When They Help Students in the General Education Classroom?

Supportive Co-Teachers

Parallel Co-Teachers

Complementary Co-Teachers

Team Teachers

How Can Paraeducators Be Co-Teachers?

In What Ways Does a Co-Teaching Lesson Plan Format Help to Guide Instruction?

Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Team Co-Teaching and Collaborative Approaches

Supportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in Second-Grade Homeroom Language Arts Time

Supportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in Third-Grade Homeroom Math Time

Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Co-Teaching and Collaborative Planning

Supportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in English Classes

Supportive and Complementary Co-Teaching in Science Class

Parallel Co-Teaching in the Learning Center

Mr. Anderson: Secondary Team Co-Teaching and Collaborative Planning

Adjusting Co-Teaching to Support Student Needs

Supportive and Parallel Co-Teaching in Social Studies

Summary

6. Systems Supports for Paraeducators' Success: Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical Supports

Questions

What Professional Development Do Paraeducators Need and What Are the Skills Required for Paraeducators?

What Are the Approaches to Professional Development for Paraeducators?

What the Law Requires

What a Job Analysis Suggests

What Standards of Professional Organizations Suggest

What Should Paraeducators Expect From Teachers in Terms of Supervision and Coaching?

On-the-Job Training

Formal Professional Development

What Are Dimensions of Effective Supervision for Paraeducators?

What Supervision Is and Is Not

Melding Supervision and Professional Development: A Cyclical Model

What Are Logistical Supports? What Logistical Supports Help Paraeducators to Be Welcomed and Supported in Their Jobs?

Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Example of Professionl Development, Supervision, and Logistical Support

Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Paraeducator Example of Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical Support

Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Paraeducator Example of Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical Support

Summary and Your Next Steps

7. Paraeducator: Collaborative Members of Inclusive Teams

Questions

Advice From Paraeducators in Co-Taught Classrooms

What Opinions and Advice Do Paraeducators Offer?

Ms. Sheila's Experience

Ms. Andrea's Experience

A National Study of Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms

Common Issues of Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms

Roles of Paraeducators in Inclusive Classrooms

Advice Paraeducators Offer

Advice From Paraeducator Scenarios

Ms. Hernandez: Elementary Scenario

Ms. Bartolo: Middle School Scenario

Mr. Anderson: Secondary School Scenario

Summary

Resources

A: Co-Teaching Roles and Responsibilities Matrix

B: Gathering Information About Learners and Classroom Demands Template

C: Checklist of Supplementary Supports, Aids, and Services

D: Likes & Dislikes Team Summary

E: Planning Meeting Agenda

F: Are We Really a Collaborative Team?

G: SODAS

H: Lesson Plan Template

I: Professional Development Opportunities and Informative Web Sites

Glossary

References

Index

Reviews

"This book provides a valuable resource for the best utilization of paraeducators in the classroom, with tips and tools for making this a successful process.”

Melissa Miller, Science Teacher
Lynch Middle School, Farmington, AR

“I have never seen another book that treats this topic with such depth in such an accessible manner.”

Charlotte Kenney, Math and Science Teacher
Browns River Middle School, Jericho, VT

“Easy to read and understand, this book contains many examples, resources, and up-to-date information pertinent to the role of paraeducators.”

Mari Gates, Special Education Co-Teacher
Henry B. Burkland Intermediate School, Middleboro, MA

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