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Making a Path: Creating Opportunities to Document and Share Promising Strategies or Practices Across One State by Mary Fisher & Mary Jo Dare. From the 2009 National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals Conference.
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Making a path: Creating opportunities to document and share promising practices across one state
Mary Fisher and Mary Jo DareIndiana University at IUPUI and Hamilton-Boone –Madison Special Service Cooperative
The Keys of WIZdom - The Power of TeamsNRCP Annual Conference 2009Salt Lake City
About this project
State funded One year at a time Local district-university collaboration Local district initiative around
advanced paraeducator preparation
A Task
Get some paper and a pencil ready. Mary will give you a word or phrase. Record that in a column down your
paper.▪ C▪ O▪ L▪ U▪ M▪ N
Record a second word /phrase in a next column.
Do this task alone.
C O L L A B O R A T I O N
S H A R E D S U P P O R T
Think of a famous person for each pair of initials.
Do this task with your neighbors.C O L L A B O R A T I O N
L E A R N T O G E T H E R
Think of a famous person
for each pair of initials.
The Notion
Provide support to instructional assistants as an incentive to remain in the district
Series of workshops on specific practices
Provide coaching after group presentation
Capture this work for other districts Content Connections to new learning for students
Skyrocketing Numbers
IN numbers 2008Teachers – 8,802Paraed. – 8,342
Fed numbersTeachers – 408,075Paraed. – 364,584
Address initial training needs
Core Preparation Designed by District Level Teams
Anderson Community SchoolsParaEducator: Lifelines in the Classroom and others
Evansville-Vanderburgh SchoolsMultiple resources
Indianapolis Public SchoolsParaprofessional’s Guide to the Inclusive ClassroomParaEducator Lifelines in the Classroom
South Bend Community SchoolsThe Master Teacher
Timely answers to important questions
Working with paraeducators
on the job…
Alternatives to “drive-by” training
Team Coaching
Who 3-5 team members
and 1 facilitator What
A child who worries the team
When During work hours
Where Conference room
or classroom
ParaviewIt has been very helpful to meet regularly. We had tried some of these ideas before but we let them fall by the wayside.It is important to have the outside person. She comes without the history. She is not so likely to be discouraged. Her enthusiasm helps us be more willing to try again.She asks us questions that we don’t ask ourselves.Supports Outsider willing to be a critical friend Team investment in the conversation and solutions
Individual Coaching Conversation
Who 1 coachee and 1
coach What
A child who worries the coachee or a new strategy
When During work hours
Where Classroom
ParaviewI can’t believe that someone is interested in my work! It works for me when there is a strategy I need to work on so that I can ask my coach for feedback on something specific.
Supports Outsider willing to be a critical friend/coach and ask thoughtfully worded questions Teacher support for content/strategy acquired!
Supervision and evaluation
Working with paraeducators
on the job – providing direction and support
Paraeducators are critical members educational teams
They need professional development. They need direction and feedback. They need appreciation and
acknowledgment.
They must be valued members of educational teams.
The content this year
Autism – a book perspective The IA’s role Overview of critical practices Thinking about prompts Thinking about visual cues Problematic behavior and
communicative intent The STAR program Supporting students in general
education settings
Our Process
1.Setting goals2.Reflecting on goals3.Asking for feedback on
goals4.Sharing work with
colleagues1.Among ourselves2.With critical friends
Coaching this time…
Still have an expert although… Your goal Any observation shaped by you All next steps designed by you
Like writing workshop Genre [practice] immersion Try it out… use another writer’s style, phrasing,
a line you wish you had written Revise and edit Invite feedback; revise and edit Author’s chair
Critical elements in coaching conversations
Identity Agency Goal Giving and getting support
Help is valued! “Knowledge as practice…” Protocols
“Choice Words” by Peter Johnston
Identity• Your advocacy comes through so clearly!• What a strong advocate you are!• You are an insightful observer of young people• You must be proud of your work with Marguerite.• What are you doing as a kidwatcher today?• What have you learned most recently as a kidwatcher?
Agency• How did you figure that out?• What problems did you come across today?• Has anyone else had this problem? How did you solve it?• How are you planning to go about this?• Where are you going with your level of assistance?• Which part are you sure about and which part are you not sure about?
1. Setting Goals About Practice
Given the content so far, how might this apply to your practice? With students With colleagues With families
Meaningful Doable“Observable”
Sample goals to date
Decide when and how often to use a reinforcer
Decrease my use of verbal prompts in favor of visual cues
Increase the number of appropriate social interactions in the classroom
More goals
Identify ways to encourage a student to accomplish more work
Teach student to initiate and complete morning arrival routines with minimal adult support
Increase independence and advocacy skills
Help student know that sometimes he does need help from a grown-up.
More goals
Communicate concerns in an effective way – whom do I really report to? Resource? GE? Administrator?
Share my thoughts with teachers Share strategies that have worked
with fellow paraeducators
As long as we are together…
At least get acquainted with some of our tools reflection goal-writing coaching conversation
Assigning paraeducators wisely…
Consider carefully
Skyrocketing numbers “One to one” assignments Appropriate supervision and
evaluation
On the backs of para-
professionals?
Recommendations More research
into reasons why numbers are skyrocketing
about roles performed by teachers and paraeducators
Clarification from professional organizations the use of “1:1” paraeducators (e.g., CEC
draft statement) Planning and planning tools
Who are these remarkable people??
Principals know everything about something.
Teachers know something about everything.
But paraeducators are expected to know everything about everything…
--Kent Gerlach
Many issues it is true.
Together we can…
Across Indiana, for example: IN Council for Administrators of Special
Education ISEAS University Forum (Teacher preparation
faculty and special education administrators) Indiana Institute on Disability and
Community IN*Source IDOE grant projects▪ IN Inclusive Schools Support Project▪ IN Paraeducator Support Project
“We surely will get to our destination if we join hands.” Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Political Leader