Top Tips for Paraprofessional Management during Large Group Activities

Do you find yourself getting frustrated with your paraprofessionals during large group activities? Sometimes you feel like you are swimming in a rocky ocean all alone... and other times you can't hear yourself give directions over the level of verbal prompts happening. 🫣😬 Typically this boils down to a couple things... lack of training and communication.

Remedy this common struggle with these tips:

• Set Clear Expectations: Define roles and responsibilities for paraprofessionals during large group activities. Clarify their support tasks, behavioral strategies, and communication protocols.

Bright Rainbow Editable Paraprofessional Role Sheets

• Team Communication: Foster open communication between teachers and paraprofessionals. Regular meetings ensure everyone is on the same page and can discuss any concerns or improvements. I liked to meet with my team weekly to discuss current questions or concerns and discuss lessons for the week ahead. This helps paraprofessionals feel heard, confident, and prepared.

• Provide Training: Offer ongoing training sessions to enhance paraprofessionals' skills and knowledge. Some areas to prioritize may include:
• behavior management techniques
• understanding disabilities
• differentiation
• reinforcement strategies
• data collection
• fostering an inclusive environment.

Boho Watercolor Editable Paraprofessional Role Sheets

• Flexibility: Be adaptable to changing situations during large group activities, and encourage paraprofessionals to be flexible with their support methods accordingly. If you feel the need to pivot in the moment, communicate that! Sometimes paraprofessionals can get frustrated if you discussed facilitating a lesson in one way and switch it up in the moment. 

• Breaks and Self-Care: Remind paraprofessionals to take short breaks if needed and prioritize self-care to maintain their effectiveness in the classroom.

Bright Rainbow Editable Paraprofessional Role Sheets

• Celebrate Success: Acknowledge and celebrate achievements, both big and small, for students and paraprofessionals. A positive atmosphere boosts motivation.

• Debriefing Sessions: After activities, hold debriefing sessions to reflect on successes and challenges. Encourage feedback from paraprofessionals to continually improve teamwork.

By implementing these practical tips, you'll create a harmonious and supportive environment for both students and paraprofessionals, ensuring a successful learning experience in your special education classroom. 🌈"

Cooking in the Special Education Classroom

Each week in my special education classroom we do cooking and craft extension activities related to our thematic unit. We have had a lot of fun over the years with all of our different projects!

Each week, we use a visual recipe for students to follow along. On the front, are icons for all of the ingredients and supplies. On the back, are picture-supported directions for each step of the recipe. 

Are you interested in implementing some thematic cooking activities in your classroom? My Visual Recipes for the Entire Year resource has 50 different visual recipes that can be printed and ready to go each week! 

My paraprofessionals are in charge of planning our thematic cooking and craft activities each week. This gives me an awesome opportunity to be on "the other side of the table" assisting students and seeing how they all do with group activities without the stress of managing the group as a whole. I love switching it up like this and giving my paras something special that they enjoy coordinating each week. 

Each week I choose students to be the Head Chef and Head Artist who will assist my paras during the group. These two jobs are hands-down the class favorites. I think it is basically because they get to do so many of the "teacher" jobs (passing out supplies, modeling the activity, calling on students) and sit in the coveted "teacher" chair at the kidney table.

Each Monday, we go over who gets to do the head jobs. I like talking about it on Monday because it give the kids something to look forward to and for those kids that need the extra behavior motivation it helps also. I place the students' names under these cute signs (click the link below the picture to print!)

Head Jobs Signs

To make the job even more special I made these adorable aprons for the kids to wear. They love them! I even had a little guy that didn't really understand that the jobs were assigned each week and for a couple weeks after his turn he went over to the apron at cooking time and tried to put it on! Thankfully, he was a great sport. 

These aprons were super easy to make and very affordable. I bought two children's aprons at Michael's and some puffy paint at Walmart. First, I drew the pictures using pencil. I was able to do it free hand but you could look at clip art images if you needed some inspiration! Then, I filled in the pencil drawings with puffy paint (I used small paint brushes to spread). After the paint dried, I used a black Sharpie to draw the outlines. Finally, I added a few details with the puffy paint. 

I made these last year and they had to be washed a lot this year. I was impressed with how well they held up! At the end of the year, I just retouched a few of the areas with puffy paint. The lettering seemed to be peeling the most. I think this is partially from little fingers picking at it :). 

10 Back to School Resources for Special Education Classrooms

Back to School season is upon us! I know I can't believe it either. To make heading back to the classroom easier I have compiled my top 10 special education resources for your classroom. Click on any of the cover images below to find the resource in my TPT store!

Resources for Teacher Organization

Before the students even start, it is essential to get organized! So much of the SpEd world revolves around paperwork so these resources are great time (and sanity) savers!

1. NO PREP IEP Organization Kit: This kit provides helpful resources for IEP planning and progress reports. Check out this blog post for a page-by-page snapshot of what's included: Must-Have IEP Organization Kit

 

2. NO PREP IEP Progress Monitoring BUNDLE: This bundle includes over 100 progress monitoring sheets covering TONS of skills in Math, Reading, Writing, Communication, Vocabulary, Daily Routines, and Fine Motor that are ready to print and go!

Resources for Routines

The first week (or two!) of school should mainly focus on establishing classroom routines. Once students learn these expectations it will be easier to begin introducing academic content.

3. Location-Based Interactive Visual Schedule: These visual supports are essential for students who need assistance with transitioning more willingly and independently. Students match icons to corresponding location signs to get them from place to place all day long! Learn more in this blog post: Student Schedules

4. Number of the Day Math Corner: Practicing basic math skills every day in my math corner was a total game changer in my classroom! The daily repetition allowed students to demonstrate skills beyond what I even imagined when we first started out. For more information on implementing this resource in your classroom check out this post: Number of the Day Math Corner Bulletin Board

5. Differentiated Morning Meeting Book and Worksheets: Morning Meeting was always my favorite way to ease into task demands each day. It was an easy activity to keep predictable and differentiate especially through this resource.

6. Interactive Morning Message: My favorite part of our Morning Meeting was our interactive morning message. I loved watching my students build confidence in completing the message and reading it each day. It was always a popular classroom job! Learn more in this post: Morning Message

7. Differentiated Home-School Communication Reports: These communication reports made daily home-school communication more meaningful and created authentic communication opportunities for students. A win for everyone! Learn more in my recent post: Why I Ditched Communication Notebooks in my Special Education Classroom... and Never Looked Back!

Resources for Instruction

8. Back to School BUNDLE: This is actually 3 resources in one! My Back to School Thematic Unit (to learn more about why I love thematic units don't miss this post: ) and Picture Book Communication and Comprehension Supports for No, David! and David Goes to School by David Shannon. 

Resources for Paraprofessional Management

9. EDITABLE Paraprofessional Role Sheets: This is one of my most popular resources! It helps communicate expectations not only to paraprofessionals but to subs and volunteers too. Plus they are super cute!

10. Paraprofessional Survival Kit Gift Tag: To start the year I always liked to give my paras a little something. These gift tags made an extra cute addition and you can grab them for free in my TPT store! And you can learn more on this post: Paraprofessional Survival Kit- FREEBIE

Download my FREE Paraprofessional Survival Kit Gift Tags!

I look forward to connecting with you and sharing SpEd Spot tips and FREEBIES!

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