Paraprofessional Communication Case Study

General education teachers ought to be included in training paraeducators (Collins and Wolery, 2012). Due to the fact that general education teachers are part of the instructional team for the special education students, they need to be included in training the paraeducators. The paraeducators are in the general education classroom more than they are in the special education classroom in an inclusive classroom. The paraeducators need to have a basic understanding of the strategies established in the classroom and how they can help to maintain any supports.

The authors went on to state that paraprofessionals “reported that they had some familiarity with the concept of self determined behavior for students with disabilities, with even lower levels of access to professional development opportunities pertaining to self-determined behaviors” (Lane, Carter, & Sisco, 2012, p. 246). Paraprofessionals are expected to play key roles in the education of students with severe disabilities, but they are not given the proper tools to complete this task successfully. Teachers, students and paraprofessionals would be greatly benefited if every person involved in the education of a child was properly trained.

When an Individuals is invested in the well-being and success of a school and the students who are attending the school, they are considered a key stakeholder. Parents and family expect their child to receive a challenging and successful education. They want the education system to benefit their child's academic needs. As a future teacher, It will be my job to create a strong and positive communication with the student's parents and family. Our positive relationship will allow me to encourage them to integrate an at home learning environment. It will encourage them to speak to me about any issues. Allowing me to address them and help provides a fun and engaging learning environment inside and outside of school. Creating this bond will affect

They offer advice and support for schools and/or parents of those children with special educational needs. They work in close proximity with the special educational needs co-ordinator, spending time with individual children and trying to derive the reasons for their behaviour or learning problems. Once the reasons have been established, they will then present their findings to both the school and the parents. They work with schools to help assess a children’s special educational needs and to develop the necessary programmes of intervention. They may also work on a wider level, for example, helping the school to develop a communication-friendly environment.

Special Education Teacher Support Services is a mandated service recommended by the Individual Education Team on a child’s IEP. As stated by the Department of Education in the Family Guide to Special Education Services (2012), an IEP documents a child’s eligibility for Special Education Services. This plan formalizes in writing the Department of Education’s plan for providing a Free Appropriate Public Education in the least restrictive environment (www.nycenet.edu).

The second is Communication between the Home and School. In order to help families create settings within the home to support their children as students we, the teachers, can provide suitable materials which give information and assistances on how the parents can help at home. Through pamphlets, e-mails, and phone calls teachers can inspire and encourage parents to converse and work with their child. Through our involvement with the families, parents become more aware of their child’s school platform, they interact on a more positive level with their children they are more skilled to reinforce the teacher's objectives in order to achieve better schoolwork. When we give parents information to become more knowledgeable partners with the school, their child sees that their parents and teachers are communicating with one another about their schoolwork, which allows them to become more aware of their parents involvement and abilities. This will open up the opportunity for the child and parents to talk openly about the child’s schoolwork and the decisions the child makes at school.

Without having a clear job description, it is hard not only for the paraprofessionals, but also the special education teacher, to find the right balance of what they can legally do with a student. Without these clear guidelines, it is extremely hard for either the paraprofessional or the special education teacher to figure out what they can do in the classroom, which can cause some ethical issues in that classroom. Since there are no strict rules and regulations for the paraprofessionals, then they could start to take matters of the classroom into their own hands, without the consent of the special education teacher, who is supposed to essentially be the boss over the paraprofessionals. Without this consent, the paraprofessional could accidentally

Communication between teachers and the parents of students is essential for the growth and success of the student both inside and outside of the classroom. This communication is best achieved through parent conference opportunities. One way that this is achieved is through regular open house nights. This is where parents, and other members of the community, are invited to come to the school and talk to the teachers and other faculty at the school. Another conference opportunity presents itself in a scheduled appointment between the teacher and the parent. This will enable the parent to meet face-to-face with their child’s teacher during a time that is more convenient to them, as these appointments can occur before, during, and after school. Additionally, conferences can take place over the phone. This is a convenient way for both parties to communicate effectively in a way that works best for them.

If paraprofessionals are able to lead small groups of students, teachers are able to address other students and work on a lesson that a faster or slower pace dependent upon the level of the group. The students are able to ask more questions, and feel more confident in asking

The classroom setting is kindergarten with a mixed environment of general education students and special education students. The child can do his work; however, he is resistant by saying he does not want to read or write because it is boring. Being WZ one-to-one paraprofessional is challenging since the child has behavioral issues that requires professional assistance for developmental support.

The special education teacher interviewed, showed me that she uses the teaching/individual goals related to each student’s IEP. The teacher always tries to excel and reach the needs to relate

Although knowledge provided by textbooks is essential, being able to receive advice from someone whose daily life is spent teaching and interacting with students with exceptionalities is also very valuable. When I asked for advice that would be helpful for new teachers who will work with students with special needs, I received a plethora of suggestions. Ms. Moos said that a new teacher needs to have high expectations for all students, including those with exceptionalities. She also said that it is important to keep in contact with special education teachers and the students’ parents. The one piece of advice that stood out to me was to no believe everything within an IEP. Ms. Moos said this with caution. She noted that the information provided within an IEP is important and useful, but if not read with proper thoughtfulness one may understand the student differently than they may be. To combat such a situation, Ms. Moos, first, recommended that we get to know the student first before we judge them based on their IEP. She also suggested that the circumstances in which the parts of the IEP were based on may be different than circumstances a student could currently be in. This piece of advice, along with tips, gave me a new perspective on approaching an IEP.

After taking time to reflect on working with paraprofessionals, there seems to be a few things that both teachers and paras should keep in mind. First, organization is key; however, organization has to branch out to more than just what assignments the students are doing. The whole day has to be well organized. However, both the para and the teachers do still have to work together when developing and planning students’ curriculum on an individual basis. Each student is different, and as such, teachers and paras need to know how to work with each of them (Hardman, Drew, and Egan, 2013; Heller, Forney, Alberto, Best, and Schwartzman, 2009; Polloway, Patton, and Serna, 2013). Moreover, the teachers and paras have to be able to work with each student’s related service providers, in order to help the student build progress. It is important know what other goals the student has, so that supports for them can be implemented throughout the day. However, working with all of these individuals can have its conflicts, and it is vital for everyone to have the skills needed to find respectful resolutions (Hardman et al., 2013; Heller et al., 2009; Polloway, Patton, and Serna, 2013). Finally, educators need to be aware that miscommunications happen, and they need to able to calmly, and correctly explain how strategies or classroom protocols should be carried out to ensure that everyone is on the same page (Hardman et al., 2013; Heller et al., 2009; Polloway, Patton, and Serna, 2013;

Professional Communication is a very important element in the foundation for a strong health care system. Communication can also serve as a basis for basic health care administered. Communication is not only the one tool in health care in which we can control, but also what helps prevent the derailment in patient-healthcare professional trust.. Types of model that can help express how important professional communication is within health care is the movie titled, The Doctor. There are various examples in this movie in which the importance of professional communication is portrayed and supports the argument, as well. These types of examples and supporting data can also be found in real life testimonies of what type of situations can result from lack of professional communication in the health care setting. Communication teaches the importance in human-to-human contact that some hospitals and health care setting may lack due to the certain personality type that is more attracted to the roles of doctors. Professional communication should remain at the forefront of bed side manner and proper etiquette in the health care field and setting.

I believe successful teachers develop a strong partnership with students’ parents. Having clear communication with parents can play a significant role in a child’s education. It is also the best way to avoid misunderstandings from the beginning of