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