A Guide to Co-Teaching With Paraeducators

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 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, 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.

"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.”

• List of Tables and FiguresAcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsIntroduction1. Why Paraeducators? What Experience, History, Law, and Research Say!QuestionsWhat Are Paraeducators?When Did Paraeducators First Become a Part of the American Classroom?Meet Paraeducators: Ms. O. and Ms. BegayWhat Does the Research Say About Paraeducators?What Are the Current Legislative Mandates Regarding Paraeducators?What Are the Potential Legal Challenges?2. Meet the TeamsQuestionsMeet Ms. Hernandez: The Elementary School Paraeducator and Her TeamMeet Ms. Bartolo: The Middle School Paraeducator and Her TeamMeet Mr. Anderson: The Secondary School Paraeducator and His Team3. Refining Roles and Responsibilities of ParaeducatorsQuestionsWhat 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 CharacteristicsAddressing Mismatches Between Student Characteristics and Classroom DemandsMs. Hernandez: Elementary Paraeducator Roles and ResponsibilitiesMs. Bartolo: Middle School Paraeducator Roles and ResponsibilitiesMr. Anderson: Secondary School Paraeducator Roles and ResponsibilitiesSummary4. Collaborative Processes: Tips and StrategiesQuestionsWhy 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 ScenarioMs. Bartolo: Middle Level Collaborative Planning ScenarioMr. Anderson: Secondary School Collaborative Planning Scenario5. Co-Teaching and Collaborative ApproachesQuestionsWho 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-TeachersParallel Co-TeachersComplementary Co-TeachersTeam TeachersHow 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 ApproachesSupportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in Second-Grade Homeroom Language Arts TimeSupportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in Third-Grade Homeroom Math TimeMs. Bartolo: Middle School Co-Teaching and Collaborative PlanningSupportive, Parallel, and Complementary Co-Teaching in English ClassesSupportive and Complementary Co-Teaching in Science ClassParallel Co-Teaching in the Learning CenterMr. Anderson: Secondary Team Co-Teaching and Collaborative PlanningAdjusting Co-Teaching to Support Student NeedsSupportive and Parallel Co-Teaching in Social StudiesSummary6. Systems Supports for Paraeducators′ Success: Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical SupportsQuestionsWhat 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 RequiresWhat a Job Analysis SuggestsWhat Standards of Professional Organizations SuggestWhat Should Paraeducators Expect From Teachers in Terms of Supervision and Coaching?On-the-Job TrainingFormal Professional DevelopmentWhat Are Dimensions of Effective Supervision for Paraeducators?What Supervision Is and Is NotMelding Supervision and Professional Development: A Cyclical ModelWhat 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 SupportMs. Bartolo: Middle School Paraeducator Example of Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical SupportMr. Anderson: Secondary School Paraeducator Example of Professional Development, Supervision, and Logistical SupportSummary and Your Next Steps7. Paraeducator: Collaborative Members of Inclusive TeamsQuestionsAdvice From Paraeducators in Co-Taught ClassroomsWhat Opinions and Advice Do Paraeducators Offer?Ms. Sheila′s ExperienceMs. Andrea′s ExperienceA National Study of Paraeducators in Inclusive ClassroomsCommon Issues of Paraeducators in Inclusive ClassroomsRoles of Paraeducators in Inclusive ClassroomsAdvice Paraeducators OfferAdvice From Paraeducator ScenariosMs. Hernandez: Elementary ScenarioMs. Bartolo: Middle School ScenarioMr. Anderson: Secondary School ScenarioSummaryResourcesA: Co-Teaching Roles and Responsibilities MatrixB: Gathering Information About Learners and Classroom Demands TemplateC: Checklist of Supplementary Supports, Aids, and ServicesD: Likes & Dislikes Team SummaryE: Planning Meeting AgendaF: Are We Really a Collaborative Team?G: SODASH: Lesson Plan TemplateI: Professional Development Opportunities and Informative Web SitesGlossaryReferencesIndex