Hello team, let's discuss paraeducators who want to help! These individuals are crucial to the success of your class, whether it's integrated or non-integrated. In order to make them feel like a part of the class, it's important to provide them with the lesson plans ahead of time and assign them some roles and responsibilities. They can do your intro or warm-up, or any other activity that you've previously taught. Dr. Lauren Lieberman and I wrote an article about para-educators, which includes forms that you can give them before the school year starts or as the year progresses. These forms provide valuable feedback about what they are comfortable with, what they enjoy doing, and what they don't enjoy doing. This information can help you assign tasks that are suitable for each para-educator's skills and interests.
Para-educators can also assist with assessments. There are many great ways to conduct assessments using Google Forms, which I will cover in another video. You can hand your phone to the para-educator and ask them to fill in the assessment while you work with a student. They can take notes about what they observe and provide valuable feedback about the student's progress.
Para-educators work closely with the students and have a deep understanding of their needs and behaviors. It's important to have a brief conversation with each of them and make them feel like a part of the community. This will help your classes run more smoothly.
If you're interested in learning more about para-educators, please comment below or like and share this video. I'm happy to provide more tips and tricks to help you succeed. Thank you for watching!