Session III: On-the-Job Training with Your Paraeducator

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Live Session

Learner Outcomes for Session III: Review observation, modeling, &

providing effective feedback Review data collection methods

& recording objective observations

Discuss the use of instructional & behavioral prompting

Complete a needs assessment with your Paraeducator & discuss the results during a Centra Session

Assess your Paraeducator with the “Paraeducator Quality Rubric”

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Making Time? Did you meet with your paraeducator at least once this week?

On-the-Job Training

French (2001)

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How can you mentor

your paraeducat

or?

17 Ways to Mentor Our Paraeducator

Set expectations for

the paraeducator’s

performance.

Offer challenging ideas.

Encourage ethical and professional behavior.

Help build self-

confidence.

Offer support.

Mentoring Paraeducators

Actively listen.

Teach by example.

Mentoring Paraeducators

Provide growth

experience. Ask questions and give explanations.

Mentoring Paraeducators

Coach the

paraeducator. Encourage the paraeducator.

Mentoring Paraeducators

Inspire the

paraeducator. Share critical knowledge.

Mentoring Paraeducators

Assist, observe, and

demonstrate. Direct and delegate

effectively.

Counsel when necessary.

Give clear, concise

directions.

Monitoring Paraeducator Performance through

Observation

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Fundamentals of Observation

Unfocused Observation

Focused Observation

What is Formative Feedback? Feedback occurs when

the teacher provides information to the paraeducator about how well the he or she performs a certain skill or strategy and understands the concept.

Think of formative feedback as en route checkpoints,

done frequently. Formative feedback should ongoing and helpful.

The best feedback is descriptive

rather than evaluative. When

giving feedback, be as specific, as

constructive, and as supportive as

possible.

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When can you provide formative feedback?

Tools to Help You Help Your Paraeducator

Feedback forms found in Session 3 in Moodle

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Supervisor Checklist

Gerlach, K. 2007, Pacific Training Associates, Seattle, WA; used

with permission.

Gerlach, K. 2007,

Pacific Training

Associates,

Seattle, WA; used

with permission.

Feedback Form Checklist

Data Collection?

When did I include my para in data

collection?

When could I include my para in

data collection?

Data Collection & Objective Observations

Why should your Paraeducator collect data?

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Showing our paraeducators how

to provide instructional prompts to students

is a method of collecting authentic

data. Recording

these objective observations provides valuable

information for the

TOR (“teacher-of-

record”).

See sample

data collection

handouts in

Session 3 of

Moodle.

More Tools to Help You Help Your ParaeducatorInstructional

PromptingDaily NotationsNeeds AssessmentParaeducator

Quality Rubric

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Instructional Prompts We all respond to cues Cues are prompts that

help us remember when or how to do certain things

Cues move from least (“natural”) to most intrusive (“full physical” cue)

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M.B. Doyle, “The Paraprofessional’s Guide to the Inclusive Classroom—Working as a Team,” 2nd Edition, Brookes Publishing, 2002, pp. 53-57

Instructional Prompting

When learning a new skill, some students need a prompt added to the naturally occurring cue in order to help them initiate a response when participating in an activity or routine.

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Types of Instructional Prompts

NaturalGesturalIndirect VerbalDirect VerbalModelPartial PhysicalFull Physical

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Types of Data to Collect

Prompts range from “Least”

(Natural) to “Most” (Full

Physical) Prompts

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A= AntecedentB= BehaviorC= Consequence(s)Teachers provide guidance about specific behavior management strategies & student characteristics

Paraeducators monitor student progress & give feedback to teachers.

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Blank D

aily

Notatio

ns

Sheet for

reco

rdin

g data

on a si

ngle

student o

r a

group o

f

students

.

Sample Daily Notations

sheet to share with

your paraeducator on

how to record data on

students. Notice that

all the different

prompts used are

abbreviated. This

helps the teacher see

how intrusive the

paraeducator had to

be by delineating the

type of prompts given.

Why Keep Track of the Types of Prompting Cues You Use with Students? Knowing the type and

frequency of prompt(s) used can signal to the teacher a student’s level of understanding of concepts or skills being taught

If data is collected 2-3 times a week per student, this gives the teacher a more accurate picture of student progress towards IEP goals and benchmarks

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Sample form for monitoring on-task

and off-task behavior

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Conducting a Needs Assessment

Why do a needs assessment with your Paraeducator ?

Paraeducator Needs

Assessment Areas:

Delivery of Instruction

Activity Preparation/

Follow-up

Supervision of Group of

Students

Behavior management

Ethics

Team

Participation/Membership

Clerical

Specific Topics/Other

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SupervisingParaeducators

“Assessing

Paraeducator Quality”

Rubric*

~ Includes 5 components

demonstrating “exemplary,”

“average” or “problematice”

practices of paraeducators.

1. Personal Characteristics

2. Collaboration

3. Classroom Practice

4. Context

5. Philosophy

*Adapted from “Assessing Co-teaching

Quality,” by Dr. Marilyn Friend, used with

permission, 2009.

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Confident in my ability.

Unsure of my ability.

Not applicable in my current

position.

Defining the paraeducator’s roles & responsibilities

Training the paraeducators to fulfill roles & responsibilities

Observing & providing feedback regarding paraeducator performance

Encouraging ongoing collaboartion with the paraeducator

Moodle Assignments Session 3

Read article“Self-Management for Staff Development – Professional & Paraprofessional”

Discussion ForumParaeducator Needs

Assessment

Paraeducator Orientation Notebook Assignment

Feedback Form

“The teacher is the instructional leader. Ethical and professional guidelines must be followed. Teachers who supervise paraeducators are responsible for establishing a personalized job description that includes the tasks the paraeducator will perform, where they will occur, individual student needs, materials required, and instructional strategies to be used…Teachers need to emphasize the importance of working together as a team. A paraeducator’s job is not done in isolation. A paraeducator assists and supports teacher-directed instruction.”

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Heller & Gerlach, 2003

Any Questions?