Top Tips for Community Based Instruction

I will admit, when I first started teaching, taking my students into the community made me so nervous! Now, we go out all the time and community based instruction is one of my favorite things about my job. A while back, I wrote about the benefits of CBI (with a freebie!) here. Today, I want to share my top tips for making community based instruction a successful experience for everyone involved.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1: Favorite Apps for the SPED Classroom

Let's talk apps! I love using the iPads and tablets in my classroom for education purposes, not just for reinforcement. I want to share my favorite apps with you and give you a change to win a $20 iTunes gift card so you can try out some new apps in your classroom! Keep reading to see how to enter.

{Tips for Special Educators} Data Collection

It's #SPEDchatSaturday and I want to talk to you about data collection. I love data. It's one of my favorite things about being a special educator. I love being able to see exactly where my students are at, the progress they have made, and what I need to change to help them learn. Not only is data a requirement for any teacher, I take data on pretty much every program that is run in my classroom, regardless of whether it aligns to an IEP goal. One of the main reasons I do this is because I am not the only person teaching in my classroom. My paraprofessionals and my peer tutors provide instruction. However, I am still the teacher, so I am responsible for each program and each student's learning. Without data, I don't know how my students are doing. There are tons of ways to take data and to streamline your data collection. Here are a few tips & tricks!

Mail Delivery Program

A mail delivery program is a perfect way to practice and generalize social skills, pre-vocational skills and even sorting! My students LOVE delivering mail, and it provides the opportunity for our faculty to get to know them better.

Organizing Materials by Level for Easy Access

Hi friends! I'm here to share a super easy trick for organizing your classroom materials. Most often, our special education classrooms are full of students whose instructional levels vary greatly. I like to have materials and activities that are easy for students to access independently and for my paras to assist with, but I want my students completing tasks that are at their level.

SPED Teacher Essentials: Beyond the Basics

It's Back to School time! I don't know about you, but the school supply section of every store is like a magnet to me. I just can't stay away. I do a lot of stocking up for the year during August, so I'm here to share my essentials with you. Don't worry, this isn't another post about buying lamination and Velcro. But if you still need the basics, you can check out Part 1 here.

Running a Peer Tutor Program

Do you have a peer tutor program at your school? I cannot recommend it enough! Working with peer tutors is one of my favorite parts of my job.  There are so many benefits for everyone involved!If you don't and are wanting to get started, check out this great Q&A post, then come back and finish reading these tips. If you're ready to start, or you want some tips about improving your program, then you're in the right spot! Let me tell you about how I run my Peer Tutor program.