Welcome back! In this series on training paraprofessionals, we've covered the why, defined roles, and discussed how to foster a team mindset. Now, it's time to tackle step three - planning!

Planning is a critical piece to training paraprofessionals. We've pinpointed four major planning components:

• Creating your classroom schedule
• Creating a detailed para schedule
• Developing systems
• Creating visual supports for your team - visual supports are for more than just students!

Due to all of the information in the planning step, it will be delivered in two parts: Part One - Creating Schedules and Systems and Part Two - Providing Visual Supports for Paraprofessionals.

We will cover a lot of information throughout these two newsletters. Please do not feel like you need to do it all at once! These planning pieces are baby steps. If you still need to create a detailed para schedule, start there. If you have a detailed para schedule, think of a time of day that if you sat down and made a plan for it, it would run smoothly. That's where you should start.

I will not go into much detail about a classroom schedule because there is a previous Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks on this topic for you to reference. When you are creating your classroom schedule, consider consulting with your team members - especially the people who have been in the building for a long time. They'll have some great insight and maybe some tips you didn't think of.

Again, I will not go into detail about creating a para schedule, as we covered this topic in September, as well. Schedules prepare paras for upcoming activities, reduce stress, and increase engagement. They also enable the team to be responsive when there are staff absences so if someone is gone, it's easy to figure out what needs to be covered.

When you're implementing para schedules, make it clear: print the schedule for every paraprofessional and post it. Remember, consistency is key!

Systems provide structure and a road map of the day-to-day events. They organize how processes and activities are executed so everyone knows what is expected. It was a game changer for me and my classroom when I started developing systems. Here are some steps you can take when designing a system:

1. Pinpoint the problem
2. Determine the solution and write down a step-by-step plan of what needs to be done
3. Identify what planning and preparation you will need to complete so your team members can execute it successfully
4. Create the identified supports
   
5. Assign and train team members

Step One: Pinpoint the problem. My students are getting to the independent work station and their schedules still need to be reset.

Step Two: Solution. Assign a team member to reset the task boxes and schedules during the 2:00 whole group movement break.

Step Three: Prep. I will need to make a visual that states what task boxes to assign to students each day of the week. I will also need to create a way to organize the task boxes by level so the paraprofessional will eventually be able to assign the task boxes.

Step Four: Create. See example below.

Step Five: Assign & train. My Speech-Language Pathologist will run the morning meeting so I can train the paraprofessional who will be in charge of the independent work system.

Center System Example

When I first started implementing centers in my classroom, I was overwhelmed by the amount of prep work. I would arrive at work hours before my contract time and often leave hours after. When I tried to explain to my team members how to do the activity, it would take too long and it always felt so chaotic because the students had difficulty waiting. As a result, the activities I spent hours prepping wouldn't get done or they wouldn't be done correctly. Additionally, center rotations just felt frenzied. It got to a point where I felt so defeated. That's when I decided I was going to develop a system for my centers, which eliminated the need for hours of prep time and made it simple to train my amazing team members. I did this by giving each center a "theme" or learning target.

In the example below, you'll notice the green center always works on math fact fluency. I prepped facts fluency packets based on individual need. Students who were not on fact fluency YET had counting, 1:1 correspondence, or number identification packets. It took me some time to find and develop these packets but once they were done- I was done (until they worked through them). In order to offer variety, they did an extra activity that was specific to the day of the week. The purple station was a math IEP station and the blue station was the district curriculum. My district had Unique, but I also utilized The Autism Helper's Math Curriculum. The red station alternated between independent work and cooking activities (related to the recipe we would cook on Friday).

Math Center System

Creating these centers took effort on the front end. I had to develop programs and data collection sheets for my paras in the green and purple centers. I also had to create independent work systems and TEACH these systems. But once it was done, my centers took very little prep time! I would add to my collection of independent work tasks (monthly), find a recipe for the week and prep that work (weekly), and update some of the activities in the green station (monthly).

You might be wondering, "What does this have to do with training paraprofessionals?" This system created consistency. I could assign each para a center based on their strengths and train them on how to run it. Because the center activity remained consistent, paras became experts. They took ownership of their center and the progress students made. This helped to cultivate that team mindset. Together, we problem-solved any tricky situations but also celebrated successes!

Check out the Let's Go Shopping unit in Theme's First! Theme units include original songs, books, and activities that support students’ skill development and generalization with content that’s fun, accessible, and theme-based. These monthly units now include an expanded Social Studies suite, containing fun, theme-related activities that reinforce cultural engagement. Included in all Themes First! units are lessons, activities, and worksheets for group and independent work at a wide range of levels.

Link to Let's Go Shopping Monthly Theme Calendar

Join un on March 5th for the next EBP webinar! The topic will be on promoting AAC use in the classroom. Make sure you subscribe to the ASD listserv or follow the MN ASD Educators Facebook page to get update information on this training and other upcoming opportunities!

Date/Time: May 7th, 2024 from 3:00-4:30

Where: Virtual

Cost: Free

Join us for our last ASD EBP Webinar (formally known as STAR Webinars) of the 2023-2024 school year! During this webinar, Michele Glynn, ASD Specialist, will discuss using simple video modeling, modeling, and peer modeling to practice and promote positive behaviors that support student engagement and learning.

Feel free to contact me for any questions or concerns via email or phone. I'm also available to chat via Zoom Mondays from 7:30-8:00 AM and 3:00-3:30 PM. If these times do not work for your schedule, please email me and we will find a time that will work for both of us.

Use the link below to ask questions about this week's Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks and/or give suggestions on future topics.

Classroom Set Up Series

Classroom Set Up: The Why

Classroom Set Up: Visually and Physically Defining Your Layout

Classroom Set Up: Classroom Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Para Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Individual Schedules

Classroom Set Up: Individual Schedules FAQ

Classroom Set Up: Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Teaching Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Creating Visual Supports

Classroom Set Up: Teaching Routines and Expectations

Classroom Set Up: Routines and Expectations

Tuesday Tips 'N' Tricks is made possible by Minnesota Low Incidence Projects