Creating Effective Paraprofessional Support in the Inclusive Art Classroom – Corrie Burdick & Julie Causton-Theoharis
I thought this article was extremely useful in providing practical steps to support a paraprofessional and teacher collaboration. I can apply the bulleted methods to my LLED lesson plans. I was prompted to reflect on the paraprofessionals/teacher aids in my experience. In elementary school, other students and I would witness them yelling at their student and also at other students. The paraprofessional’s emotions were extremes of two sides. One minute they were shouting to try to gain control of a situation, and then they would be trying to be every students’ friend. I wondered if they too had a disability.
I can totally see how too much of a teacher’s aid presence can work against the student and repel other students from approaching the student. Fading is an interesting concept, and I’ve never been aware of it happening (as a student.)
Questions
- How does a teacher balance the responsibilities of being a paraprofessional and teacher if there are no supports?
- What if a student might need a support but the teacher doesn’t know how to go about asking them or administration? (Is it offensive to suggest an aid might be useful to the student and parents?)
- Couldn’t every student have a learning ‘disability’ and require a teacher support?
- How does a teacher ask a paraprofessional to take steps back or forward in aiding the student?