Help for Special Educators

Are you a teacher who needs advice on getting started with AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)? My guest, Heather Cacioppo, and I have been in your shoes and will help answer your questions and give you the next steps to pursue. This episode gives a quick introduction to AAC for teachers  just getting a student with a communication device and don't know where to start. (We've been in your shoes!) Today I have a conversation with Heather Cacioppo of the Teachers Pay Teachers store, Full Sped Ahead. We discuss what AAC is, what things teachers can do to effectively support students who use augmentative or alternative communication, commonly referred to as the acronym "AAC." Listen in for some great advice and tips to help you out, including who to get information and training from, how to incorporate AAC into your usual lessons, getting your paras involved, advice on successful implementation, and much more. And check out all the resource links and full transcript at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast33

In this podcast episode, I will share strategies to improve one-handed scissor skills, which is helpful when a child cannot use one hand/arm due to weakness, paralysis, missing fingers, etc.First I go over some strategies for beginning cutters, whether the child has a weakness/disability with a hand/arm or not. Then I go over strategies and adaptations for holding the paper and rotating paper when cutting with one hand. Finally, I also talk a little bit about adaptive scissors.Bonus: May is Teacher Appreciation Month so I am doing a give-a-way!! Listen to the full episode to play and enter. Deadline to enter: May 10, 2022.The full show notes are at lisagoodell.com/podcast32

Think out the box to make morning meetings work for everyone in your special ed class.We are close to the middle of the school year so I thought I would discuss morning meetings in multi-grade self-contained classes. By this time of year, you might have gotten more students, with more grade levels, and are finding that your morning meeting activities don't meet the needs of all of your students anymore. So you need to make changes. I taught mild/moderate self-contained classes for years and found that whole class circle/calendar times (calling morning meetings) did not work for my kids when I had more than three grade levels in my class. (Please note that I am not advocating for there to be more than three grades levels in a class!!! I am not. It is very difficult to teach kids on so many levels). However, many teachers find themselves in impossible situations, so I thought I would share some ideas that I have tried over the years. Some worked really well, and one idea didn't work for me at all, but it might work for you if you have more adult staff members than I did.When I had a wider variety of grades, I found that the older grades got bored with morning meeting activities for the younger students, which led to the younger kids being distracted by the older students. So I had to totally think out of the box and change everything around. I loved how it worked out and it helped with transitions at the end of the day. In this podcast episode, I talk about ways to change WHEN you have morning meeting, WHAT activities you might do for different levels of students, and HOW you might consider changing your schedule. You might end up solving other issues as well!! This podcast episode is pretty short so give it a listen! Click on the audio player below or listen wherever you get your podcasts.You can get show notes and links at the podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast31

How can we better prepare students for when the teacher or other staff member takes a sick day?Many special ed teachers say they cannot stay home for even a day because of the interruptions it will cause in their class. Not to mention the fact that the school might not even be able to find a substitute teacher when they need a sick day. In this podcast episode, we are going to talk about why you shouldn't feel guilty when you need to take a sick day from school (even if the 2021-22 school year has the worst substitute teacher shortage ever). We will also give some ideas on how to prepare your students to be ready for when any staff member has a sick day, and how to plan activities that will help everyone have a positive day.Get links, resources, and the full written transcript at: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast30

Have you seen or heard of wheelchair costumes where a child's wheelchair (or other mobility device) is turned into part of the costume? Well, it's October 15th, and many kids have probably already planned out their Halloween costumes. But what about kids who use wheelchairs? Do they feel like they can't join in the festivities because they are in a wheelchair?   Well, I believe that with a little cardboard, paint, tape, and creativity they can turn their wheelchair into part of their costume which will have all the neighborhood kids wishing they had wheels on Halloween!!For example. Being Batman is cool, but what about Batman in his Batmobile? Getting around in a princess carriage or Hello Kitty car is pretty awesome! Listen to this podcast episode to hear about how to find more wheelchair costume ideas! See show notes for links, photos, resources,  and a written transcript. https://lisagoodell.com/podcast29

Today we're going to tackle a tough topic: Puberty and Sexuality in Special Education Classes. We will look at several real-life scenarios teachers face and how to respond!However, if you think that topic doesn't apply to your grade levels or student population, think again. (I learned a lot I didn't know in this episode!) My guest, Dr. Rachel Schwartz, helps us to understand that sex ed starts with how we build trust with even our youngest students. All humans are sexual beings, whether they have significant special needs or not. We will talk about:***How should special ed teachers respond to acts by students?***How should one get information to teaching staff in your class and school, which might include administration and parents?***What should actually be taught to children with significant needs?We will discuss, teaching privacy, context, personal self-care, self-regulation, social skills, public exposure, how to convince parents to teach their kids about these topics, and more!Dr. Schwartz is a board-certified behavior analyst with the Watson Institute in Pittsburgh. She specializes in sexuality and improving the quality of life for individuals with special needs. She shared MANY resources and links for activities and curriculum (some free) to help special educators with this topic.Please note that due to the nature of this episode, you might NOT want to listen with children. This topic is considered explicit, but the topics are covered with care and professionalism.Please go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast for the extensive list of resources and links to the materials that Dr. Schwartz talks about.

The Emmy and Golden Globe winner Harvey Korman was a staple on the Carol Burnett Show making America laugh in the 1960s and 1970s. During that time he was also raising a family, including his son, Christopher, who had a learning disability and speech impediment. In this episode, you will learn how Harvey Korman's legacy lives on through his son and their contributions to the special education community. Special Educators will hear about techniques Chris learned from his dad and the theater that helped him overcome his learning and speech challenges.After listening to the podcast, be sure to purchase a copy of Chris's book entitled, OMG! It's Harvey Korman's Son, which is a love letter to Harvey Korman's fans. You can get a written transcript, show notes and links at the podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast27

In Part 2 of my interview with Emma Haring, we discuss schedules and lesson plans for moderate/severe classes. Emma gives some great ideas on how to write everything out so all adults and visitors know what is going on with her students who may be medically fragile in a multiple disabilities classroom. She gives ideas on how to set up your schedule and remember to include everything on it. In fact, she created a freebie to help teachers out as a supplement to the podcast episode. There are sample weekly lesson plan pages. In addition, there are extra pages that explain it all...and some other goodies as well. Link to it in the Resources and Links section below.Emma also shares how it is important to prepare for emergencies daily at the beginning of the year. She also gives tips on other things to include in your class as well. Even if you do not teach in a medically fragile or multiple disabilities class, you will get ideas you can use. And the rest will give you perspective on your coworkers who teach this population.Get the full show note,  resources, and links (including Emma's freebie for you) at:https://lisagoodell.com/podcast26

In Part 1 of this two-part series, Emma Haring and I discuss tips for teaching students with Multiple Disabilities. Emma has been a teacher in this type of class (we called it a medically fragile class in our district) for many years. She has a ton of experience and wisdom that she shares generously! In Part 1 (Episode 25), she gives a lot of tips on how to discover what your students like and dislike, how to care for them as people, and how to give them a voice (even if they are nonverbal). Pre-service, new, and even veteran teachers will want to have a paper and pen nearby to take notes!Then be sure to join us again for Part 2 (Episode 26), which will focus more on the daily schedule and some of Emma's favorite things to teach this population. Emma has also prepared a supplement to go with the episode, which includes sample schedules and other goodies.Get the full show notes here:https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST25

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 10: Prayer/Silence" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get the show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 9: Pets" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get the show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 8: Appreciate Yourself" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get the show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 7: Joy Givers" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get the show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 6: Look" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get the show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 5: Today's Simple Accomplishments" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access individual activities easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. "Activity 4: Doodling" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get show notes for this episode. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access them easier.It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day."Activity 3: Daydream" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get show notes for this episode.Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. "Activity 2: Stretching" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

This activity was originally a segment of Episode 24. I am publishing each one separately so you can access them easier. It is really important to do simple but effective self-care tasks each day to relieve stress and avoid teacher burnout. The activities in this series take one minute or less. They are designed to help you stop, and refocus - for only a minute. Repeat as needed throughout your day. Try them all out, then pick out the ones that work best for you and repeat them often during the school day. "Activity 1: Breathing" can be done alone, with your family, co-workers, or maybe even with your class. Many special educators teach their students to breathe or count to ten as a calming strategy. We adults need to do it also! Get show notes at https://LISAGOODELL.COM/PODCAST

Welcome to today's episode, where we are going to be going explore ideas on how to survive the second half of the school year. I will discuss changes I am going to make. Then I will lead you through ten quick and easy ways to relieve stress right in your classroom. And you can do each of them in one minute or less!It is important to do self-care activities to keep your sanity during this COVID 2020-21 school year. (This is especially important since we are only halfway through the school year as I write this.) However, these activities are great habits to continue for the rest of your career.This episode is unique in that I am going to actually lead you through all ten quick and easy ways to relieve stress right in the episode! I will describe each activity, then we will do it. All you need is your body and a piece of paper and something to write with You can do these on your own, but you could invite your para-educators or even students to join you! Check out the show notes at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast24 for five-minute stress relief ideas, show notes, links and transcript.

On this episode of the "Help for Special Educators" podcast we will hear about some other special education podcasts you might want to check out. “Be the Exception” Podcast, hosted by Dawn Ellis “Different Ability” Podcast, hosted by Katey Fortun “SLP Coffee Talk” Podcast, hosted by Hallie Sherman “That Special Educator” Podcast, hosted by Braelan Martin “Teaching Autism and Special Education Community Podcast,” hosted by Nikki Robertson “Adaptation Station” Podcast, hosted by Nichole Morris “The Autism Helper” Podcast, hosted by Sasha Long You can get links to these podcasts on the show notes for this episode at: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast23

Get World Kindness Day Classroom Ideas and save time searching for seasonal activities in the future. Today I want to share a few quick ideas that you might be able to do with your classroom whether you are in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Most of these are easy to do in person, so I’ve tried to give examples of how they can be done virtually. First, I’m going to give ideas for random acts of kindness or kindness challenges, and later I’ll share some other lesson activities you can do in small group lessons. I will also share an idea to save you hours of searching for appropriate seasonal lessons in your special ed classroom.You can get show notes and links at the podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast22FS stands for "fun size," which means this episode is short and sweet.

This episode is the first of my “fun size” episodes for the Help for Special Educators podcast. Imagine that I’m dropping by your class after school to chat and give you a little, fun size candy bar, like kids get at Halloween. These episodes will be short and sweet! We discuss:+Things to consider when planning a virtual Halloween party when distance learning+Costume game using Video platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc.+Timing of the party+More Ideas if you have extra help (Don't try to do too much!!)Podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast21

In this episode, host Lisa Goodell gives tips and ideas for making holiday parties successful in special education classrooms. She shares a few secrets that she has learned over the years, too! Solutions are given for accommodating students on a limited day, when you can't serve candy/junk food, alternative activities if you cannot have parties at all, and more. Plus, get a free class party planner with alternative ideas for each month of the year.Get the complete show notes and links to resources and freebies at: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast#helpforspecialeduators #teacherpodcast @lisagoodellequip

Whether you are a special educator in a resource, inclusion or self-contained setting, this episode has tons of tips and ideas to make parent conference week go by as smooth as possible. The first half focuses on self-contained teachers holding conferences in their classrooms. Then the second half is for resource/inclusion teachers who need to attend conferences in a variety of general ed classes all over the school. In addition, the scheduling strategy described might also work for RTI or SST teachers, literacy coaches or administrators who need to attend conferences in many grades and classes. Some of the topics include:SchedulingWhat to say to parents/guardiansHow get parents to attendHow the student can participate (not quite a student-led conference, but our students with special needs can definitely participate!)Keep organizedTeacher and parent remindersGo to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast19 for the full show notes and links.

This episode is a special one in that my guest, Sarah Magallano, shares some excellent stories of how general ed and special ed teachers can work together to help students succeed in their least restrictive environments. Plus, this is my first episode where my guest is a general ed teacher! Great things can happen when all parties team up to help students. Don't be afraid to be proactive in collaborating with teachers and other stakeholders at your school! Here are a few of the topics we discussed:Creative incentives for behavior rewardsSolve teasing problems by developing leadersEliminating hunger can improve behaviorHow one student's kindness has gotten worldwide attentionTeaching mindfulnessTips for special ed teachers/instructional aides in general ed classesAt the end, I also added some tips and stories of my own from when I taught in the classroom.This episode is releasing right after World Kindness Day, which works well since several stories are great examples of kindness! I hope one of the stories inspires you to go out and do something similar! Get links and more on the website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast18

In this episode host, Lisa Goodell, speaks with Jenn Adams of Teach Love Autism. She shares some fantastic tips about how we can encourage our students to become as independent as possible, in and out of the class. We talk about why this is important, how she sets up her room with independent stations, and how to train others (such as paraprofessionals) to buy-in to this method.We also discuss TEACCH tasks and using visuals, helping parents with task analysis to build independence at home, and how Jenn is able to have staff training during the school day when she teaches them about prompt hierarchies and utilizes her staff competency checklists.Links & Resources:TEACCH websiteJenn's blog post: 8 Questions about Independent Work Task Systems Jenn's blog post: Differentiating Independent Work StationsVideo showing Types of PromptsAvailable in Jenn's TpT Store: Independent Work Starter Kit and Errorless File FoldersJenn's websiteJenn on Instagram: @teachloveautismJenn on FacebookJenn on PinterestGet the full show notes here.

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Chelsea Marelle. Before we get into her big move we discuss curriculum for different special ed populations, including leveled literacy interventions and interactive journals and math groups. We talk about class decor on walls, flexible seating and setting our children to find success.Then Chelsea shares her moving experience and gives tips for moving to another state in the middle of the school year: how to interview, pack up, and start over with a new class or student population in January.Get all the links and resources at https://lisagoodel.com/podcast16. This podcast is hosted by Lisa Goodell. #helpforspecialeduators #teacherpodcast @lisagoodellequip

I had a great talk with Chelsea Marelle for today's podcast interview about how special ed teachers can set up their classrooms to prevent common behavior problems such as impulsive behavior or refusing to work. I have broken up the interview into two parts.In this part (Part 1), Chelsea describes how she designs the physical environment of her classroom, including having structure and routines built into the schedule, which will encourage on-task behavior. We give tips on listening centers, using paras, and ideas for curriculum in different settings.In Part 2, we will finish our class set up discussion and she will share her wild experience with moving mid-year to another state, and the process of getting a new job. #helpforspecialeducators #specialed

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Kaylene Durbin, a college student who is just starting her credential program. Today we revisit the questions she asked last time. Not only will I attempt to answer them, but I got help from other special educators online, and some have been past guests on the show! Listen in as we answer questions that aspiring or new teacher might have. (Note that part one of this conversation is called, “New Special Ed Teacher Questions” and was episode 13). Questions answered in this episode:Besides learning classroom management, what are other benefits of teaching general ed a few years before becoming a special educator?What are for working with a student with ED (Emotional Disturbance) who might be in your class?What accommodations are the hardest to implement?Why do sped teachers say that paperwork the hardest?What is some general advice for new teachers, or for college students pursuing a teaching credential?Guest: Kaylene DurbinHi there! I’m Kaylene Durbin and I’m almost a teacher! I am finishing my undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies at Fresno State and will then begin the DUAL credential program (which included both Multiple Subjects and Special Education credentials). I currently work for California Teaching Fellows Foundation (CTFF) which gives me the opportunity to work inside a general education classroom.I’ve had a passion for working with children since I was 12 years old. In my undergraduate program, I was required to observe in a special ed classroom and it was there that I fell in love with the environment and the students. I want to become a special educator so I can help students find success both academically and socially.Links and Resources:Listen to Part 1 of this conversation hereZones of Regulation ProgramHere are Lisa's podcast episodes that go into more detail on Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP): Episode 5: How to Support Students with Behavior Plans and Episode 7: Talk Data to MeTeachers Need Teachers Podcast, hosted by Kim Lepre. You might be interested in listening to Episode 71: Giving advice for new elementary teachers (not sped, but most of the tips work for both).Closed Special Ed Teacher group on Facebook: Sped Ahead Check out Lisa's new special ed teacher resources in her TpT Store (including freebies)Check out Lisa's blog, which has lots of articles which would interest new special ed teachers, both resource or self-contained, etc.Special Thanks:I want to thank those who helped answer Kaylene's questions. I have provided links for those who requested it (if I don't have your link listed, send it to me and I will add it).Jenn Hunter (guest on Episode 11) of Mrs Hunter Helps HereColleen VagnozziTiffany Manha (guest on Episode 1) Heather Alexander AyersKim Lepre,

Today’s interview is inspiring and helped me remember why I went into teaching in the first place! I spoke with Kaylene Durbin, a college student who wants to teach both special ed and general ed. She shares how her college professor not only helped her decide on special education, but how to have a new appreciation for her brothers, (one of whom has cerebral palsy). We also talk about:Ways one can get some experience in a classroom before student-teaching. We begin to answer questions that aspiring or new teacher might have (there will be a part 2 of this episode, so stay tuned for the episode called, "New Special Ed Teacher Answers").Some of the questions asked: What is your favorite thing about teaching sped? What accommodations are the hardest to implement? Why do sped teachers say that paperwork the hardest? As a paraprofessional or special ed aide, how can you advocate for a student you are working with?What is some general advice for new teachers?What are the best ways to work with a student who has an emotional/mental disorder?Click here to get the full show notes with links here.

Today I talk about beginning math concepts, specifically how to help your special ed kiddos who have a hard time moving from counting objects to beginning addition. I talk about how to introduce adding by counting pictures on dots, with lots of hands-on activities and supplemental lessons before actually getting to the TM addition worksheets. I share about my small math flashcards and give organizational tips such as how I’ve been able to copy multiple flashcard sets for each student to use at school and home.In addition, I talk about interactive math task cards which align with the beginning activities and really get the kids excited for more! Finally, I put it all together with a brief summary of how I incorporate all this into my daily small group schedule. This episode is loaded with freebies so be sure to check out the links in the show notes at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast12

In episode 11, I talk to Jenn Hunter about co-teaching and inclusion strategies in a resource setting. Jenn explains six approaches/models for co-teaching to better serve students and shares how to get off to a great start with your co-teacher. We get into the differences between accommodations and modifications, IEP goals and types of students in inclusion, pull-out and even talk about kids on 504 plans. Great tips and resources are given to improve teacher collaboration to serve students more effectively. Go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast for full show notes, and links to all resources.Lisa Goodell, M.A., launched the Help for Special Educators podcast on April 1, 2019. She has been teaching for over 23 years, including third grade, resource/inclusion (RSP), and mild/moderate self-contained (SDC). Currently, she is an itinerant orthopedic impairment (OI) specialist/teacher for students birth to 21 years old in all general ed and special ed settings. She has been honored as “Teacher of the Year” at both the elementary and secondary levels. Lisa has a masters degree in Special Education and six special ed and general ed teaching credentials. She lives in rural Central California with her family and a bunch of cats. Connect online with Lisa here.

Part 3 of the Series: Self-Contained SchedulesToday we are going to finish our Self-Contained Schedule series with part 3, which is about schedules and lesson planning. I continue the discussion from last week on station rotations by extending it to a new schedule/lesson plan overview I use for myself and my two teaching assistants. This is a short one-page schedule that has a schedule for each adult in class. This was a weekly schedule that tells what topic/subject each person will be teaching. After printing it out, I would sometimes add in things by hands, such as page numbers when using a textbook. Next, I talk about how to use the General Schedule from Episode 8 and 9 to develop your lesson plans when you have a substitute. I share one sample schedule for the sub. In this discussion, I also talk about inclusion, PE with multi-grades and more!Finally, I address the most common question I get, which is what do you teach all day? What do your paraprofessionals teach all day? Well, the lessons we taught came from all kinds of sources. So I list all types of activities we did in our groups throughout the day.You can also download the schedules from today in the Episode 10 freebie. However, if you would rather not create your own from scratch, you might be interested in purchasing all the schedules in this series plus 10 more from my TeachersPayTeachers store. This popular resource has 16 total schedules included. They are all MSWord documents, but I have opened them all in Google Docs as well. So you can open them up, and cut/paste all your own information. It is a great time saver! Get all the links in the show notes at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast10

In this episode, which is Part 2 of the Self-Contained Schedule Series, I am excited to really go deep on how to set up small group stations in your self-contained special ed class. Over the years I found that teaching with small groups was the most effective way to maximize time with my students and paraprofessionals (also called para for short. Other places they might be called teaching assistants or teacher’s aides).I give ideas to consider as you plan your schedule, and I share several more schedules: The first is the general schedule I talked about last week. Then I share the preliminary schedules for the first two days of school. Finally, I talk about my Master Station Rotation Schedule – which is the backbone of my daily schedule for the rest of the year. Stay tuned to the end of the show when I have Nikki Robertson, my guest from episode three, come on to talk about a solution for teacher burnout!It is challenging to explain schedules in this auditory podcast format (and to describe every detail is boring) so please go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast to see the schedules or download the pdf with them (the images might be clearer in the pdf). Next week I will talk all about lesson plans and what we taught during small groups.

This episode is the first in a series all about schedules. Lisa Goodell gives eight tips to help you create a daily schedule for your self-contained special ed classroom. She discusses how to plan everything out and what information is helpful to gather ahead of time. She touches on inclusion/mainstreaming into general ed classes, teaching routines/expectations, how to plan for future students and more. Be sure to check out the show notes at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast to get the visual sample schedule that goes with this episode. It will be easier to follow along if you have the sample schedule she is talking about in front of you.About the host: Lisa Goodell, M. A., launched the Help for Special Educators podcast on April 1, 2019. She has been teaching for over 23 years, including third grade, resource/inclusion (RSP), and mild/moderate self-contained (SDC). Currently, she is an itinerant orthopedic impairment (OI) specialist/teacher for students birth to 21 years old in all general ed and special ed settings. She has been honored as “Teacher of the Year” at both the elementary and secondary levels. Lisa has a masters degree in Special Education and six special ed and general ed teaching credentials. She lives in rural Central California with her family and a bunch of cats. Connect with Lisa here.

Host Lisa Goodell interviews Marisa Iannaccone, a special ed teacher in Portland. We talk about how Marisa collects data in her self contained classroom with all kindergarteners on both behavior and progress monitoring for IEP goals and how it has changed from her first year to her second as a special ed teacher. She has great advice that she shares.She has the support of a behavior specialist and autism specialist. Together they collaborate on different strategies such as a "Go Bag." A bonus section includes a teacher appreciation freebie and how to cope when you are feeling that teacher burnout at the end of the year.Go to https:/lisagoodell.com/podcast to access the full show notes, including freebies, links to resources, and more.About the Host: Lisa Goodell, M. A., launched the Help for Special Educators Podcast on April 1, 2019. She has been teaching for over 23 years, including third grade, resource/inclusion (RSP), and mild/moderate self-contained (SDC). Currently, she is an itinerant orthopedic impairment (OI) specialist/teacher for students birth to 21 years old in all general ed and special ed settings. She has been honored as “Teacher of the Year” at both the elementary and secondary level. She lives in rural Central California with her family and a bunch of cats. Connect with Lisa here.

In Episode 6, learn about a number of tools you can use to improve parent communication in your classroom. Newsletters, communication booklets, check-off lists, phone calls, emails, and apps are all discussed in Lisa Goodell's interview with Petra Albaza, a middle school special ed teacher. Go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast to access the show notes and links for everything mentioned in the conversation.Patra also explains why good communication between teachers and parents is so important, not only with nonverbal students but verbal as well. Plus Patra gets her students involved by having them complete a daily activity that is sent back and forth from school to home, which she offers as a freebie!! Extras: Hear the answer to Kaylene's question about why the first year of teaching is the hardest. Many teachers answered her question!Take Lisa's Communication Challenge and be encouraged in the process. If you take the challenge please let Lisa know on Instagram (her handle is @lisagoodellequip) or in the Facebook Group (Called "Help for Special Educators Podcast").

I had a fascinating conversation with Cassie Leutenegger, a behavior support teacher, regarding how she works with students with behavior plans and their general ed teachers. She teaches students in K-5, and works with students who have ADHD, emotional behavior disorder (EBD) or Autism in a specialized program.Some of her students (K-5) are in a self-contained class that she teaches. She describes how the day is scheduled for staff and students, in both self-contained and general ed. She teaches the self-contained class and also runs social skills groups. In addition, she oversees the staff members who support students in general ed classes or specials.Cassie explains what functional behavior assessments are, how they relate to behavior support plans and process to administer one.Cassie has really good tips on work with general ed teachers: how to build relationships and collaborate to collect data and support students. Finally, she gives tips on staying sane through your own relationships and self-care.

Dawn Ellis of Cultivating Exceptional Minds has developed a school garden that is inclusive of all types of disabilities. Hear about many ways the garden is used to provide real-life learning activities for the whole school, in all subject areas. Moreover, students are more engaged during lessons in the garden... which results in less behavior problem! They help plant, weed, water, harvest, cook and even eat what is grown. Dawn gives great advice on how to you can start your own garden. She also gives advice on how to get donations to keep it going, as well as lots of curriculum ideas to provide real-life practice.Get all the show notes with links and a handout you can take notes on at https://lisagoodell.com/4. I am also working on getting transcripts of all episodes, so those will be on the show notes pages as well.About My Guest:Dawn Ellis has been a special education teacher for 10 years. She has taught preschool through fifth grade in various settings such as inclusion, resource, homebound and self-contained. Dawn has an Ed Specialist degree in Early Childhood Special Education but is also certified in general education too. She was the District V Teacher of the Year in 2017 for Alabama. She has presented at district and state-wide conferences about her garden and other special education topics. On the weekends in the spring, she is a volunteer coach for the Miracle League baseball program in her town. She is married and has one son (age 2). When not teaching, Dawn enjoys being at the beach, reading and working on her teacher created materials/blog. Podcast Host: Lisa Goodell, M. A., is the host of the Help for Special Educators Podcast. She has been teaching for over 23 years, including general ed third grade, and special ed K-12 including resource/inclusion (RSP), and mild/moderate self-contained (SDC). Currently, she is an itinerant orthopedic impairment (OI) specialist/teacher for students birth to 21 years old in all general ed and special ed settings. She has been honored as “Teacher of the Year” at both the elementary and secondary level. She lives in rural Central California with her family and a bunch of cats. Connect with Lisa here.

In podcast episode #3, I chat with Nikki Robertson, who is an autism teacher in Wales, UK. She teaches 3-7 year olds at an autism school (with students aged 3-19 years old). She gives many tips and ideas to use in an autism classroom with almost all students who are nonverbal. She shares what a day looks like in her class, how they use Book Creator (iPad app) to collect evidence and data and assemble into a book to share with parents. She discusses how they fit in time for lesson prep, assistant training, and some of the hands-on activities that their students love.Moreover, Nikki is also part of an outreach team of specialists who train and encourage general ed teachers at mainstream schools in a variety of ways including using a strategy called a classroom takeover. It includes observations in both Nikki's class and the general ed teacher's class, which are essential to improve the classroom environment and implementing effective behavior strategies to help autistic students be more successful. Nikki also compares special educational in the UK and America. We get to hear some Welsh phrases. But I have to say I was blown away with how her school transports their students! Get the full show notes with links and resources here.

In this episode I have a conversation with Ashley Lutz, who has been a middle school self-contained special ed teacher for 7 years, working with students with intellectual disabilities. We talk about how she didn’t have any curriculum in her first year and how she creates and differentiates materials to meet the varied levels of her students. She give tips to create your own curriculum. We also discuss what errorless learning is and how she implemented an adaptive music program including an unforgettable performance. She’s a mother of three (including nine-month-old twins). For the full show notes, and free handout with steps and a checklist to creating your own curriculum, go to www.lisagoodell.com/podcast2/.

Welcome to the first episode!! I am publishing this on the first of April and April is Autism month. So to kick the month off, I had a conversation with Tiffany Manha, a speech teacher, and autism mom, about how she started an Autism Family Support Group in our town about 8 years ago, which is treated like being invited to a birthday party!! You will love her story of how it happened and how it has grown to where these kids ride on floats in parades (yes, some even have extreme autism). She will give tips on how to start and run your own group, print out a copy of the show handout to take notes on, which can be found at https://lisagoodell.com/1/. Plus, she explains how their group puts on an Autism Night for their community and surrounding area! I hope you love this episode as much as I do. Please listen to the end of podcast for information on you can hear YOUR voice on the show!More information about my guest, Tiffany Manha:I was born and raised in the small town of Kerman, CA. I was a first grade teacher for two years and had a degree in Speech and Language Pathology. I went back to school to get my masters degree in Speech and Language Pathology and have been a Speech and Language Pathologist now for 16 years. I am the mother of two amazing boys. My oldest son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 1/2. I feel that his diagnosis shaped me as a Speech Therapist and has helped me connect with the families that I work with. I was inspired to get families together and form an Autism group after meeting families going through similar struggles, feelings of isolation, and feelings of being left out of life. I like being the one who can now offer families hope and show them that they are not alone. If you feel inspired to start a support group in your district I encourage you to do so. It's amazing what bringing together families will do.