Introduction to the Module
This module is designed for paraprofessional educators who seek to understand the instructional process and possibly expand their role on a team with responsibility for providing instruction. Based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning, the module offers guidance about how to collaborate with a supervising teacher and other members of an instructional team to help students learn.
The module is organized, each of which presents a topic about instruction. The choice of the topics to include and the content provided about each topic reflect current thinking in the field of education. The discussion steers clear of instructional fads, and instead draws attention to practices with strong support from both theory and research.
Topics in this unit are:
Each unit includes various learning activities. An overview summarizes the major ideas presented in the unit; a video webinar presents relevant information. Several other materials (e.g., activities, tools for the field) help the paraprofessional educator (and other readers of the module) think about the information and practice the skills that the unit presents. Many of the units also include documents providing links to relevant on-line resources.
Module Objectives
Upon completion of the module, Helping with Instruction, the paraprofessional educator will meet the following Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) objectives and the following Ohio Partnership for Excellence in Paraprofessional Preparation (OPEPP) objectives as they pertain to the support of reading instruction.
|
Source of Standard
|
Standard Number
|
Domain of Practice
|
Standard
|
| CEC |
P4K1 |
Knowledge |
Concept of evidence-based practice |
| CEC |
P8K1 |
Knowledge |
Purposes of assessment |
| CEC |
P1S1 |
Skill |
Use basic educational terminology |
| CEC |
P3S3 |
Skill |
Implement levels of support appropriate to academic and social-emotional needs of individuals with exceptionalities as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S3 |
Skill |
Support individuals’ with exceptionalities use of self-assessment, problem-solving, and other cognitive strategies as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S4 |
Skill |
As determined by the instructional team use strategies to facilitate maintenance and generalization of skills |
| CEC |
P4S7 |
Skill |
Support the use of learning strategies and study skills to promote acquisition of academic content as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S8 |
Skill |
Use instructional strategies and materials as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S9 |
Skill |
Adapt instructional strategies and materials as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S10 |
Skill |
Modify pace of instruction and provide organizational cues as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S13 |
Skill |
Use an individual’s responses and errors, especially a pattern of errors, to guide next instructional steps and provide ongoing feedback as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P4S14 |
Skill |
Re-teach and reinforce essential concepts and content across the general curriculum as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P6S6 |
Skill |
Support the use of strategies with individuals with exceptionalities to remember verbal and written directions as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P7S3 |
Skill |
Use instructional time effectively |
| CEC |
P7S5 |
Skill |
Use age and ability appropriate instructional strategies, technology, and materials for individuals with exceptionalities as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P8S1 |
Skill |
Record information in various formats as determined by the instructional team |
| CEC |
P9S13 |
Skill |
Reflect on one’s performance to improve practice |
| OH |
1.2 |
Skill |
Support the use of effective and culturally responsive instructional strategies in reading and mathematics, as determined by the instructional team |
| OH |
1.3 |
Skill |
Adapt strategies and materials, and differentiate instruction in response to student need, as determined by the instructional team |
| OH |
1.4 |
Skill |
Implement academic interventions to address student needs, as determined by the instructional team |
| OH |
1.5 |
Skill |
Observe and collect data as part of progress monitoring as determined by the instructional team |
| OH |
1.6 |
Skill |
Facilitate small-group instruction, as determined by the instructional team |
| OH |
4.3 |
Skill |
Help student gain exposure to words and numbers to develop literacy and numeracy skills; incorporate literacy into everyday activities, as determined by the instructional team |
Unit 1: Helping with Instruction in General: The Role of the Paraprofessional
Unit 2: Universal Design for Learning
Unit 3: What is Scaffolding and Why is it Important?
Unit 4: Learning Targets and Advance Organizers
Unit 5: Concept Maps, Story Maps, and Other Graphic Organizers
Unit 6: Helping Students Learn to Study
Unit 7: Metacognition
Unit 8: Infographics
Unit 9: Helping Students Learn Test-taking Skills
Unit 10: Putting it all Together: The Paraprofessional’s Contribution to Instruction