TIPS for Building Relationships
(Self-Paced MODULE)
T.I.P.S. for EC Professionals and All Educators
This workshop is for teacher-paraprofessional teams that seek to understand how trauma impacts learning and behavior. This workshop offers guidance about how paraprofessionals can collaborate with teachers to meet students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs while helping students learn.
TIPS for Building Relationships
(Self-Paced MODULE)
There are 7 units. Each includes a variety of learning activities:
Make real life connections… through scenarios and reflective exercises.
READ… an overview that summarizes the major ideas presented in the unit
WATCH… a slideshow that presents relevant information in a varied format.
ENGAGE… with specific content that supports and strengthens your understanding.
Get introduced to relevant online resources… many of the units also include documents providing links to relevant on-line resources.
The Core Competencies for Special Education Paraeducators from the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) provide a structured framework for ensuring that paraeducators are adequately prepared to support students with disabilities in various educational settings. By focusing on the four key areas of collaboration, assessment, social/emotional/behavioral development, and instruction, these competencies align with the High Leverage Practices (HLPs) for special educators. These practices are critical for fostering effective, inclusive educational experiences for all students.
By completing the module, Relationship Building (Trauma Informed), paraeducators will work towards the core competency of instruction and social/emotional/behavioral supports improving their skills and knowledge as they learn how to work closely with teachers, administrators, students, parents, and related services personnel to implement individualized supports for students that reflect their background needs and a whole child relationship based approach. The educators should ensure that the paraeducator understands the specific evidence based supports required to meet the needs of students with disabilities and support the whole child. The following core competencies are used as the base of this module.
| S 7.1 | Establish and maintain professional, collegial, and appropriate relationships with school personnel, students, and their families |
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| S 7.2 | Communicate effectively with school personnel, students and their families as determined by the instructional team |
| S 6.6 | Support development of social skills and facilitate proactive peer interactions for students with disabilities under the guidance of the instructional team |
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| S 6.7 | Support students with disabilities by modeling and facilitating the use of conflict resolution and collaborative problem solving under the guidance of the instructional team |
| S 6.3 | Support the implementation of social-emotional and behavioral interventions as determined by the instructional teams |
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| K 6.5 | Importance of the paraeducator serving as a positive model for students with disabilities |
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| K 6.1 | Basic principles of positive behavior supports to promote social, emotional, and educational well-being of students with disabilities |
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| S 5.4 | Support the use of effective and culturally responsive instructional strategies in literacy and mathematics as directed by the instructional team |
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| S 3.12 | Use universal precautions to assist in maintaining a safe, healthy environment in all settings |
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| S 3.3 | Establish and maintain rapport with learners under the guidance of the instructional team |
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| S 3.4 | Use knowledge of student’s strengths and interests to encourage engagement in varied school and community activities under the guidance of the instructional team |
| K 3.5 | District/agency policies and procedures for protecting the safety, health, and well-being of learners and school personnel |
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| S 2.5 | Provide opportunities and support for children to understand, acquire, and use verbal and nonverbal means to communicate thoughts and feelings under the guidance of the instructional team |
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| K 2.6 | Effects of cultural and linguistic diversity on the educational process and relationships between school, home, and community |
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| K 2.7 | Characteristics and implications of one’s own culture and use of language, including verbal and nonverbal communication, and how this may differ across cultures |
| K 2.1 | Cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and language development which impact milestones of students with disabilities compared to typically developing peers |
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| S 1.9 | Maintain boundaries for relationships and communication with students and their families within the professional and ethical scope of responsibility |
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| S 1.4 | Report suspected child abuse, suicidal ideation, and dangerous behaviors as required by law, policies, and local procedures |
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Time to Complete in Full: Approximately 7 hours
This Module has 7 units and 46 lessons on a variety of topics organized by subheadings that all connect to what paraeducators need to know.
We suggest that it would be best for paraeducators and educators (who support them) to complete this module in tandem.
Some OPEPP partnering districts create professional learning communities (PLCs) where paraeducators meet up regularly to share what they have learned from the OPEPP modules. This is a productive practice that has increased para engagement in their professional development.
Your team of educators can use the reflections after each unit to summarize your learning and ideas and come together to grow in your understanding of best practices.
Registered users can enroll in this and other modules offered on OPEPP.org and keep track of their progress.
Do you teach young children ages birth to five? If so, this module is approved by the Ohio Childcare Resource and Referral Association.
Follow the steps below to earn credit in OCCRRA.
- Go to the OCCRRA Registry to search for the training.
- Use the search box at the top of the page under Find a Training- Search Trauma Informed Practice for ECs OPEPP or use this number 10153281 to search for the direct connection to the course sign up. link to get directly to it
- Click on the training to review training details and add the training to your cart.
- View cart and checkout. You must successfully check out to complete the registration process through OCCRRA.
- Once you checkout, you will see a screen verifying your order has been successfully placed in OCCRRA.
- You will receive a confirmation email for your training registration from OCCRRA.
- Then, return back to the OPEPP.org site, LOGIN and register for the
- Now, you are registered for credit through both OPEPP and OCCRRA.
OCCRRA verification
If you want the OCCRRA verification and credit, you will need to register separately on OCCRRA for this course. If your verification is not showing up through the OCCRRA site, please email Julie Kugler-Ackley at jkackley@fuse.net, and she will look into it for you. If you are interested in verifying that your work has been verified through OCCRRA, it is best to do so on your computer rather than through your phone or mobile access.
Looking forward to learning more ways to help the kids that I interact with.