Teacher Tips

Survive and Thrive in a Self Contained Classroom

When I walked into my first LIFE Skills classroom I was teaching so many different leveled students so many subjects (seemingly at the same time) I really didn’t know where to start. Like a lot of new teachers, I thought I could teach in self contained like I taught before- whole groups where I “performed” and called students to perform back on cue. Problem is self contained does NOT work that way. When you ask for a performance, you’ll likely get something you did not anticipate. I was in the classroom with non-responsive students, high functioning Autistic students, emotionally disabled students with a bevy of behavior problems, and students with Down Syndrome and varying levels of functioning depending on the task. I had a hard time planning lessons. After much trial and error, I found that the following things were absolutely necessary to survive and thrive in a self contained classroom.

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Laminating Hacks for Teachers

Are you looking for a cheap and easy alternative to laminating pouches? We’ve got 5 laminating hacks for teachers plus a bonus you can find in your kitchen!

6 Mistakes Teacher in Autism Units Make from Noodle Nook

6 Mistakes Autism Unit Teachers and Paras Make

Working with students in self-contained settings or those with severe or multiple disabilities is hard. I see the same teacher mistakes in special education classrooms over and over. Teachers and paraeducators don’t realize the consequences. I would actually argue that these 6 teacher mistakes are signs of poor classroom management and ineffective teaching of special education students.

Do you do any of these? STOP!

If you stop these 6 mistakes in the classroom, your special education students will be the better for it- I promise!

6 Mistakes Teacher in Autism Units Make from NoodleNook1

6 Mistakes Autism Unit Teachers and Paras Make…

Fix #1: Stop Talking So Much!

Autism Classroom Setup

Autism Classroom Setup: 10 Things Every Autism Classroom Teacher Needs from Amazon

The other day I was walking in Wal-Mart and I was so sad to see back to school stuff! Fourth of July picnic and party supplies are not even on final clearance yet… why are they reminding me that school will be back in session before I can even toast my buns on the grill and down my summer adult beverage.

The one thing that does satisfy my summer relaxation and obsession with school perfection is shopping for school supplies. I have even taken to letting my kids order their school stuff on Amazon as opposed to schlep the whole crew to the store and fight the impulse buys and the marker boxes that are not exactly what was on the back to school list. They like it and with my Amazon Prime subscription, it comes to my house shipping-free and hassle-free.

This year is the first time I will order my back to school essentials from Amazon as well. With all the browsing and price comparison, I thought I’d share my order top 10 so you can see what I think are essentials for every teacher in Autism Units or Self-Contained settings.

Social Skill Building Tips

Social Skill Building Tips for Students with Autism

You take your students out on a Community Based Trip and they… well, they stick out. You work in the classroom all the time to get your students to interact in socially appropriate ways, but it’s just not sticking when you get out in public. What can you do?

Best Websites to Stop Summer Regression in Special Ed

Seeing regression in students with significant disabilities is heartbreaking… but how do you keep them engaged and learning over the summer? Here are the 3 best websites to stop summer regression!

Academic Activities with Comm Boards

I was in a LIFE Skills classroom last week and the teacher told me she never used the Communication Boards that came with the adapted stories. I gasped.

What a waste!

There a literally more than a dozen activities you can do with a Comm Board. Don’t believe me? Read on!

Are you looking for more ways to build vocabulary with students who use AAC devices?

Using AAC More in the Classroom

Recently we challenged our readers to start using AAC more in the classroom to ensure that every student has choice and voice. Hopefully you had an opportunity to download the freebie associated with that challenge. If not click here to read the article and get a free AAC tool to incorporate into your classroom.
Did you rock out that challenge?
Are you looking for more ways to build vocabulary with students who use AAC devices?
We’ve got some great ideas for you!

IEP De Minimis

The Supreme Court found that we need to do more than de minimis… but what does that even mean?

5 Ways to Guarantee you’re more than minimus to keep your IEPs out of court!

Supreme Court Ruling in a Nutshell

Several federal laws established how we educate students with significant disabilities. That includes IDEA (the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education). The United States Supreme Court heard the Endrew F. vs. Douglas County School District case and ruled providing FAPE requires we “enable the child to make progress appropriate in light of his circumstance”.

That, my friend, is as clear as mud. I have heard campus administrators, classroom teachers, and parents of students with disabilities all talking about how this ruling will revolutionize how we educate students with significant disabilities. I, however, am not sure there will be much of a change.

In order to shed some light on the subject, let’s break this down.

Ignore Bad Behavior Reward Good

“I have a student with some pretty bad behaviors.

How do you reward the good behavior if he’s also doing bad behaviors at the same time?”

-Allison H.

Ignore Bad Behavior, Reward Good!

I feel you Allison. You want to reward a student for not hitting except he is pulling your hair (that, by the way, actually happened to me). Just today I was trying to praise a student for sitting while he pulled on my clothes and arms (*ouch*).

So, what do you do?

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