Ethel Said:

Does any one know any resources I could use to teach lfe skills to special education students?

We Answered:

I remember in elementary school my teacher had a poster of life skills in the classroom. Rather than doing a lesson she would intagrate them into other lessons. In a book: what lifeskills did the charecter use and how?

Virgil Said:

As you explore special education resources online, what would you find particularly valuable and practical?

We Answered:

try the us gov ed dept website link below
lots of info on IDEA

Bill Said:

Any tips for decorating a special education resource classroom?

We Answered:

Be careful not to make the decorations "too busy". If there is too much stimuli it will be distracting to your students with attention deficit disorders. Make the colors warm and inviting so the children feel comfortable. Student work displayed in the room is a characteristic of effective schools. Post your classroom rules in the room and consistently follow them.

Hope this helps!

Salvador Said:

Early childhood special education/resource teachers? What exactly is this?

We Answered:

ECE is a step up program to get into the Elementary Ed 4 year program, OR is good for teaching preschool....
it won't let you teach K-5
Resource room is teaching handicapped/special needs children, they are desparate for these because it's incredibly hard and heartbreaking work and nobody will stay in it for long...

Glen Said:

How can rubrics and spirals be used to evaluate the effectiveness of special education resources?

We Answered:

I am not familiar with spirals, however you can develop a rubric to assess the effectiveness of a particular aspect of the special education department in your school. Because all education, especially special education is greatly diverse as well as individualized, I don't think you can do it with a single rubric.

Amber Said:

Why do many special education classrooms in the inner-city lack adequate resources?

We Answered:

For one special materials must be purchased for special education classrooms. These accommodations are extremely expensive. Then their are the salaries of the teachers and the aides. There is water and electricity that some of that money must go to. Any sort of duplicating materials on a copy machine is taken from that money. Equipment for music, gym, and art must be adapted or bought specially for these students. There's the cost of transporting special needs children and the aid that must be on the bus with them. In other school parents, teachers, and others donate and volunteer, this doesn't happen in a lot of inner city schools. Plus school funding goes to the good schools first when the poorer schools need the money more. Schools are now punished for low scores and that perpetuates the cycle. I don't know where you got your money amount from but it is way overblown. Less than half that is allotted for special needs children and more cuts must be made to keep schools open.

Paula Said:

Switching from teaching elementary special education to teaching general elementary?

We Answered:

I majored in special education but am teaching a regular classroom. The change wasn't that difficult. You're going from making individual lessons to lessons for the whole class, but with your background, you can easily adjust them to meet the needs of ALL your children. Actually, I think you will make a BETTER elem. teacher than others because you'll know how to differentiate already. Plus, you'll be better equipped to deal with problem behaviors, etc.