Advice to the General Education Teacher:

Recently a Special Education teacher was creating a document to use at the beginning of the school year as a helpful resource to General Education teachers. This teacher was asking for people to share what advice they might give to a General Education teacher and I thought I would share some thoughts.

1. Use all accommodations and modifications as stated in the IEP even if you don’t like them because it is a federal law.
2. Transitions can throw students with special needs off track so give some warning before changing to a new activity.
3. Announce the plans for class at the beginning so the student knows what is going to be expected.
4. At the end of class, remind students what is due the next day by writing it on the board and announcing it. This helps visual and auditory learners.
5. If possible, have students get in pairs to retell the new information they have learned. By telling someone, it reinforces the learning for some and by hearing it from their peers helps others.
6. Use the special ed teachers as a resource when you get frustrated that students are having difficulty learning a concept. They may know a strategy that you can use to help your students be more successful.

If you are a General Education teacher, what other advice should I add to the list that others might find helpful?

If you are a Special Education teacher, what do you think should be added to the list?

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash