Essential Bulletin for Educators
February 2024
Remember, the key to a successful warm-up is to keep it short, sweet, and exciting. Think of it as the appetizer before the main course, something that whets the appetite for learning.
Examples in this article include:
Interactive Polls
In this digital age, interactive polling tools like Kahoot! or Mentimeter can be your best pals. Create a fun and engaging multiple-choice quiz or a word cloud activity. Display the results in real-time for that instant feedback loop, and watch your students' faces light up as they see their answers on the big screen. It's like having a live studio audience!
Brain Teasers and Riddles
Let's kick things off with a little mental gymnastics! Brain teasers and riddles are like a warm-up for the brain. They tickle your students' problem-solving skills and get those mental gears turning. Project a riddle on the board or read it aloud. Encourage your students to think out loud or jot down their answers. It's like a puzzle-solving party where everyone's invited!
Daily Doodles
Endearing and creative, daily doodles are an excellent way to encourage artistic expression. Give your students a theme or an idea to work with, and let them unleash their inner artists. It's like a mini art exhibition every day.
For the full list of ten ideas, click the button below.
From Education World
Practical and informative, these resources from IRIS are user-friendly and designed to give you the tools you need to improve your instruction right now.
Whether you’re new to the classroom or a seasoned veteran, it never hurts to take some time to brush up on the basic instructional and behavioral skills and practices that form the foundations of effective classroom management and instruction. Currently there are eight skill sheets. Take a look at the one linked below on Active Supervision, a strategy for preventing challenging behaviors from occurring (or escalating) while simultaneously encouraging desired behaviors.
From the IRIS Center
The PA Community on Transition offers resources on a variety of topics, all focused on improving outcomes for students with disabilities.
Check out the PA Community on Transition’s resources, including lessons plans on Decision-Making Skills, Self-Advocacy & Workplace Readiness, and Job Shadowing & Interviewing.
February 2024 is a month filled with many festive celebrations including the annual Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Conference!
The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center provides the perfect backdrop for educators to network and learn together. Multiple opportunities and sessions will feature the Bureau of Special Education’s Attract-Prepare-Retain (APR) projects.
- APR Mentoring Project Networking – Participating project mentors and mentees will meet in-person for an evening session on Wednesday, February 28.
- APR Sessions –
- 2/28 - Fielding the Next Team of Special Educators Through Unified Champion Schools
- 2/29 - Special Education Staffing and APR Initiatives in Pennsylvania
- 3/1 - Pathways for Future Educators
- Poster Session Reception – Talk to LEA and Higher Ed grant recipients (Developing Future Special Educators Grant, the Accelerated Program for PK-12 Special Education Teacher Certification) to learn about their innovative approaches to attracting people to the field of special education on Thursday, February 29.
- APR Vendor Table – Visit the APR table (across from the Bear's Den) to learn how you can get involved in an APR project.
We look forward to your attendance at the conference and your contributions to the APR conversation. See you in Hershey!
Coming soon during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years, the Bureau of Special Education has directed a required training entitled, “Building Capacity and Promoting Instruction through PASA DLM."
“Building Capacity and Promoting Instruction through PASA DLM” is intended to build statewide capacity of standards-aligned instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities through the use of Essential Elements (EEs) and a comprehensive set of DLM instructional resources.
Participants will learn how EEs build a bridge from the general education standards and academic expectations to modified content and expectations for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Instructional and professional developed resources to support lesson and unit planning will be provided. “Building Capacity and Promoting Instruction through PASA DLM” is about instruction, not statewide assessment.
The targeted audience includes:
- LEAs with students eligible for the PASA DLM (Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment Dynamic Learning Maps).
- Special education teachers of PASA DLM eligible students and designated administrators (designated administrators include those responsible for instructional programming and/or oversight.)
- Additional educational professionals who support instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities may also participate (e.g., teachers of visual impairment, general education teachers).
Intermediate units (IUs) are providing this training to their school districts and charter schools. IUs will provide more details in the near future.
What are your Family Engagement Support Needs?
PaTTAN's Family Engagement team would like to support schools in enhancing their family and community engagement efforts. Please take a moment (literally, a minute or less!) to complete these five questions to help us develop training and technical support based on your preferences and Professional Development needs.
Are you interested in becoming a facilitator for the Framework for Access and Belonging (FAB) process, the new and revised version of the Supplementary Aids and Services Consideration (SaS) Toolkit?
If the answer is YES, then this FAB Facilitator Training series is for you!
The series consists of two sessions. Part 1 addresses the reasons for and benefits of the FAB process and how the process is initiated. Part 2 provides facilitators practice with the essential tools and resources for the FAB team meeting, data collection, and follow up.
Persons interested in becoming FAB Facilitators must attend both sessions. FAB Facilitators can participate in the first session by viewing the recording. Due to the nature of the Part 2 training, FAB Facilitators are required to attend the entire length of the webinar on the second session (February 22, 2024). FAB Facilitators must register for both sessions in order to receive the recording for the first session.
Help Them Get Support During Their Semester of Student Teaching!
Student teachers will receive:
- Complimentary CEC Pre-Service Student Membership through 6/30/2024
- Access to bi-weekly resources to support you in student teaching
- An online community where you can share questions and gain feedback from your peers
- Opportunity for your cooperating teacher and university faculty member to be provided the same resources, as well as talking points to discuss the resource with the student teacher
"Tastebuds (one of the biggest fundraisers the local Best Buddies chapters) is a chef showcase where we match 30 of Pittsburgh's top chefs, 1 to 1 with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They create a 1 to 1 friendship, and they also create a dish," said Samantha Civitate, state director of Best Buddies PA.
Since the event kicked off in 2016, Tastebuds has raised more than $830,000, funding more than 45 school friendship chapters.
