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Join me in an open dialogue about SEL, Transition Programs, &
how to best serve all students
how to best serve all students
Let's chat |
In my last blog post, I wrote, “A teacher in a transition classroom wears many hats. They are part behavior re-mediator, inclusion specialist, curriculum developer, instructional specialist, and importantly, a team coordinator.”
For those of us who are SEL Transition room teachers, finding our own identity can be a challenging, and exciting, process. With a field so new, many school systems, and even teacher’s education services, have not yet defined our role. Statewide programs and national platforms promoting SEL Transition programs have largely taken a macro-view: creating and developing an infrastructure to support school-wide social & emotional programming. This gives relevant teachers the rare opportunity to define their own roles. Over the last three years, I have worked diligently to both implement and evaluate skills that best support my teaching role in the SEL classroom. I have done so with careful attention paid to the needs of the Director of Social & Emotional Learning, administrators, the Guidance department, classroom teachers, parents, Special Education, and students. Evaluation has been conducted through meticulous data gathering, assessment, and intervention. As a result, I have developed a detailed job description for the lead teacher in an SEL-based High School Transition Classroom. These descriptors serve to certainly explain the responsibilities of my current position, but also to highlight the key aspects of a classroom based on a new approach to education in an effort to inspire and assist all teachers as they try to incorporate more social and emotional learning into their curriculum. The following are a list of 5 areas of focus. Each will be unpacked in their own upcoming blog entry. Check back for more!
The SEL transition classroom relies heavily on its ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with various providers including general education teachers, guidance counselors, special educators, administrators, parents, and, of course, the director of social-emotional learning. It can feel like a full-time job - keeping everyone updated in real time. However, there are a myriad of strategies that can help ensure that everyone is on the same page.
re-mediator, inclusion specialist, curriculum developer, instructional specialist, and importantly, a team coordinator. This requires significant abilities in the areas of data collection and communication. Having a strong foundation in behavioral technology can reduce confusion, misinterpretation, and saves time for the entire team. |