Designed for K-12 special education teachers, instructional coaches, department heads, mentors, professional development trainers, and administrators

The most effective paraprofessional train-the-trainer program available

Strengthen the Training of Paraprofessionals in Your School or District by Developing Your Own Trainers!

Train your staff members to become skilled trainers of paraprofessionals who work with students with special needs

• The most effective paraprofessional train-the-trainer program available
• Featuring two of the nation’s top paraprofessional experts, Janet Hull and Susan Fitzell

Innovative, Video-Based, Hands-On, Train-the-Trainer Opportunity

• Acquire dozens of practical strategies to help paraprofessionals strengthen the achievement of students with special needs
• Learn how to use outstanding video training clips to demonstrate strategies in practice … Receive ALL the video clips to use during training in your own school or district
• Build instructional expertise among paraprofessionals for more effectively monitoring student progress and increasing independence across all settings
• Ideal for schools and districts looking to strengthen their training of paraprofessionals who work with students with special needs … Each potential trainer should have experience working with paraprofessionals
  

What’s unique about this National Train-the-Trainer Institute

• Three days of intensive training combining classroom-proven strategies and video clips of the strategies in action – show rather than tell your paraprofessionals what effective strategies look like when working with students with special needs
• National Special Education Experts, Janet Hull, who is featured in the videos, and Susan Fitzell, will provide a comprehensive, interactive and research-based paraprofessional training preparing participants to train paraprofessionals in effective practices for working with students with special needs
• Work and collaborate in small groups with BER instructors to expand and enhance your understanding of effective strategies for paraprofessionals to use when working with students with special needs
• Gain numerous tips and ideas to prepare and deliver high-quality paraprofessional trainingwith the goal of increasing the achievement of students with special needs
• Unique and ideal opportunity for schools and districtsto strengthen their foundation, expand their knowledge and implement training to increase the effectiveness and impact of paraprofessionals who work with students with special needs

Learn and build the necessary foundation for training paraprofessional staff in effective practices

Innovative, Video-Based, Hands-On, Train-the-Trainer Opportunity

Skilled paraprofessionals are critical to the success of students with special needs across all instructional settings. Participants attending will learn the key components for an effective training program for paraprofessionals which can then be delivered as a staff development framework that fits the schedule according to each school’s or district’s unique scheduling and training needs. The following key components are included in this three-day train-the-trainer institute.

Increasing the Effectiveness of Paraprofessionals

• Guidelines for adapting curriculum and modifying instruction and assignments
• Developing a clear understanding of the importance of student independence
• Practical ways to increase student independence through the use of a “prompt hierarchy”
• Effective, easy-to-implement methods for collecting data
• Tips for developing student portfolios that reflect student progress and student needs

Working Effectively with Other Adults

• Effective instructional techniques for two adults working with students in the same classroom
• Improving job satisfaction by taking the stress out of working in complicated, demanding instructional situations
• Tips for effective collaboration with other school staff and related service providers

Working Effectively with Students

• Innovative techniques to maximize the support you give to students with special needs
• Key ways to adapt curriculum and modify instruction
• Highly effective techniques to foster and maximize student independence
• Use of a “prompt hierarchy” to improve requisite learning behaviors essential for becoming lifelong learners
• Ready-to-use approaches to reduce the intensity, frequency and duration of prompts and supports
• Use effective strategies for encouraging student participation in classroom discussions and cooperative work groups
• Key ways to avoid “giving answers” to students
• Proven ways to facilitate students’ interactions and friendships with peers
• Real-life examples of techniques for fostering student independence in students with special needs
• Highly effective ways to build student confidence and self-esteem
• Outstanding suggestions for managing and improving student behaviors

Video Clips of Strategies in Action to Demonstrate Effective Teaching Practices

• Best practices for using video training clips to train others
• Outstanding training tips and a resource kit to train others (each participant will receive ALL video clips presented at the institute to use in their own training)

Receive Comprehensive Training Resources (Valued at Over $400!)
All participants will receive a valuable package of resources including:
Best-selling, professional BER paraprofessional videos used throughout the training which contain the video footage needed for a complete paraprofessional training program for your school(s) and district Tips and strategies for successful presentation	Comprehensive paraprofessional resource handbook filled with material to reinforce and extend learning Detailed trainer’s guide that walks participants through the delivery of the program, including a PowerPoint presentation adaptable for immediate use

Seminar Schedule Overview

Program Schedule: 8:30 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. Daily

Monday (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Proven strategies for increasing student independence across settings Focus on detailed paraprofessional strategies and video footage for use in your own training program for paraprofessionals who work with students with special needs Ready-to-use strategies for working successfully with students with special needs Discover best practices for using outstanding video clips to train others Experience numerous, practical strategies that increase learning for students with special needs Target areas of need and decrease behaviors that lead to dependence Collect data effectively and efficiently: what, when, where, how, and why Tuesday (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Behavior management of students with special needs in diverse environments – strategies for keeping students with special needs on task while learning in whole-class settings Manage challenging behaviors that impede learning Accommodations, adaptations, instructional strategies, and scaffolding student thinking and learning in small groups Strategies for establishing and maintaining effective, collaborative relationships with paraprofessionals that lead to increased student capacity Identify key presenting skills for presenting high-quality and engaging training sessions to paraprofessionals Create a plan for presentations Wednesday (8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.) Participants will deliver brief presentations of paraprofessional strategies using video clips and will receive feedback from the small-group facilitator Practice presentations will provide the perfect opportunity to listen and interact to deepen understanding, familiarity and confidence with the material Debriefing of presentations and feedback from the lead instructors will strengthen participants’ skills in training Participants will leave with a training plan, model video clips and confidence to implement a state-of-the-art training with paraprofessional staff

Lunch each day will be on your own, providing a great opportunity for networking

Featuring Two of the Nation’s Top Differentiated Instruction Experts

Kathy Morris has been a special education teacher for over thirty years and a consultant for Autism Spectrum Disorder, behavior disorders, assistive technology, and LIFE Skills, providing technical assistance and workshops to educators throughout the United States. She was named “Outstanding Educator of the Year” in her state and has served as Advisor to the President’s Commission on Special Education. Kathy not only shares her years of special education experience but also brings the personal experience of having twin sons diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy. Kathy knows what works with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and uses the strategies daily in her professional and personal life.

Susan Fitzell is a dynamic presenter who is passionate about helping teaching professionals make co-teaching and inclusion work successfully in the classroom. With more than 21 years of experience in special education, inclusion and co-teaching, Susan is in demand as a presenter at district, state and national conferences. She fully understands the challenges inherent in an inclusive school and adds her own sensitive and insightful understanding of the issues of co-teaching and inclusion. Susan is the author of several books geared to help educators and parents help youth, which include: Special Needs in the General Classroom: Strategies that Make it Work (2008), a comprehensive resource handbook for teachers, and Paraprofessionals and Teachers Working Together: Highly Effective Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms (2007).

Special Benefits of Attending

State Specific Credit:
Participants in this three-day institute are eligible for 1.5 CEUs or 15 Clock Hours in most states. In some states, participants may be required to initial in/out on a program roster for each day, complete forms, pay a fee, or complete a program evaluation. At the end of day three, each attendee will receive a certificate of participation that may be used to verify hours to meet continuing education requirements. We suggest you check with your district prior to attending to determine if this program meets your requirement for continuing education credit. For state specific information, please visit www.ber.org/seminars/credit/ceus.cfm or call 1-800-735-3503.

University Credit Option:
Up to four graduate level professional development credits are available with an additional fee and completion of a follow-up practicum project. Details for direct enrollment with Brandman University, part of the Chapman University system, will be available at the institute.

SAVE with Group Discounts
The fee is $1095 per person.
If groups of three or more register at the same time, the fee is $995 per person.

Boston, MA • May 7-9, 2018

AC Hotel – Cambridge 10 Acorn Park Drive • Boston, MA 02140 Phone: (617) 876-6190

Special Rates:

$229 (single/double) plus tax

• Book your overnight accommodations by April 13, 2018 to receive this special rate, based on availability. To make reservations, please call (617) 876-6190 and request the group rate for the Bureau of Education & Research: Paraprofessionals, or book online here.

Enjoy all that Boston has to offer
AC Hotel – Cambridge is conveniently located in North Cambridge Discovery Park. Nearby attractions include the Observatory, Bunker Hill Monument, Castle Island, and Boston Public Garden.

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