Special Educators Resource Room Podcast: Real Talk for Special Education Teachers
Special Educators Resource Room with Jennifer DeBrosse is the podcast for busy special education teachers. Whether you’re brand new to the world of special education or an experienced teacher, this podcast will provide time-saving solutions for any busy special educator. Get ready to move things off your special educator plate without feeling like you have to live at school. I’m your host, Jennifer DeBrosse. I’m dual-certified, have been in education for over 25 years, and spent time in both the inclusion classroom and the resource room setting. I was also a special education instructional coach and mentor to hard-working educators just like you. Tune in each week for quick action-packed episodes. They will be short, sweet, and to the point because I know how busy you are. I’m on a mission to help you get your time back! Let’s connect! You can find more special education support at: Positively Learning Blog (PS: while you’re there, be sure to grab the free Special Educators Cheat Sheets!)
Episodes
If collecting IEP data feels like a second job on top of teaching, this episode is for you.
Progress reports are coming up, and the last thing you need is another complicated system to manage.
In this episode, we're talking about how to build data collection into the work your students are already doing — instead of stopping instruction to collect it separately.
If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks...
You Don't Need To Differentiate Every Single Thing, Every Single Day...
Good differentiation doesn't mean starting from scratch for every student, every day.
If you're spending hours creating different activities for every student in your special education classroom, this episode is for you.
This podcast episode is all about what you can do instead to make sure all students' needs ARE met in a sustainable way for everyone.
...
Are your students struggling to work independently? Or are you spending valuable teaching time reviewing skills they've already mastered? Two different situations, but they often get overlapped.
In this episode, we're looking at two common instructional mistakes that can make your classroom day harder than it needs to be.
Sometimes it's not about changing the activity. It's about knowing when to teach and when to let students p...
If you started the year wishing paraprofessionals had a little more direction… and now you feel like you’re directing every little thing, this episode is for you.
We’re talking about that tricky middle ground between no direction and micromanaging.
PS: The goal isn’t lowering your standards.
Can't wait to hear what you think!
If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resourc...
If behavior seems to increase during certain parts of your school day, take a closer look at what students are waiting for.
- Waiting to know how to start.
- Waiting to find out if they’re doing it correctly.
- Waiting to know what happens when they’re finished.
In this episode, we’re looking at three common waiting points that can create uncertainty for students — and how clearer independent work routines ca...
If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.
Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.
Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.c...
You know small-group instruction matters. But what is the rest of the class supposed to be doing while you’re actually teaching that small group?
In this episode, we’re talking about what needs to be in place so you can actually sit down, teach a small group, and trust that the rest of your students know what to do—without needing you every two minutes.
Task Box Club and Independent Work Club:
When your back-to-school plan isn’t going to plan, it doesn’t mean you need to start over. In this episode, we’re talking about what the first month of school can teach you about classroom routines, student needs, independent work, and special education systems.
Learn how to use those first few weeks as data—not a verdict—so you can make small adjustments, build student independence, and create classroo...
Ep. 92: Scheduling Tips for Special Educators
Task Box Club and Independent Work Club:
https://positivelylearningblog.com/task-boxes-for-special-educators/
If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.
Tune in every Friday for ...
A detailed paraprofessional handbook can be a helpful reference—but it probably isn’t what your support staff needs most during the first week of school.
In this episode, I’m sharing the four things I would prioritize instead: a few specific phrases to use, a quick classroom walkthrough, clear expectations for student independence, and one simple way to ask for help when they’re unsure.
We&rsqu...
Your students don’t automatically know how your classroom works — even when the activities are ready.
In this episode, we’re talking about four routines to explicitly teach during the first two weeks of school, from getting started and asking for help to finishing and transitioning.
Because repetition isn’t a sign the routine isn’t working. Repetition is the plan.
Check out the Task Box Club and Independe...
If your back-to-school prep list keeps getting longer, this episode is your permission to make it shorter.
I’m sharing 3 things I would NOT prep before the first day of school — and what I’d spend that time on instead.
Because you don’t need to prep the whole year before you’ve even met this year’s students.
Prep the system. Not the year.
Task Box Club and Independent Work Club are linked in the show...
In this final episode of the Build Your Independent Work System Before Back-to-School series, I'm walking you through the five questions every teacher should answer before launching independent work with students.
Plus, I'll share what to realistically expect during the first two weeks of school—and why you don't need 100 tasks to build a successful independent work routine.
Remember: You don't need more materials. You need one...
Do your small groups keep getting interrupted by students who won't get started, stop working halfway through, or constantly ask for help?
Those interruptions aren't random—they're giving you valuable information about what's working (and what's not) in your classroom routines.
In this episode, I'll walk you through the five most common student behaviors I look for while teaching a small group and explain what e...
Can your classroom keep learning while you're teaching a small group?
In this episode, we're putting your independent work system to the test. I'll share why independent work was never about keeping students busy in my resource room—it was about making every learning minute count. Then we'll walk through a simple five-minute "Small Group Test" to help you identify exactly where your system is strong and where it still ...
Build Your Independent Work System - Week 6 of Special Educators Summer Series
Setting up an independent work system is only half the job—students need to be taught how to use it. In this episode, Jennifer shares a simple four-step teaching sequence that helps students build independence, reduces prompt dependence, and creates consistent routines for both students and paraprofessionals.
Learn how slowing down at the begin...
If your students are constantly asking, "What's next?" or support staff isn't sure how independent work should flow, this episode is for you.
This is Week 5 of the Special Educators Summer Series and we're covering the K in the TASKS Framework: Keep It Consistent. You'll learn the five simple components that help students move through independent work with confidence while giving paraprofessionals, substitutes, and student tea...
There is a difference between a task a student can do and a task a student can do independently.
Most classroom activities are designed for the first. Independent work requires the second.
In this episode, we're talking about one of the most important parts of building an independent work system: setting up the task itself.
Every independent task needs three things:
• A clear start
• A clear work signal
• A clear finish
This week'...
Special Educators Summer Series Week 3 - What You Actually Need to Build the Tasks. We're in the TASKS Framework. Last week was the T — Think it through — and your homework was three priority skills written down before you searched for a single material. Today is the A. Access your materials.
Be sure to follow along the teacher summer series at Positively Learning on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FR0bpZ27pNw
Most teachers build independent work by finding things that look good. This episode is about doing it the other way around — starting with the skills your students actually need, before you open TPT or search for a single material.
This is the T in the TASKS Framework: Think it through.
In this episode:
- Why starting with activities instead of skills is what keeps independent work from ever really sticking
- Five questions to as...
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