When talking with Early Childhood professionals, the biggest challenge discussed is around challenging behavior.  Most teachers and paraprofessionals know what they aren’t supposed to do in working with challenging behavior, but what are they supposed to do?  During this time together, we will define “challenging behavior” and ways to get ahead of those undesired behaviors, as well as strategies to decrease challenging behaviors in a classroom setting. Participants will leave this time with strategies that can be applied the following day.

This session will focus on how to support young children in developing foundational math skills. Session topics will include: the importance of early math, engaging ways to promote math learning, and partnering with families about math.

Paraeducators wear many hats! Trying to figure out this role and all that goes with it can be exhausting. We can, though, boil it all down to the student and the relationships that are built within the school setting. Specific roles can be defined and outlined, teams can be set up and plans made to help students grow, learn and thrive at school. The key, however, to the success of all the outlining and planning is the relationships that students develop at school. Paraeducators are often the first contact a student has at school, paraeducators are often the adult in the small group or individual workplan, and often are the touchstone for students. Pareducators are the ones who hear the stories students tell, the ones who witness the struggles with work and the ones who are providing the safe space needed for learning to happen.  Students who feel safe, who trust the adult working with them, and who feel free to try and fail and try again are going to be successful learners. The communication between the student and the paraeducator and, in turn, the paraeducator and the teacher plays a key in a student’s learning trajectory and success. In this session, find simple, usable and (hopefully!) valuable tools to use as you work to build relationships and encourage learning!

Participants will learn about trauma-sensitive care and the importance of regulation. Strength-based strategies to support children’s learning and development will also be shared. 

Interactions and relationships are the heart of the classroom. In order to promote an increase of social-emotional and academic learning outcomes, teachers must first focus and value supporting positive and intentional relationships. Throughout this interactive session, attendees will self-reflect on current strategies they implement to support relationships in their classroom, evaluate the role relationships play in their classroom, and leave with new ideas on how to better develop relationships with the students they serve. An additional component of the session involves promoting executive functioning skills to help support self-regulating behaviors in children through relationship building. 

As para-professionals, your duties may include working with students to improve their reading and writing.  This might be working with students in small groups and with individual students. Dr. Robin Brierly will teach you strategies that will work with both groups and individuals.  

Dr. Brierly will teach reading strategies that para-professionals can use the next day in the classroom when working with students. This will be a quick overview of last year's session and be more hands-on practice. Come and enjoy learning strategies that can engage all readers to love to read and write. 

Paraprofessionals have prime opportunities to support student mental wellness multiple times a day during supervision activities. This session will help you understand the importance of connecting with kids and provide you with simple, yet effective strategies to make a difference in their lives!

This session will provide paraprofessionals with a definition and description of collaborative teaming as it pertains to Special Education providers coming together with general education teachers to develop programming for students with more significant disabilities that might require one to one support. As paraprofessionals play an important role in the implementation of programming it is essential for them to be part of the process. We will explore ways paraprofessionals can advocate for themselves and their students as an integral part of the planning team and discuss implementation of the plan when working with students in different environments throughout the school.

Session description:  Learn strategies for supporting students and teachers when working on literacy skills.  We will highlight essential components of instruction, communication tips, and organizational strategies as well.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t have enough information to be effective in your job?  Have you ever worked with students who use assistive technology?  If so, this session is for you!  This session provides an opportunity to learn about assistive technology, get hands on access to different assistive technologies, and, most importantly, get your questions answered about how to effectively support students who use assistive technology.  This session is designed to encourage participants to submit their questions and engage in meaningful discussion about serving students with assistive technology needs. 

 It is no secret that paraeducators are often faced with behaviors by children that may not be easy to understand.  Sometimes those behaviors are difficult to explain and figuring out how to change those behaviors can be even more difficult.  This session will provide simple and easy to use strategies for paraeducators while providing insight into why the child might be escalating.  

In this session, you will learn many creative strategies for working with students with multiple disabilities and severe disabilities. Do you have frustrations with getting students with very limited language to answer basic questions?  Learn about error free strategies to improve student learning and decrease your frustration.  Ever wonder how to make literacy accessible for students of all ages? Learn about making literacy come alive with sensory stories and personal experience books.  Need to teach independent living and life skills to students with limited motor and cognitive skills? Learn how to make sensory routines functional, meaningful and motivating for your student.  In addition, we will talk about ways to step back to increase independence and incorporate schedules into your students’ days. 

Elementary math learners often struggle with word problems. In this session, we will explore: reasons that word problems can be challenging for students, strategies for making word problems more accessible to children, and mathematical structure and representations related to solving word problems. Participants will learn how to use word problems to build math fluency from conceptual understanding.

As para-professionals, your duties may include working with students to improve their reading and writing.  This might be working with students in small groups and with individual students. Dr. Robin Brierly will teach you strategies that will work with both groups and individuals.

Dr. Brierly will teach reading strategies that para-professionals can use the next day in the classroom when working with students. This will be a quick overview of last year's session and be more hands-on practice. Come and enjoy learning strategies that can engage all readers to love to read and write. 

This session is an overview of Pre-Employment transition services and is geared towards para professionals who work with transition aged students. Nebraska VR staff report that they regularly interact with para professionals in the schools and it is important for them to have an awareness and understanding of the services we deliver collaboratively and of sharing pertinent information.

This session focuses on how paraeducators can support students with disabilities in gaining independence skills in academics and daily living.  Finding the balance between “too much” and “not enough” can be crucial in helping students achieve success in their next step.  Techniques such as fading and scaffolding will be shared.

Supporting students as a skills trainer in a job experience takes skills and knowledge that are often not discussed prior to stepping into that role. As a skills trainer, you want students to be successful and the best way to do this is knowing what your role is as well as the skills needed.  Whether you are currently a skills trainer or are interested in being one join us to learn about what stellar skills are needed.  (A skills trainer is often called a job coach.)

  Participants will learn effective strategies that can help establish, maintain and restore relationships with students and adults. When educators intentionally use positive strategies for building relationships, students increase engagement and develop long lasting trusting relationships that lead to academic success. Join us as we embark on a quest to create a positive student centered environment for all students!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zSedXF6g2yu_koJgKBdKvwrNJUhkR_Vd