Roles and Responsibilities

Next: Pretest

Unit 1:
Roles and Responsibilities of Paraeducators

Paraeducators play an important and dynamic role in providing educational opportunities to students and in making school more efficient and effective. As schools' improvement efforts continue to look for new ways to structure and provide services, the role of the paraeducator continues to expand. Models such as the inclusion of students with exceptionalities into the regular education classroom require additional support from staff members. The utilization of paraeducators in the classroom allows for expanded learning opportunities for students as well as additional planning and instruction time for teachers. Paraeducators help meet the students' needs for more intensive and individualized instruction and help monitor the classroom in order to promote increased appropriate student behaviors. Paraeducators are experiencing expanded duties and expectations in a variety of educational settings.

In this unit you will examine the differences between paraeducator and teacher roles and the foundations for these roles. You will be able to identify duties you may or may not perform as a paraeducator. You will also have an opportunity to evaluate the components of a job description. A role clarification activity which allows you to examine both you and your teachers' perceptions of your role assignment is also included in this unit.

By working together with faculty and staff, paraeducators can gain a better understanding of expectations. A clear means of communication and supervision can be established, making it easier for paraeducators to attend to their duties with more confidence.

Objectives

Paraeducators will have knowledge of the role expectations of their position in relationship to teachers, administrators, and students.
Paraeducators will have knowledge of job descriptions and their functions.
Paraeducators will be able to differentiate appropriate job roles for paraeducators and teachers.