Sharing Materials
Disseminating written materials is probably something you are already doing in your job. Special education teachers often receive requests for both student materials and information related to teaching mainstream students. There may be ways in which your materials dissemination can become more organized and more frequent.
Some suggestions regarding materials to disseminate include the following:
- Books, workbooks, and worksheets for mainstreamed students.
- Journal articles related to teaching ideas.
- Copies of suggestions for teachers.
- Sample charts or contracts for behavior management plans.
- Sample organizers for students.
- Flyers or brochures related to disabilities and/or services for people with disabilities.
- Workshop flyers.
- Lists that would be helpful to teachers, such as "Survival Words," "Prepositions," and "Commonly Misspelled Words."
Many of the things you share will be based on your particular situation. However, you may want to set up a lending library of helpful materials and regularly disseminate information to the staff. You might choose to have your own weekly flyer or newsletter. You might also disseminate helpful materials at faculty meetings. One excellent idea is to become the clearinghouse for promising practices, new ideas, and teacher-made materials in your school.
A parent volunteer might also assist you in developing a parent-resource library. Parents are often looking for strategies to reinforce academic skills, behavior management ideas, and information on their child's disability and parent organizations. They also need information regarding community services. Any information you could share regarding camps and summer activities would be an excellent resource. Catalogs containing computer programs to reinforce academic skills might also be included. Parents could contribute some of their own resources as well.
Dissemination in General
You, of course, have many ideas related to dissemination of information. You share information all the time especially information related to your students. This information is very important in terms of helping the students succeed in the mainstream. Teachers need to know what they can expect from each student and how to meet the student's needs. Begin sharing information as soon as possible and before a particular child is placed, if feasible.
Enjoy the role of disseminator. Teachers will appreciate your efforts, and as a result, so will your students. Do not forget your special education cohorts throughout the school system. They can be resources as well as users of your system.
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