Para eLink: Where Minnesota's Paraprofessionals Learn Online

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1.3 (1K3B): Understanding of the distinctions between roles and responsibilities of professionals, paraprofessionals, and support personnel.


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Facilitator Supplement

Note: The drag-and-drop activity in Lesson Reinforcement 4 does not work on every computer (e.g., it does not work in Internet Explorer on a Macintosh).

Worksheets in this Unit

All worksheets are Adobe pdf files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view and print the worksheets.

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 1a: What is a Paraprofessional?

Collaborative Activities

Use the interactive discussion below on the paraprofessional roles and the changes they have seen. New paraprofessionals can share their beliefs about para roles. Organizing the groups to include both types of participants will increase understanding of the type of roles paraprofessionals have.

Icebreaker Activity

Develop an introductory activity to create an online community and help participants get to know each other.

Lesson 1b: Roles and Responsibilities

Interactive Discussion

The paraprofessional roles and changes that have been seen

New paraprofessionals can share their beliefs about paraprofessional roles. Organizing the groups to include both types of participants will increase understanding of the type of roles paraprofessionals have.

"We don't usually get the chance to choose our own names. With online discussions, that can be changed. In order to help others get to know you, we will have you choose an "online name" to use in the discussion areas. Before you choose your name, answer these questions:
1. What is my name (in the "real world")?
2. Where do I live?
3. Where do I work (or where do I want to work) as a paraprofessional?
4. What experience do I have in educational settings?
5. What are my hobbies?
Now, choose your name according to your answers to these questions. We will all share our answers to these questions, and then our new names. This way, everyone understands why we have the names we do, and we learn more about each person in the process."

Facilitated discussion:

Lesson 3: Where do Paraprofessionals fit in?

Discussion the responsibility and authority of each person. The purpose of this activity is to give paraprofessionals an overall idea of the scope of authority in a school district or a vocational/residential setting, how each is governed, and where the paraprofessional fits into each model. How do the individuals working in the school, residential, or vocational programs fit into these structures?

Consider using a tracking worksheet for Paraprofessionals to monitor their progress through the units.
For information on how to start an online discussion area, see the online resources section.