Wanted advice from some of you veteran resource teachers since this is my 1st yr.
I teach high school resource , I have 6 , 45 min. periods a day.
Classes are anywhere from 3 -10 in size.
Most are grouped for the most part by grades.
Do most of you teach a specific lesson or do you provide individual work to students based on their IEP.
On many days I will have tests for students to correct from general ed. teachers.I will provide assignments and work for ones that do not have other material to work on.
I guess what I am asking is for you to describe a typical day in your resource room. I have been teaching general ed. for the past 9yrs. and this is my 1st yr. in Resource. I chose to move but the unmotivated students is beginning to become very frustrated.
What are your grading procedures?
How do you set up your classes and lesson?.
I would certainly appreciate any help or suggestions.
Re: resource room advice
We pulled our 8th grader out of resource room this year because it wasn’t doing anything to help his specific needs. (The only remediation he’s had in middle school has been from a private tutor, what the public school did was essentially useless.) What he did find useful in resource room was test review and the fact that the teacher gave them written copies of the regular ed teacher’s lecture notes.
The class consisted of kids all in the same grade, and all taking mostly the same core classes. On days before a big test in one of the core classes, the resource teacher went over the content that would be on the test, and typically handed out some study guides. On other days, the kids did there homework, and supposedly could get help on that from the resource room teacher.
They also got access to computers to type their English assignments. For my son, with an LD in written expression, it helped some having access to the computers. Otherwise, it was an overglorified study hall.
I don’t see how with a group of kids with different LDs you’re going to help specific LDs very much. Perhaps you can split the kids up, and really help certain groups on different days, while letting the others work on their other assignments. The only thing that was done in my son’s resource room that was helpful was specifically instructing the kids on organizational techniques. The only thing the kids really liked was every other Friday if they had been good the past two weeks, they got to play computer games.
Good luck!
Re: resource room advice
It can be *very* hard to motivate kids in a resource room; even more so if it’s been a free-form study hall in the past. (When I started at one school, I had strong rebellion because I wouldn’t let it stay the card-party snackfest that it had been.)
Can you find out what these folks are required to do in other classes and work on things like vocab terms *before* they get them in the content areas?
I’ve got some ideas & lessons etc on my site (www.resourceroom.net) — check out “older learners”
What’s the purpose of your resource room? I’d wonder how many specific lessons could be taught if your students come with varying issues. How many lessons that are specific can yet hit and be helpful with all their many different issues?
Our resource room at our school does not help, sadly, it hurts and I’m sure yours is a better one. At our school our resource room just piles on more work for students who are already struggling under the workload assigned by other teachers. And the resource room grades more stringently than all other classes. I’ve long needed help to understand the point of that but I don’t need help to see how discouraged - and then unmotivated- our resource room students can become.
It sounds like you’re trying to have a good resource room experience. Good luck.