PROJECT Bace: Additional Skills
Building Bridges Beyond the Classroom
From communication breakdowns to independence breakthroughs - discover the missing pieces that transform struggling students into confident learners. The Additional Skills strand equips special education teachers with practical strategies for breaking communication barriers, fostering independence, strengthening family partnerships, and navigating challenging interactions. By implementing Natural Environment Teaching approaches, you'll help students transfer skills across settings while creating structured spaces that support authentic learning experiences. Effective transition planning across multiple skill domains ensures your students develop the academic fundamentals and self-advocacy abilities needed for post-secondary success.
Enhance your professional toolkit by developing flexible family engagement strategies that overcome common barriers like scheduling conflicts and resistance. Learn to leverage video communication tools and consistent follow-up practices that accommodate diverse family needs. When tensions arise, you'll be prepared with techniques that balance empathetic communication with proper documentation, ensuring you meet legal requirements while maintaining productive relationships. These comprehensive skills create the foundation for student success beyond the classroom walls.
Enhance your professional toolkit by developing flexible family engagement strategies that overcome common barriers like scheduling conflicts and resistance. Learn to leverage video communication tools and consistent follow-up practices that accommodate diverse family needs. When tensions arise, you'll be prepared with techniques that balance empathetic communication with proper documentation, ensuring you meet legal requirements while maintaining productive relationships. These comprehensive skills create the foundation for student success beyond the classroom walls.
PROJECT Bace
What's in the Additional strand?
Expanding Communicative Capacity
Breaking Barriers
Breaking Barriers focuses on teaching communication skills across different environments, emphasizing that skills learned in one setting should transfer to other contexts for long-term success. Natural Environment Teaching is highlighted as an effective approach because learning occurs in real-world settings, fostering flexibility and functional communication through both augmentative and alternative communication methods. The instructional content emphasizes organizing spaces effectively with a structured approach to activities, creating a framework that supports skill development in authentic contexts.
Transition Planning and Considerations
Pathways to Independence
Pathways to Independence focuses on transition planning for students, emphasizing the development of goals across multiple skill domains including academic and self-advocacy skills that prepare students for independence and post-secondary success. Assessment of students' abilities should evaluate skills across various domains, including academic fundamentals needed for daily tasks, while also monitoring progress to identify and address obstacles. The transition planning process appears to be dynamic and responsive, requiring regular review and adjustment of goals to ensure they remain relevant and appropriately challenging as students work toward greater independence.
Family Interactions and Collaboration
Partnering for Progress
Partnering for Progress focuses on effective family engagement strategies for educators, particularly addressing challenges like family resistance and scheduling conflicts. The instructional content emphasizes the importance of flexible meeting options, utilizing video communication tools, and adapting practices to accommodate families juggling various commitments. Key recommendations include maintaining consistent communication, providing thorough follow-up, and implementing approaches that were less common during traditional school settings to improve family participation and engagement.
Working Through Challenging Situations, Meetings, and Parents
Tensions Rising
Tensions Rising focuses on effective follow-up communication in professional settings, emphasizing the importance of combining empathetic communication with careful documentation. Key legal requirements include providing prior written notice when changes occur, maintaining transparency about timelines, and adhering to deadlines for evaluations and consent. The content teaches professionals how to set the stage for productive interactions while simultaneously protecting themselves professionally through proper documentation and follow-up procedures.