The Educational Assistant's Guide to Supporting Inclusion in a Diverse Society

by Carole Massing, Bonnie Anderson, Carol Anderson

Overview

Canadian classrooms are a microcosm of Canada’s diverse society, and educational assistants play a vital role in helping all students feel valued, capable, and included. The Educational Assistant’s Guide to Supporting Inclusion in a Diverse Society uses case studies and examples to present an accessible, practical guide to acquiring the key skills and knowledge you need to be an effective, professional enhancement to the classroom.

Topics include:

• The many and varied roles and responsibilities of EAs
• Ethical duties of EAs
• Effective advocacy techniques
• The role of reflective practice in solving problems
• Building relationships and communicating with students, parents, teachers, and school administrators
• Recent research on the brain, self-esteem, resilience theory, and multiple intelligences
• The importance of an individualized, holistic approach to student learning
• Universal Design for Learning, and strategies for differentiating academic and social learning
• Techniques for observation and documentation
• Positive guidance strategies for challenging behaviours

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781550598612
Publisher:	Brush Education
Publication date:	08/03/2020
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
Pages:	210
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Carole Massing began her career as an elementary school teacher and developed a special interest in early learning when her own children were small. Since that time, she has taught in post-secondary programs at MacEwan University, the University of Alberta, and NorQuest College. She has also consulted, researched, and developed curriculum in early learning and child care, interculturalism, and human service administration. Carole teaches in the Bachelor of Applied Human Service Administration program at MacEwan University. She earned her PhD in elementary education at the University of Alberta.
Bonnie Anderson began her teaching career as an educational assistant and went on to work as a classroom teacher for three decades. She worked primarily with children with exceptionalities in inclusive and specialized programs. Bonnie developed and coordinated a very successful arts-based program at her school. She now teaches at NorQuest College in the Educational Assistant program and the Early Learning and Child Care program, and has just developed the curriculum for a new program for EAs.
Carol Anderson is a retired educator with 39 years of teaching experience working with school-aged children in diverse classroom settings. She is trained both as a K–12 educator and as a specialist for children with communicative challenges, in particular children who are Deaf and hard of hearing. Originally from California, Carol completed her undergraduate degree in liberal arts from the University of the Pacific and achieved her Master’s in Communicative Disorders: Education of the Deaf, at California State University, Fresno.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction Notes on Terminology 1. Our Diverse Society 2. Considering Inclusion 3. The Role of the Educational Assistant 4. The Educational Assistant as Advocate 5. Introduction to Reflective Practice 6. A Practice of Relationships 7. Communication in Relationships 8. What Do Children Need to Succeed? 9. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 10. Supporting Academic Learning: Inquiry, Literacy, and Numeracy 11. Supporting Social Skills 12. Positive Guidance Strategies 13. Observing and Documenting 14. Surviving and Thriving Appendix A. Inclusive Community Planning Matrix Appendix B. Individual Educational Plan (IEP) Template Appendix C. Differentiating Instruction for Academic Learning Appendix D. Differentiating Instruction for Social Learning Appendix E. A Continuum Framework for Responding to Children Glossary Bibliography About the Authors