18th October 2023

Special educational needs are more than just a profession. You need a loving heart and an understanding mind to be an effective and efficient special educator. And not to mention, even individuals who have completed special education courses for teachers are prone to everyday challenges. If you are an instructor you are pretty aware of the scenario that goes inside an everyday classroom. You have unique students, unique needs, and of course dreadful IEPs. Amidst all this, one sphere that you also need to take care of is SPED rooms.
 

What Are SPED Rooms?
 

SPED rooms are Special Education Resource Rooms. These rooms are separate settings either in a small, designated room or within the classroom. Here, teachers deliver their lessons to an individual or a small of children with special educational needs. These rooms are not just a place but also a placement as they remove a gifted child from a general education classroom to receive special instruction.
 

The students who qualify for special classrooms but require a little extra attention are allocated to this room for a part of the day. Teachers here support the individual needs of the child and often take care of their IEPs. These rooms are used in a variety of ways starting from homework assistance to instruction, meetings, and representing a child's alternate social space.
 

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What Is The Purpose Of Resource Rooms?
 

Students are allocated to resource rooms for several reasons:
 

• Students can access learning materials that better suit their style and capabilities
• Students can focus better and grasp the new topic that is being taught
• At this place, students can go over the study materials at their own pace
• The heightened attention of the learner at this place allows them to be more engaged
   

5 Tips To Build Successful Schedules In SPED Rooms
 

If you want to ensure high-functioning and successful SPED rooms, here are some scheduling tips you must know:
 

1. Color Code
 

This is a fun way that keep your students engaged and you organized. Assign each student in the class a particular color. All of the binders, work boxes, schedules, PECs, cover sheets, etc will represent the same color. This technique will provide learners the additional visual support while you can sort everything easily.
 

2. Timers And Stations
 

This is another way to focus your undivided attention on every student. Allot 15 minutes to each student and when the timer goes up, ask students to check their schedules. They have their visual schedules either on the wall or in their notebook. Once they have checked the schedule, they need to match the same color items together.
 

3. Practice Repeatedly
 

One of the best things you can do for your students with special educational needs is make them independent. Find activities that your children will be able to complete without your help and support. These chores can be painting, matching, watching a video, listening to an audio, etc. once the students learn the expectations and importance of being independent, they will learn better and they can go about their day without any interruptions.
 

4. Give Them Movement Breaks
 

As special educators, you will find your students moving the maximum time. This is their natural body reflex and hence you should not try to restrict their movement with activities. Have a healthy balance of both to prevent the students from getting irritated or agitated. Give a 10-minute movement break between each activity to help them restore their energy and transition to the other part of the day. This schedule can also be introduced after snacks or lunch. You can use activities like dancing, exercise, or yoga.
 

5. Be Patient
 

Being a special educator is never a cakewalk and you might have to rearrange your schedules and activities now and then. This might be discouraging as you might feel that nothing is working out. However, with special education children, it is always a trial and error process. What works today might not work the next day. Hence you need to modify and adjust your schedules based on their needs. This might sound tiring but give it some time and things will settle in.
 

Build Your Own Resource Rooms
 

Depending on the student's level a child might need extra time to complete their everyday schedule. In such cases, these resource rooms come in handy and they can clarify questions and focus on the IEP goals as and when needed.
 

With SPED room schedules, teachers can also stay organized and manage their classrooms better by catering to every student's needs. As resource room teachers you also need to have completed some sort of special needs education courses for teachers to communicate with the students, understand their needs, and offer proper instruction and guidance.
 

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