A Theoretical and Practical Professional Development for Paraprofessional Educators: Students' Manual

Paraprofessionals are an integral part of the educational system who work with students from marginalized backgrounds and with learning differences. Their positions require flexibility and ingenuity as they assist students to academic success. Unfortunately, professional development for these essential educators has been neglected. In A Theoretical and Practical Professional Development for Paraprofessional Educators, Dr. Smith provides a comprehensive curriculum geared to establish a baseline knowledge of modern educational theories and strategies to fill the instructional toolboxes of paras so they may make academic content accessible to all students. Topics included are Differentiated Instruction, Multiple Intelligence Theory, teaching methods for English Language Learners, and small-group instructional strategies. Each Chapter includes a theoretical background, lesson plan, slide presentations, and activity descriptions to aid the facilitator in presenting the material. The slide presentations are available for download to be customized by each organization. This professional development provides an initiation point and framework to provide needed learning and resources for the valued workers, teammates, and instructors in our school systems. This participant manual is a companion to the facilitators' manual also authored by Dr. Smith.