Skip to content

Strengthening Teacher-Para Partnerships

Course Instructors

Sharon Redmon, ATP-RESNA

Clock Hours

4 hours

Access Dates

Course available beginning Oct 25th

Policies

For all of our policies including accommodations, refunds and complaints, please refer to the SETC Website Help Page.

Course Overview

Strong teacher-paraeducator partnerships can make a meaningful difference in student access, participation, communication, and independence.

Strengthening Teacher-Para Partnerships is a practical, self-paced course designed to help teachers and paraeducators build stronger, more effective working relationships in inclusive classrooms. Drawing from a popular collaborative series, the course focuses on clarifying roles and responsibilities, strengthening trust and shared purpose, and creating consistent approaches to student support.

Participants will examine how adults can support students without creating unnecessary dependence, including when to step in, when to step back, and how to use strategies such as wait time, modeling, visual supports, prompting, and open-ended questions. The course also explores practical uses of assistive technology (AT) and AI to support access to instruction, communication, student engagement, and the efficient creation of paraeducator support tools.

Throughout the course, participants will reflect on their own setting and create practical, actionable supports that can strengthen communication, consistency, teamwork, and student independence.

What You Will Learn

  • Clarify teacher and paraeducator roles and responsibilities and identify practices that build trust, communication, and shared purpose.
  • Identify ways to strengthen paraeducator training, supervision, feedback, and ongoing collaboration.
  • Examine student behavior and support needs from multiple perspectives to promote consistent and compassionate support for students with disabilities.
  • Apply a step-in/step-back mindset that balances needed adult support with opportunities for student independence, communication, choice, and peer interaction.
  • Use practical strategies such as wait time, modeling, visual supports, prompting, scripts, and open-ended questions to support student participation.
  • Identify ways assistive technology can increase access to instruction, communication, and student engagement.
  • Use AI appropriately to help create scripts, visuals, checklists, prompting guides, and other paraeducator support resources while protecting student privacy and reviewing generated content.
  • Create a practical one-page support tool that a paraeducator could use during an authentic classroom routine, activity, or learning situation.

Course Completion Requirements

  • Complete all required course videos and lessons.
  • Complete required reflection activities.
  • Complete required knowledge checks/quizzes. Unlimited retakes are available.
  • Complete the One Small Move assignment.
  • Create and upload a one-page Paraeducator Support Tool as a PDF, Word document, or image.
  • Complete the final course survey.
Audience

This course is designed for special education and general education teachers, paraeducators, related service providers, instructional coaches, assistive technology specialists, administrators, and school teams who want to strengthen teacher-paraeducator collaboration and support more inclusive, student-centered classrooms. The course may be especially useful for teacher-paraeducator teams who want to learn and reflect together, but participants may also complete the course independently.

Cost: $45  |  Make a Payment

Register & Begin Course

Instructors

Sharon Redmon, ATP-RESNA

Sharon Redmon is a special education and general education teacher and Assistive Technology Specialist with almost 30 years of experience. She holds an M.S. in Adaptive Education: Assistive Technology from St. Norbert College, is an ATP through RESNA, and is a doctoral candidate at Penn State University. Her passion for assistive technology, especially AAC, began with her first teaching assignment in Wisconsin. She has been involved with WATI, the Wisconsin AAC Network school committee, and is a founding member of the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Regional Networks (WATRN). She also serves on the Education Committee for USSAAC. Sharon has worked with SETC since 2019, presenting webinars and providing technical assistance to school districts across Washington State. Her varied career experiences in Wisconsin, Washington, and overseas schools inform her practical approach to AAC, literacy, assistive technology, and collaborative learning.

Responsive Course Agenda

Course Agenda

SETC | Strengthening Teacher-Para Partnerships On-Demand Course

Course Section Activity Time (min.)
Session 1: Building Strong Teacher-Para Partnerships
Session 1 Video Watch 27
Review Session 1 Slides, Summary, Resources Read text 15
Knowledge check Read text 10
Reflection Reflect & consider 10
Assignment: One Small Move Reflect & write 30
Session 2: Supporting Access, Participation & Independence
Session 2 Video Watch 47
Review Session 2 Slides, Summary & Resources Read text 15
Knowledge Check Read text 10
Reflection Read text & Consider 10
Assignment: Create a Paraeducator Support Tool Reflect & write 60
Course Feedback Survey — 6
Total 240 min./ 4 hrs