On this episode of the "Help for Special Educators" podcast we will hear about some other special education podcasts you might want to check out.

   “Be the Exception” Podcast, hosted by Dawn Ellis

   “Different Ability” Podcast, hosted by Katey Fortun

   “SLP Coffee Talk” Podcast, hosted by Hallie Sherman

   “That Special Educator” Podcast, hosted by Braelan Martin

   “Teaching Autism and Special Education Community Podcast,” hosted by Nikki Robertson

   “Adaptation Station” Podcast, hosted by Nichole Morris

   “The Autism Helper” Podcast, hosted by Sasha Long

You can get links to these podcasts on the show notes for this episode at: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast23

Get World Kindness Day Classroom Ideas and save time searching for seasonal activities in the future. Today I want to share a few quick ideas that you might be able to do with your classroom whether you are in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Most of these are easy to do in person, so I’ve tried to give examples of how they can be done virtually.

 First, I’m going to give ideas for random acts of kindness or kindness challenges, and later I’ll share some other lesson activities you can do in small group lessons. I will also share an idea to save you hours of searching for appropriate seasonal lessons in your special ed classroom.

You can get show notes and links at the podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast22

FS stands for "fun size," which means this episode is short and sweet.

This episode is the first of my “fun size” episodes for the Help for Special Educators podcast. Imagine that I’m dropping by your class after school to chat and give you a little, fun size candy bar, like kids get at Halloween. These episodes will be short and sweet!

 We discuss:
+Things to consider when planning a virtual Halloween party when distance learning
+Costume game using Video platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, etc.
+Timing of the party
+More Ideas if you have extra help (Don't try to do too much!!)

Podcast website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast21

In this episode, host Lisa Goodell gives tips and ideas for making holiday parties successful in special education classrooms. She shares a few secrets that she has learned over the years, too! Solutions are given for accommodating students on a limited day, when you can't serve candy/junk food, alternative activities if you cannot have parties at all, and more. Plus, get a free class party planner with alternative ideas for each month of the year.

Get the complete show notes and links to resources and freebies at: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast

#helpforspecialeduators #teacherpodcast @lisagoodellequip

Whether you are a special educator in a resource, inclusion or self-contained setting, this episode has tons of tips and ideas to make parent conference week go by as smooth as possible. The first half focuses on self-contained teachers holding conferences in their classrooms. Then the second half is for resource/inclusion teachers who need to attend conferences in a variety of general ed classes all over the school. In addition, the scheduling strategy described might also work for RTI or SST teachers, literacy coaches or administrators who need to attend conferences in many grades and classes. Some of the topics include:

• Scheduling
• What to say to parents/guardians
• How get parents to attend
• How the student can participate (not quite a student-led conference, but our students with special needs can definitely participate!)
• Keep organized
• Teacher and parent reminders

Go to https://lisagoodell.com/podcast19 for the full show notes and links.

This episode is a special one in that my guest, Sarah Magallano, shares some excellent stories of how general ed and special ed teachers can work together to help students succeed in their least restrictive environments. Plus, this is my first episode where my guest is a general ed teacher!  Great things can happen when all parties team up to help students.  Don't be afraid to be proactive in collaborating with teachers and other stakeholders at your school! Here are a few of the topics we discussed:

• Creative incentives for behavior rewards
• Solve teasing problems by developing leaders
• Eliminating hunger can improve behavior
• How one student's kindness has gotten worldwide attention
• Teaching mindfulness
• Tips for special ed teachers/instructional aides in general ed classes
• At the end, I also added some tips and stories of my own from when I taught in the classroom.

This episode is releasing right after World Kindness Day, which works well since several stories are great examples of kindness! I hope one of the stories inspires you to go out and do something similar! Get links and more on the website: https://lisagoodell.com/podcast18

In this episode host, Lisa Goodell, speaks with Jenn Adams of Teach Love Autism. She shares some fantastic tips about how we can encourage our students to become as independent as possible, in and out of the class. We talk about why this is important, how she sets up her room with independent stations, and how to train others (such as paraprofessionals) to buy-in to this method.

We also discuss TEACCH tasks and using visuals, helping parents with task analysis to build independence at home, and how Jenn is able to have staff training during the school day when she teaches them about prompt hierarchies and utilizes her staff competency checklists.

Links & Resources:

• TEACCH website
• Jenn's blog post: 8 Questions about Independent Work Task Systems 
• Jenn's blog post: Differentiating Independent Work Stations
• Video showing Types of Prompts
• Available in Jenn's TpT Store: Independent Work Starter Kit and Errorless File Folders
• Jenn's website
• Jenn on Instagram: @teachloveautism
• Jenn on Facebook
• Jenn on Pinterest

Get the full show notes here.

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Chelsea Marelle. Before we get into her big move we discuss curriculum for different special ed populations, including leveled literacy interventions and interactive journals and math groups. We talk about class decor on walls, flexible seating and setting our children to find success.

Then Chelsea shares her moving experience and gives tips for moving to another state in the middle of the school year: how to interview, pack up, and start over with a new class or student population in January.

Get all the links and resources at https://lisagoodell.com/podcast16. This podcast is hosted by Lisa Goodell. #helpforspecialeduators #teacherpodcast @lisagoodellequip

I had a great talk with Chelsea Marelle for today's podcast interview about how special ed teachers can set up their classrooms to prevent common behavior problems such as impulsive behavior or refusing to work. I have broken up the interview into two parts.

In this part (Part 1), Chelsea describes how she designs the physical environment of her classroom, including having structure and routines built into the schedule, which will encourage on-task behavior. We give tips on listening centers, using paras, and ideas for curriculum in different settings.

In Part 2, we will finish our class set up discussion and she will share her wild experience with moving mid-year to another state, and the process of getting a new job. 
#helpforspecialeducators #specialed

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Kaylene Durbin, a college student who is just starting her credential program. Today we revisit the questions she asked last time.  Not only will I attempt to answer them, but I got help from other special educators online, and some have been past guests on the show!  Listen in as we answer questions that aspiring or new teacher might have. (Note that part one of this conversation is called, “New Special Ed Teacher Questions” and was episode 13). 

Questions answered in this episode:

• Besides learning classroom management, what are other benefits of teaching general ed a few years before becoming a special educator?
• What are for working with a student with ED (Emotional Disturbance)  who might be in your class?
• What accommodations are the hardest to implement?
• Why do sped teachers say that paperwork the hardest?
• What is some general advice for new teachers, or for college students pursuing a teaching credential?

Guest: Kaylene Durbin

Hi there! I’m Kaylene Durbin and I’m almost a teacher! I am finishing my undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies at Fresno State and will then begin the DUAL credential program (which included both Multiple Subjects and Special Education credentials). I currently work for California Teaching Fellows Foundation (CTFF) which gives me the opportunity to work inside a general education classroom.

I’ve had a passion for working with children since I was 12 years old. In my undergraduate program, I was required to observe in a special ed classroom and it was there that I fell in love with the environment and the students. I want to become a special educator so I can help students find success both academically and socially.

Links and Resources:

• Listen to Part 1 of this conversation here
• Zones of Regulation Program
• Here are Lisa's podcast episodes that go into more detail on Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP): Episode 5: How to Support Students with Behavior Plans and Episode 7: Talk Data to Me
• Teachers Need Teachers Podcast, hosted by Kim Lepre. You might be interested in listening to Episode 71: Giving advice for new elementary teachers (not sped, but most of the tips work for both).
• Closed Special Ed Teacher group on Facebook: Sped Ahead 
• Check out Lisa's new special ed teacher resources in her TpT Store (including freebies)
• Check out Lisa's blog, which has lots of articles which would interest new special ed teachers, both resource or self-contained, etc.

Special Thanks:
I want to thank those who helped answer Kaylene's questions. I have provided links for those who requested it (if I don't have your link listed, send it to me and I will add it).

• Jenn Hunter (guest on Episode 11) of Mrs Hunter Helps Here
• Colleen Vagnozzi
• Tiffany Manha (guest on Episode 1) 
• Heather Alexander Ayers
• Kim Lepre,