Special Educators Resource Room Podcast: Real Talk for Special Education Teachers

Do your small groups keep getting interrupted by students who won't get started, stop working halfway through, or constantly ask for help?

Those interruptions aren't random—they're giving you valuable information about what's working (and what's not) in your classroom routines.

In this episode, I'll walk you through the five most common student behaviors I look for while teaching a small group and explain what each one tells me about what to adjust before back-to-school. Instead of trying to fix everything at once, you'll learn how to identify the one change that will have the biggest impact on student independence.

Whether you teach in a resource room, self-contained classroom, or inclusion setting, this episode will help you spend less time putting out fires and more time teaching your students.

Important Links:

• Special Educators Summer Series on YouTube - Playlist Link
• Independent Work Club and Task Box Club Library

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

Can your classroom keep learning while you're teaching a small group?

In this episode, we're putting your independent work system to the test. I'll share why independent work was never about keeping students busy in my resource room—it was about making every learning minute count. Then we'll walk through a simple five-minute "Small Group Test" to help you identify exactly where your system is strong and where it still needs support before back-to-school.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why independent work is not busy work
• The real purpose of an independent work system
• The 3 questions to ask while teaching a small group
• How to identify the biggest "leak" in your classroom routine
• Why every breakdown is valuable diagnostic information—not failure

Whether you're teaching in a resource room, self-contained classroom, or inclusion setting, this episode will help you build a classroom where students continue learning while you provide the individualized support they need.

Important Links:

Special Educators Summer Series on YouTube - Playlist Link

Independent Work Club and Task Box Club Library

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

Build Your Independent Work System - Week 6 of Special Educators Summer Series

Setting up an independent work system is only half the job—students need to be taught how to use it. In this episode, Jennifer shares a simple four-step teaching sequence that helps students build independence, reduces prompt dependence, and creates consistent routines for both students and paraprofessionals. 

Learn how slowing down at the beginning of the year can save time all year long.

Important Links:

Special Educators Summer Series at Positively Learning on YouTube

Task Box Club and Independent Work Club Library

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

If your students are constantly asking, "What's next?" or support staff isn't sure how independent work should flow, this episode is for you. 

This is Week 5 of the Special Educators Summer Series and we're covering the K in the TASKS Framework: Keep It Consistent. You'll learn the five simple components that help students move through independent work with confidence while giving paraprofessionals, substitutes, and student teachers a routine that's easy to follow.

Links & Resources

• Build Your Independent Work System Summer Series on YouTube
• Free Task Box Labels
• Task Box Club / Independent Work Club

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

There is a difference between a task a student can do and a task a student can do independently.

Most classroom activities are designed for the first. Independent work requires the second.

In this episode, we're talking about one of the most important parts of building an independent work system: setting up the task itself.

Every independent task needs three things:

• A clear start
• A clear work signal
• A clear finish

This week's challenge is simple: choose one task, find one gap, and make one change.

Need some free tasks to get started? 

Grab your sets from Positively Learning:

https://positivelylearningblog.com/the-3-task-boxes-id-pick-for-you/

Want to jump ahead to the entire library? Check out the Task Box Club:

 https://positivelylearningblog.com/membership_resources/

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

Special Educators Summer Series Week 3 - What You Actually Need to Build the Tasks. We're in the TASKS Framework. Last week was the T — Think it through — and your homework was three priority skills written down before you searched for a single material. Today is the A. Access your materials.

Be sure to follow along the teacher summer series at Positively Learning on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FR0bpZ27pNw

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

Most teachers build independent work by finding things that look good. This episode is about doing it the other way around — starting with the skills your students actually need, before you open TPT or search for a single material.

This is the T in the TASKS Framework: Think it through.

In this episode:

• Why starting with activities instead of skills is what keeps independent work from ever really sticking
• Five questions to ask before you download anything
• How to write down three priority skills that become your filter for every independent work decision this year

Homework: Write down three priority skills before you search for a single material. That list is what you're bringing into next week.

This is episode 2 of 9 in the Special Educators Summer Series. 

Follow along @Positively Learning on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PositivelyLearning

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

If independent work keeps falling apart in your classroom, this episode is for you.

Many special educators assume they need better activities, more task boxes, or more resources.

But most independent work problems aren't actually material problems.

They're system problems.

In this episode, we're kicking off the Special Educators Summer Series by looking at where independent work usually breaks down and how to identify the first leak in your current system.

📺 Subscribe on YouTube to catch new live videos every Wednesday!
Positively Learning on YouTube

📦 Explore the Task Box Club Library:
Task Box Club

Because independent work isn't about finding more activities.

It's about building a system that helps students know what to do, how to do it, and what happens next.

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

End-of-Year Classroom This or That

Today’s episode is a lighter end-of-year conversation all about classroom “this or that” choices in special education classrooms.

We’re walking through a few end-of-year teacher opinions, routines, and classroom decisions that can either make this season feel calmer… or accidentally make it harder.

Inside this episode:

🟡 Teacher-led classroom pack-up vs. students helping
🟡 Brand-new activities vs. familiar favorites
🟡 Overpacked spirit weeks vs. predictable fun
🟡 Countdown chains vs. calmer end-of-year language

and more! 

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning

The end of the school year reveals a lot about how a classroom is really functioning.

In this episode, we’re talking about what late May behavior, routines, and classroom energy might actually be telling you — especially in special education classrooms where so much depends on structure and predictability.

Inside this episode:

🟡 Why some routines are still working (even when everyone is tired)
🟡 What end-of-year exhaustion reveals about classroom systems
🟡 How to notice which routines truly support independence
🟡 Why simpler systems often survive May better than complicated ones

This isn’t about overhauling your classroom before summer.

It’s about noticing what reduced stress, created independence, and helped your classroom keep moving — because those are usually the systems worth keeping.

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/

Join the Facebook group

I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning