Kourtney Barnum
Speaker Bio:
Kourtney Barnum has been teaching children with Autism in Hillsborough County for 10 years. Before she started teaching, she was a paraprofessional in classrooms for 3 years. She is a graduate of USF in Varying Exceptionalities and is currently attending USF as a grad student getting her masters in Autism and Severe Intellectual Disabilities. She has spent her whole life with people with special needs as she has an older sister with Rett Syndrome. Her sister has had a profound effect on her life and her teaching philosophy. She has sat on both sides of the IEP table as a sibling and advocate for her sister and as a teacher and advocate for her students.
Title:
Organizational Flow of an Elementary Classroom for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Description:
This presentation will provide information on how staff in the classroom can work together by building a team that increases the instructional flow. Information about the use of worksystems to support reading group instruction and the use of staff to assist with small group work will be offered. Instruction will be provided on Incorporating both large and small group work into the day to make sure all needs are being met. Additionally, there will be information about how to get co-staff to buy-in to the philosophy of the classroom, how to best use staff, and most importantly how to have fun in the classroom!
Objectives:
- How to maintain instructional flow in an ASD classroom
- How to plan use of staff in an ASD classroom
- How to create a team atmosphere & foster a positive working relationship and have fun in the classroom
- How to schedule assistants to work with students during the day
- How to structure the classroom to foster independence, social opportunities, increased academic time, etc.
