Profession early years special educational needs teacher

Early years special educational needs teachers provide specially-designed instruction to students with a variety of disabilities on a kindergarten level and ensure they reach their learning potential. Some early years special educational needs teachers work with children who have mild to moderate disabilities, implementing a modified curriculum to fit each student's specific needs. Other early years special educational needs teachers assist and instruct students with intellectual disabilities and autism, focusing on teaching them basic literacy and life skills. All teachers assess the students' progress, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses, and communicate their findings to parents, counselors, administrators and other parties involved.

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Personality Type

• Social / Artistic
• Social / Investigative
• Social / Realistic

Knowledge

• Learning difficulties

  The learning disorders some students face in an academic context, especially Specific Learning Difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and concentration deficit disorders.

• Children's physical development

  Recognise and describe the development, observing the following criteria: weight, length, and head size, nutritional requirements, renal function, hormonal influences on development, response to stress, and infection.

• Kindergarten school procedures

  The inner workings of a kindergarten, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, policies, and regulations.

• Disability types

  The nature and types of disabilities affecting the human beings such as physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional or developmental and the specific needs and access requirements of disabled people.

• Learning needs analysis

  The process of analysing a student's learning needs through observation and testing, potentially followed by the diagnosis of a learning disorder and a plan for additional support.

• Special needs education

  The teaching methods, equipment and settings used to support students with special needs in achieving succes in school or community.

• Curriculum objectives

  The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.

• Disability care

  The specific methods and practices used in providing care to people with physical, intellectual and learning disabilities.

Skills

• Assist students with equipment

  Provide assistance to students when working with (technical) equipment used in practice-based lessons and solve operational problems when necessary.

• Support the positiveness of youths

  Help children and young people to assess their social, emotional and identity needs and to develop a positive self image, enhance their self esteem and improve their self reliance.

• Provide specialised instruction for special needs students

  Instruct students in need of specialised attention, often in small groups, catering to their individual needs, disorders, and disabilities. Promote the psychological, social, creative or physical development of children and teenagers using specific methods such as concentration exercises, role-plays, movement training, and painting.

• Assist in children's development of basic personal skills

  Encourage and facilitate the development of children's natural curiosity and social and language abilities through creative and social activities such as storytelling, imaginative play, songs, drawing, and games.

• Perform classroom management

  Maintain discipline and engage students during instruction.

• Manage student relationships

  Manage the relations between students and between student and teacher. Act as a just authority and create an environment of trust and stability.

• Maintain relations with children's parents

  Inform children`s parents of the activities planned, program`s expectations and children`s individual progress.

• Observe student's progress

  Follow up on students’ learning progress and assess their achievements and needs.

• Maintain students' discipline

  Make sure students follow the rules and code of behaviour established in the school and take the appropriate measures in case of violation or misbehaviour.

• Teach kindergarten class content

  Instruct pre-primary students in basic learning principles, in preparation for future formal learning. Teach them the principles of certain basic subjects such as number, letter, and colour recognition, days of the week, and the categorisation of animals and vehicles.

• Give constructive feedback

  Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.

• Manage children's problems

  Promote the prevention, early detection, and management of children`s problems, focusing on developmental delays and disorders, behavioural problems, functional disabilities, social stresses, mental disorders including depression, and anxiety disorders.

• Demonstrate when teaching

  Present to others examples of your experience, skills, and competences that are appropriate to specific learning content to help students in their learning.

• Support children's wellbeing

  Provide an environment that supports and values children and helps them to manage their own feelings and relationships with others.

• Guarantee students' safety

  Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.

• Implement care programmes for children

  Perform activities with children according to their physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs by using appropriate tools and equipment that facilitate interaction and learning activities.

• Prepare lesson content

  Prepare content to be taught in class in accordance with curriculum objectives by drafting exercises, researching up-to-date examples etc.

• Apply teaching strategies

  Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners' level, goals, and priorities.

• Adapt teaching to student's capabilities

  Identify the learning struggles and successes of students. Select teaching and learning strategies that support students’ individual learning needs and goals.

• Apply intercultural teaching strategies

  Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.

• Attend to children's basic physical needs

  Tend to children by feeding them, dressing them, and, if necessary, regularly changing their diapers in a sanitary manner.

• Assess the development of youth

  Evaluate the different aspects of development needs of children and young people.

• Encourage students to acknowledge their achievements

  Stimulate students to appreciate their own achievements and actions to nurture confidence and educational growth.

• Assist students in their learning

  Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB