Being a first year Special Education teacher on Pinterest can be overwhelming! I remember when I first started teaching and Pinterest was a baby. Now, things are very different. Pinterest is saturated with ideas and so many of them seem unattainable. I’m guessing if you’re a first year teacher you want the BASICS to get started in the classroom and you don’t want to feel overwhelmed. I’ve got you covered.
I’m sharing 10 boards that you’re going to want to check out as you set up your first special education classroom.
1. IEP Meeting Paperwork and Prep — check it out
One of the first things you really want to focus on in your career as a Special Education teacher is how to start doing your paperwork correctly and how to set up systems to make the paperwork smoother. This board is one of my favorites for that! It is full of ideas to get paperwork systems up and running so IEP writing can be a breeze!
2. Language Arts Activities for the Special Education Classroom — check it out
I think we can all agree that it’s pretty important to start teaching your students academic skills when they’re in the classroom. This board is jam packed with ideas for language arts activities in the classroom. If you’re looking for no prep activities, there are tons here. Need a hands on activity? You’ll find one here! Teaching in the K-1 setting, I focus a lot on basic reading skills in the classroom. This board will give you tons of ideas for your beginning readers.
3. Math Activities for the Special Education Classroom — check it out
When you’re looking for math activities, this board is a go to. I have grabbed pins from all over Pinterest that focus on basic number and math skills you’re likely to teach in the K-1 classroom. If you need a quick print and go activity for a specific skill, you’ll definitely find inspiration here. Need a hands on activity to build understanding? There are tons of ideas!
4. Fine Motor Activities — check it out
Fine motor has been my jam this past school year and I suspect it’s going to continue to be an area of focus in the coming year. This board is packed with activities to get little fingers moving and closer to writing. You’ll find tons of seasonal and nonseasonal activities on this board that your students are sure to love!
5. Behavior, Reinforcement, and Prompting, Oh my! — check it out
If you’re teaching Special Education (especially in the self contained or Autism settings) you’re going to want to check this board out. The use of positive behavior interventions are abundant in my classroom and I try to curate those ideas into this Pinterest board. If you’re looking for behavior strategies or a reinforcement system to use in the classroom, take a peek!
6. Special Education Community Pinterest Board — check it out
This board is full of greatness! This is a collaborative board that is run by a variety of Special Education bloggers. We all add our best content to this board in order to share ideas and expertise. If you’re struggling with where to start for a specific skill, you will definitely want to check out this board for inspiration!
7. We Teach Special Education — check it out
This is a great collaborative board that I contribute to with a bunch of Special Education blogger friends. There are a TON of great ideas to implement in any classroom. I use this board as a go to when I’m struggling with an idea in the classroom or want to figure out how I can best implement evidence based practices in the classroom.
8. Preschool & Elementary Autism Classroom Resources — check it out
This is THE board to check out if you’re teaching in an Autism specific classroom. The ideas shared to this board are great for our visual learners and I have used so many of the ideas in my own classroom!
9. Data Collection — check it out
Data is king in our realm of education. I have shared a ton of ideas about data collection on the blog, but this board is full of those ideas plus some of the best data collection systems I have seen on Pinterest. There are tons of tips to make data collection manageable for your classroom as well as inspiration for systems to implement data collection systems for your entire team.
10. You AUT-a Know — check it out
This is like my home board. If I’ve blogged about it or made a resource for it, you’re going to find the pin here. All of the pins on this board were created by me and are there to support you in developing systems and activities for your classroom.
I hope these boards inspired you to start looking at Pinterest for ideas to use in your classroom and that you aren’t overwhelmed by all the ideas you will find on Pinterest. As you get started on Pinterest, I think it’s important that you go in with a goal in mind. What do you want to implement? What are you struggling with and need a solution to? This helps you focus your search and come up with solutions rather than coming out overwhelmed 4 hours after you began searching.
