Building Winning Teams
09/18/2019
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In the summer of 2018, four WEA members went to Washington DC to create, revise and edit curriculum aimed at facilitating stronger relationships between certificated staff and paraeducators. Along with working on the curriculum, they also created micro credentials.
Micro credentials are a competency-based digital form of certification that can be issued for formal and informal professional learning experiences supporting educators in developing skills to improve their professional practice.
The work of the paraeducator/certificated teams from across the country was recently launched online through NEA.
WEA’s Action Coordinating Team paraeducators were invited to take part in this opportunity. Participants were asked to identify and recruit a certificated member to complete the Paraeducator-Teacher team needed for the project. Kent Association of Paraeducator member Rochelle Greenwell asked Kent EA teacher Kelsey Mueller to join her in the adventure. Seattle Education Association Paraeducator Marguerite Jones invited SEA teacher Judy Deignan to be on her team.
Greenwell and Mueller worked on building effective communications between the two adults (teacher andparaeducator) who are in the classroom. They evaluated and edited the preliminary language in their section and created two worksheets to complement their section.
Greenwell says that the work was arduous, but that they enjoyed their time and the connections they made. She adds that this kind of training is definitely needed.
“Our certificated staff is getting younger and the para staff are older. This was created to bridge the gap of the generations so the wealth of knowledge of both parties could be utilized and maximized to its fullest potential,” Greenwell says. “It was a phenomenal experience all the way around.”
NEA finished editing the micro credentials which are now available online. Greenwell says she hopes to have the opportunity to be one of the trainers when the new NEA training is implemented in Washington.