GDG-P1 - Resource Teacher - Job Description

Immediate Supervisor: School Principal 

Functional Authority: Student Services Administrator

Education/Qualifications:

1. Must possess a Manitoba Teacher’s Certificate and preferably a Special Education Certificate. [M.R. 515/88(20)] ;

2. Must have a valid Manitoba Class 5 Driver's License (if working in more than one school).

Knowledge/Skills: 

Must demonstrate a knowledge of: 

1. Literacy, Numeracy and Social-Emotional teaching strategies 

2. Stages of child development

3. Child advocacy procedures

4. Informal diagnostic assessments and data collection/analysis

5. Program planning and implementation

6. Case management

Must possess skills in: 

1. Collaborating with and Supporting Teachers

2. Teaching students with exceptional needs

3. Leadership 

4. Management 

5. Effective and timely communication 

6. Interpersonal relations

7. Organization

Work Experience: 

1. Should have a minimum of two years of classroom teaching experience

2. Previous teaching experience involving appropriate education programming 

Position Summary: 

Prairie Spirit School Division follows the guidelines set out in the Handbook for Resource Teachers in Manitoba Schools.

Resource teachers, like all school staff, have a set of professional and personal responsibilities that define the scope of activities within their school-based roles . One of the primary universal roles of resource teachers is to provide service and support to teachers and students within the context of fostering positive relationships in an inclusive learning environment (see page 7 of Manitoba Education, Towards Inclusion: Supporting Positive Behaviour in Manitoba Classrooms) . When the primary role of the resource teacher in an inclusive school environment focuses on supporting and working with classroom teachers, all students benefit . Resource teacher roles may also include leadership, management, and other resource duties to support teachers and students . 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Resource teachers work with classroom teachers to address the diverse learning needs of students in the school by gathering and sharing information, modeling strategies, and supporting the planning for and implementation of appropriate educational programming.

The diversity of student populations demands that teachers use a variety of instructional approaches, rather than a “one-size-fits-all” approach . Teachers need to plan actively for appropriate educational programming that enhances the full participation of students with exceptional learning needs in the classroom. 

Providing support to classroom/content area teachers will enable these teachers to address the diverse needs of all their students. The classroom teachers work together with the resource teacher to identify the strengths and needs of the students within the classroom. 

The Resource Teacher provides support to teachers in the following ways: 

1. Work as a member of the student’s educational team to establish appropriate program goals for students with exceptional needs

2. Work as a member of the student’s educational team in early identification of support needs, including implementing and analyzing Tier 2 assessments and conducting annual hearing screening

3. Organize conferences with the appropriate members of the student’s educational team for the following situations:   

• Pre-referral meeting

• follow up to observation and testing

• program planning

• monitoring program implementation and evaluation

4. Ensure that Student Specific Plans (SSPs) are developed for those students who require them

5. Monitor the progress of all students with SSPs

6. Assist Classroom Teachers and Principals in keeping parents fully informed of the progress of students with SSPs

7. Consult divisional clinicians regarding general student needs when appropriate

8. Complete and process referral forms for clinical services and outside agencies once the decision has been made for a formal referral

9. Assist with the intake and placement of new students

10. Provide information for the professional development of Teachers and Educational Assistants

11. Provide information and materials to assist in the implementation of curriculum and instructional strategies

12. Assist Classroom Teachers with specific teaching strategies and program differentiation. adaptation, modification, and individualization

13. Collaborate in the organization of the Welcome to Kindergarten program

14. Attend pre-Kindergarten transition meetings and organize Transition to Adulthood meetings

15. Train, supervise, and support Educational Assistants; 

16. Be a member of the school crisis intervention team.

The Resource Teacher provides direct service to students in the following ways: 

1. Analysis and assessment of student needs

2. Short-term interventions and long-term skill-building as appropriate

3. Acting as support in those schools who do not have school counsellors assigned, by providing emotional and behavioural support to students. 

The Resource Teacher is a Case Manager for students with an SSP:

It is the responsibility of the Resource Teacher to: 

1. Arrange and chair team/SSP meetings

2. Prepare agendas for SSP meetings 

3. Coordinate the development of SSPs with the guardians, student (where appropriate) and the school team

4. Take and share meeting minutes and signed SSPs

5. Act as a contact person for other agencies 

6. Obtain relevant information from other schools/agencies for students transitioning into school

7. Develop timetables for Educational Assistants

8. Complete transition plans according to divisional procedures and the Guidelines For Early Childhood Transition To School For Children With Special Needs and Bridging to Adulthood provincial protocols.

9. Follow the divisional report writing and documentation procedures

10. Establish resource files according to divisional and Manitoba Pupil File Guidelines 

The Resource Teacher is a Leader in the school:

Developing a school profile is a process by which in-school teams meet to determine the classroom context through descriptive information collected about the students within the class. This information, which is stored in the divisional school profile template, assists the in-school teams in determining how they might work in meaningful ways with the classroom teacher. The school profile provides for a more efficient and effective service delivery by determining where supports are needed the most.

Resource teachers have a leadership role in the implementation of the student service delivery model(s) within the school setting. They provide leadership by staying current in the field of student services to assist and support the school community in understanding and promoting inclusive educational practices.  

Often school divisions/schools invest time and resources to ensure that resource teachers have up-to-date professional learning opportunities, with the expectation that they will share this training with other staff members within their school division/school. Resource teachers will be expected to take a leadership role in the school community, where they will establish and maintain an ongoing professional relationship with school staff, clinicians, and other service providers who work with students in the school