Resource teachers or resource facilitators traditionally taught in segregated situations. As students with challenging needs became included in the regular classes in their community schools, some resource teachers felt their role had been devalued or that what they had been doing was thought to be worthless. Many school districts recognized the pool of knowledge and skills that these teachers had about different learning styles, strategies for teaching, and knowledge of resources and materials. They saw how valuable they could be in supporting the teachers who would be including the students in their classes. It is now a matter of bringing the knowledge and skills into the classroom to the student, instead of taking the student to the knowledge and skills.
Roles of the resource teacher:
Parents need one teacher tol be their contact person and liaison with those working with the student. This role is often played by the resource facilitator, if there is one on staff. Sometimes, one of the teachers who has the student in class accepts the responsibility. This role should not fall to the teacher assistant since there are often educational decisions to be made which require the expertise of a teacher.Other roles include:
- Valuable member of the collaborative student planning team
- Facilitator of the team
- May be responsible for setting up the meetings
- Responsible for gathering the information generated at the meetings and having it recorded
- Assisting in writing the individualized education plan (IEP)
- Requesting professional support when needed
- Locating and ordering materials and equipment for learning
- Team teaching with the regular classroom teacher, allowing additional assistance to all students, including the one who has challenging needs
- Adapting materials to enable the student with challenging needs to participate in the regular curriculum
- Consulting with the teacher on strategies and teaching styles that will best meet the learning style of the student
