Summary Report for:
25-2041.00 - Special Education Teachers, Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary School
Teach elementary and preschool school subjects to educationally and physically handicapped students. Includes teachers who specialize and work with audibly and visually handicapped students and those who teach basic academic and life processes skills to the mentally impaired.
Sample of reported job titles:
Special Education Teacher, Resource Teacher, Teacher, Preschool Special Education Teacher, Intervention Specialist, Exceptional Student Education Teacher (ESE Teacher), Early Interventionist, Teacher of the Handicapped, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher (EC Special Education Teacher), SED Elementary Teacher (Severe Emotional Disorders Elementary Teacher)
Tasks | Tools & Technology | Knowledge | Skills | Abilities | Work Activities | Work Context | Job Zone | Interests | Work Styles | Work Values | Related Occupations | Wages & Employment | Additional Information
Tasks
- Instruct students in academic subjects using a variety of techniques such as phonetics, multisensory learning, and repetition to reinforce learning and to meet students' varying needs and interests.
- Employ special educational strategies and techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, and memory.
- Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.
- Modify the general education curriculum for special-needs students based upon a variety of instructional techniques and technologies.
- Meet with parents and guardians to discuss their children's progress and to determine priorities for their children and their resource needs.
- Plan and conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate.
- Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students.
- Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, and professionals to develop individual educational plans designed to promote students' educational, physical, and social development.
- Maintain accurate and complete student records and prepare reports on children and activities, as required by laws, district policies, and administrative regulations.
- Establish clear objectives for all lessons, units, and projects and communicate those objectives to students.
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Tools & Technology
Tools used in this occupation:
| Adaptive communication switches for the physically challenged — Jellybean switches; Sound switches |
| Braille devices for the physically challenged — Braille slates; Braille styluses |
| Emergency medical services first aid kits — Emergency first aid kits |
| Game pads or joy sticks — Head operated joysticks; Mouth operated joysticks |
| Sand or water tables or activity centers — Sand tables; Water tables |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Computer based training software — Children's educational software; Text to speech software |
| Data base user interface and query software — Data entry software |
| Electronic mail software — Email software; Microsoft Outlook |
| Graphics or photo imaging software — Computer graphics software |
| Word processing software — Microsoft Word |
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Knowledge
| English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. |
| Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. |
| Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. |
| Mathematics — Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
| Computers and Electronics — Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. |
| Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
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Skills
| Instructing — Teaching others how to do something. |
| Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
| Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. |
| Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. |
| Time Management — Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
| Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. |
| Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
| Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
| Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. |
| Active Learning — Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. |
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Abilities
| Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
| Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
| Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
| Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
| Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
| Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
| Inductive Reasoning — The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
| Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. |
| Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
| Near Vision — The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
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Work Activities
| Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. |
| Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others. |
| Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form. |
| Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
| Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients. |
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Work Context
| Contact With Others — How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it? |
| Face-to-Face Discussions — How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job? |
| Work With Work Group or Team — How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job? |
| Freedom to Make Decisions — How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer? |
| Structured versus Unstructured Work — To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals? |
| Physical Proximity — To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people? |
| Duration of Typical Work Week — Number of hours typically worked in one week. |
| Telephone — How often do you have telephone conversations in this job? |
| Electronic Mail — How often do you use electronic mail in this job? |
| Indoors, Environmentally Controlled — How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions? |
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Job Zone
| Title |
Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed |
| Education |
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. |
| Related Experience |
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified. |
| Job Training |
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training. |
| Job Zone Examples |
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, sales managers, database administrators, teachers, chemists, environmental engineers, criminal investigators, and special agents. |
| SVP Range |
(7.0 to < 8.0) |
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Interests
Interest code: SA
| Social — Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others. |
| Artistic — Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules. |
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Work Styles
| Integrity — Job requires being honest and ethical. |
| Cooperation — Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. |
| Dependability — Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. |
| Concern for Others — Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job. |
| Self Control — Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. |
| Adaptability/Flexibility — Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. |
| Initiative — Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. |
| Persistence — Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. |
| Social Orientation — Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. |
| Stress Tolerance — Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. |
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Work Values
| Relationships — Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. |
| Working Conditions — Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions. |
| Achievement — Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
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Related Occupations
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Wages & Employment Trends
National
| Median wages (2008) |
$50,020 annual |
| Employment (2008) |
226,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2008-2018) |
Much faster than average (20% or higher)
|
| Projected need (2008-2018) |
102,900 additional employees |
State & National
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008 wage data
and 2008-2018 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2008-2018). "Projected need" represents job openings due to growth and net replacement.
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Sources of Additional Information
Disclaimer:
Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries.
Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
- Teachers special education
. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition.
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