Course Description

This certificate program prepares participants to assist classroom teachers in the instruction of mathematics, reading and writing. Required courses offer an overview of the duties and expectations of an instructional paraprofessional (teacher's aide) and an introduction to child development. Elective courses allow participants to explore instruction-related topics such as classroom management, teaching and learning theories, and instructional methods. 

Participants will be prepared to take the ETS ParaPro Assessment upon completion of this course.

Course Outline

Participants must successfully complete five required courses and three elective courses in order to receive the certificate.

Required

Paraprofessional Training

Investigate the requirements for becoming an instructional paraprofessional (teacher's aide), including classroom management and instructional skills. This course must be completed first.

Child Development

Explore child development from several different viewpoints, including biological, cognitive, social, language, and peer and family relationships.

Teaching Math

Review the basic math skills required for the skills assessment and explore ways to present math content to students at all levels.

Teaching Reading

Review the basic reading skills required for the skills assessment and explore ways to present reading content to students at all levels.

Teaching Writing

Review the basic writing skills required for the skills assessment and explore ways to present writing content to students at all levels.

Electives

Classroom Management

Explore various approaches to classroom and student behavior management.

Differentiated Instruction in the Inclusive Classroom

Learn various instructional strategies for presenting course content to a variety of students with varying backgrounds and skillsets.

Motivating Students

Identify ways to get and keep students' attention and get them excited about learning.

Learning Styles in the Classroom

Identify your own learning style and learn how to incorporate activities that appeal to a variety of learning styles.

Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

Explore how the Multiple Intelligences theory can be used to help identify students' strengths and weaknesses and help them to better learn any subject.

Fundamentals of Instructional Design

Design a unit of instruction, from course objectives to course content and assessment.

Notes

Participants will have 12 months to complete this self-paced online course.

Software Requirements

This course requires word processing software such as Microsoft Word, OpenOffice or Google Docs in order for to follow along with course lessons. The cost of the software is not included in the purchase of the course. Free trials of Microsoft Word may be available from Microsoft, but may not last the duration of the course.

Exam Information

Participants will be prepared to take the ETS ParaPro Assessment upon completion of this course.

Students must find and register with a testing center in their area. Each state has their own minimum passing score, so students should be aware of the score they must achieve in order to pass the assessment.

• Cable/DSL internet connection recommended for best experience

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 2 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280x720 or higher
• Speakers/headphones
• Microphone (webinar/live online sessions)

• Microsoft Windows 7 or 10 (Home, Pro)
• Mac OSX 10 or higher
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux distributions
  • NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses.

• Latest Google Chrome recommended for best experience
• Latest Mozilla Firefox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader or FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software (denoted in course outline above)