Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

People in this career often have these skills:

• 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.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• 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.

• 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.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• 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 that there is a problem.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• 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).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• 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).
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
• Monitor student performance.
• Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
• Evaluate student work.
• Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.

• Teach life skills.
• Maintain student records.
• Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.
• Apply multiple teaching methods.
• Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
• Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
• Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
• Set up classroom materials or equipment.
• Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.
• Plan educational activities.
• Develop instructional objectives.
• Direct activities of subordinates.
• Encourage students.
• Advise students on academic or career matters.
• Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
• Prepare tests.
• Document lesson plans.
• Teach vocational courses.
• Teach others to use technology or equipment.
• Create technology-based learning materials.
• Assist students with special educational needs.
• Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
• Tutor students who need extra assistance.
• Plan experiential learning activities.
• Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
• Supervise school or student activities.
• Coordinate student extracurricular activities.
• Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
• Distribute instructional or library materials.
• Order instructional or library materials or equipment.

• Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education

• Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

• Special Education Teachers, Middle School

• Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

• Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors

• Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

• Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare

• Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors

• Instructional Coordinators

• Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education