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.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• 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:

• 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.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking 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 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.

• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 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).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• 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).
• 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).

People in this career often do these activities:

• Establish rules or policies governing student behavior.
• Maintain student records.
• Prepare reports detailing student activities or performance.
• Develop strategies or programs for students with special needs.
• Collaborate with other teaching professionals to develop educational programs.

• Develop instructional objectives.
• Set up classroom materials or equipment.
• Teach life skills.
• Discuss problems or issues with supervisors.
• Discuss student progress with parents or guardians.
• Encourage students.
• Modify teaching methods or materials to accommodate student needs.
• Monitor student performance.
• Monitor student behavior, social development, or health.
• Evaluate student work.
• Advise students on academic or career matters.
• Direct activities of subordinates.
• Plan educational activities.
• Create technology-based learning materials.
• Assist students with special educational needs.
• Apply multiple teaching methods.
• Administer tests to assess educational needs or progress.
• Prepare tests.
• Teach vocational courses.
• Document lesson plans.
• Teach others to use technology or equipment.
• Attend training sessions or professional meetings to develop or maintain professional knowledge.
• Serve on institutional or departmental committees.
• Plan experiential learning activities.
• 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.
• Tutor students who need extra assistance.

• 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