Empowering Paraeducators to Foster Student Ownership

This session equips paraeducators with the mindset, language, and practical strategies needed to promote true student ownership of learning. Too often, support staff feel pressure to “rescue” students by providing answers, prompting too quickly, or over-scaffolding. While well-intentioned, these habits can unintentionally limit students’ independence and confidence. In this interactive presentation, participants will learn how to strike the right balance between support and autonomy. We will explore the difference between helping and overhelping, examine common classroom scenarios, and practice using prompts that encourage students to think, try, persist, and problem-solve. Paraeducators will gain tools for: - Encouraging productive struggle while maintaining emotional safety - Using questioning techniques that shift cognitive work back to students - Fading support strategically without withholding access - Building student confidence, agency, and accountability - Collaborating with teachers to reinforce a culture of academic ownership By the end of the session, paraeducators will feel empowered to guide students toward greater independence—supporting not just task completion, but genuine growth as learners.