Special Education Expert - Volunteer Position - Onsite in Panama • North America - 12 months
United States
Posted on Jun 3, 2026
About The Project
Panama’s leading teacher training institution is looking for experienced educators with a passion for differentiated instruction to support the launch of a dedicated teacher training space.
Across Panama, schools are striving to make learning more equitable, yet many teacher training programs lack the specialized tools, adaptive materials, and hands-on environments needed to adequately prepare future educators. La Escuela Normal has the vision and commitment to transform how educators are trained. The school has completed the initial stages of creating their first innovative “laboratory” space where future teachers can learn, practice, and model education practices to engage students with specific needs. Envisioned as a practical training environment aligned with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, the laboratory will offer adapted materials, accessible technologies, and multisensory resources to model teaching best practices, especially in English language instruction.
As a Special Education Expert, you will support Escuela Normal to transform the newly established laboratory space into an innovative training hub that equips teachers-in-training with practical skills to teach English to all learners. In the short term, Escuela Normal students and university interns will strengthen their skills in applying adapted learning materials and methodologies and accessible technologies for English instruction. In the long term, your efforts will support the establishment of the province’s first permanent teaching laboratory and create a replicable national model that advances Panama’s broader goals for special education.
Activities
How you and the community will make an impact together:
Identify special education needs for English-language instruction.
Design curriculum strategies and adaptive learning materials to support every learner.
Develop multisensory and accessible educational resources.
Develop strategies to integrate accessible technologies into language learning.
Facilitate trainings and practice sessions on Universal Design for Learning, inclusive methodologies, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Support university partners during practicum activities in the Inclusive Classroom
Document to develop successful practices and co-create the institution’s final methodological guide.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as providing English tutoring and facilitating summer camps.
Required Skills
Qualified candidates will have the following criteria:
Bachelor's or master's degree in education or a related field.
AND
Two or more years of special education experience, preferably in one of the following areas: American Sign Language (ASL), speech therapy, occupational therapy, or working with visually-impaired.
Language: Spanish
APPLY BY : October 15, 2026
KNOW BY : December 1, 2026
DEPART ON : May 9, 2027
DURATION : 12 months
Panama’s leading teacher training institution is looking for experienced educators with a passion for differentiated instruction to support the launch of a dedicated teacher training space.
Across Panama, schools are striving to make learning more equitable, yet many teacher training programs lack the specialized tools, adaptive materials, and hands-on environments needed to adequately prepare future educators. La Escuela Normal has the vision and commitment to transform how educators are trained. The school has completed the initial stages of creating their first innovative “laboratory” space where future teachers can learn, practice, and model education practices to engage students with specific needs. Envisioned as a practical training environment aligned with the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, the laboratory will offer adapted materials, accessible technologies, and multisensory resources to model teaching best practices, especially in English language instruction.
As a Special Education Expert, you will support Escuela Normal to transform the newly established laboratory space into an innovative training hub that equips teachers-in-training with practical skills to teach English to all learners. In the short term, Escuela Normal students and university interns will strengthen their skills in applying adapted learning materials and methodologies and accessible technologies for English instruction. In the long term, your efforts will support the establishment of the province’s first permanent teaching laboratory and create a replicable national model that advances Panama’s broader goals for special education.
Activities
How you and the community will make an impact together:
Identify special education needs for English-language instruction.
Design curriculum strategies and adaptive learning materials to support every learner.
Develop multisensory and accessible educational resources.
Develop strategies to integrate accessible technologies into language learning.
Facilitate trainings and practice sessions on Universal Design for Learning, inclusive methodologies, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Support university partners during practicum activities in the Inclusive Classroom
Document to develop successful practices and co-create the institution’s final methodological guide.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as providing English tutoring and facilitating summer camps.
Required Skills
Qualified candidates will have the following criteria:
Bachelor's or master's degree in education or a related field.
AND
Two or more years of special education experience, preferably in one of the following areas: American Sign Language (ASL), speech therapy, occupational therapy, or working with visually-impaired.
Language: Spanish
- Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework in the past 8 years
- Completed college-level Elementary II Spanish semester (Elementary III in quarter system) within the past 6 years
- Score between 50-62 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam in the past 6 years
- Score Novice-High or Intermediate-Low on official American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in Spanish within the past 6 years
APPLY BY : October 15, 2026
KNOW BY : December 1, 2026
DEPART ON : May 9, 2027
DURATION : 12 months