Junior Primary

COMMON DISORDERS IN SCHOOLS

ALL STAFF IN ALL AGES MAINSTREAM OR SPECIAL EDUCATION - including School Support staff, Early Career Teaching staff and TRTS

PRESENTER - KYMBERLY LOUISE, BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTIST

This workshop is intended for all school staff working with students who would like to gain a greater understanding of the factors relating to some of the more common disorders and learning/social difficulties found in classrooms. While most suited for school support staff, this workshop will act as a refresher for other staff who might benefit from a crash course in disorders such as Autism, ADD/ADHD, speech and language delay, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and depression/anxiety.

Learning outcomes for this workshop include:

• An awareness of the incidence and prevalence of common disorders in Australian classrooms
• Understanding what science can tell us about the physical, cognitive, and psychological factors that relate to the disorders
• Understanding how these disorders might impact learning and behaviour
• Awareness of reliable resources to further understanding and responsiveness in your practice
• Discussion of strategies to use in your practice to promote a positive learning experience for students and staff
  
  

FLYER

DUE TO CURRENT RESTRICTIONS THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED.

7 STEP POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT SYSTEM

ALL SCHOOL AND EARLY YEARS STAFF WORKSHOP - MAINSTREAM AND SPECIAL EDUCATION. Less suitable for TRT staff unless having an explicit interest in PBS practices and/or attend with the teaching/leadership team)

PRESENTER - KYMBERLY LOUISE, BEHAVIOURAL SCIENTIST

This workshop is best suited for staff teams to participate, as strategies discussed can involve hands-on 1-1 interaction, or site-wide change to reduce the instances of challenging functional behaviour.

This workshop will provide participants with a plan for learning how to identify and respond to the function of students’ behaviour in order to create positive outcomes for students, leading to calmer classrooms and better quality of life outcomes for students and staff.

Suitable for all school staff, the 7 step process will introduce you to a systematic approach to reducing behaviours of concern in the educational environment. It is based on systematic processes derived from decades of evidence based practice in psychology, disability, and education.

Learning outcomes include:

• Understanding methods for detecting functions for behaviours of concern
• Awareness of how the environment may be contributing to student’s behaviours of concern
• Developing strategies for preventing and responding to behaviours of concern ethically and sustainably.

FLYER

SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH GAPS IN THEIR PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS AND PHONICS KNOWLEDGE: PROGRESSING FROM DECODING TO COMPREHENSION OF TEXT

ALL STAFF IN JUNIOR PRIMARY, PRIMARY, MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTINGS INLCUDING LEADERSHIP, SPECIAL EDUCATION AND SUBJECT COORDINATORS, CLASSROOM TEACHERS, AND SUPPORT STAFF

PRESENTER - DR KARYN CARSON, SPECIALIST LITERACY TEACHER & EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

This workshop will evaluate research evidence on how to best support children struggling with the decoding phase of learning how to read. With a focus on phonological awareness and phonics development, participants will explore and apply evidence-based methods designed to support struggling readers to progress from ‘learning how to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ in classroom contexts and within a tiered framework of support.

Learning outcomes for this workshop include:

• Understanding why some children struggle with the decoding phase of learning how to read
• Understanding how to apply evidence-based methods to identify if phonological awareness and phonics knowledge are limiting decoding ability
• Increased knowledge of how to target complex phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge to support accurate and fluent decoding of text
• Increased knowledge of the relationships between decoding skills and the comprehension of written text, and the need to adjust along the Australian Curriculum for children struggling with decoding.

FLYER

DUE TO CURRENT RESTRICTIONS THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL 2021.

NAVIGATING COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL INTERACTIONS FOR STUDENTS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

ALL STAFF IN JUNIOR PRIMARY, PRIMARY, MIDDLE, SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

ALL STAFF IN EARLY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS INCLUDING CHILD CARE, EARLY LEARNING CENTRES, KINDERGARTEN AND PRESCHOOL

PRESENTER - LIBERTY GATES, SPEECH PATHOLOGIST, LIBERTY SPEECH PATHOLOGY

This workshop is intended for all school staff working with students or involved in planning, program or policy development for students on the Autism spectrum. The workshop will provide a brief introduction to Autism, followed by a comprehensive review of communication issues for kids and teens on the Autism Spectrum, including:

• Students who can’t communicate verbally
• Difficulties having a conversation
• Difficulties understanding another person’s perspective
• Over-sharing about their strong interest
• Difficulties with understanding and solving problems
• Difficulties understanding that their knowledge/thoughts/beliefs could be different from someone else’s knowledge/thoughts/beliefs
• Difficulties understanding hidden intents, such as ulterior motives and advertising
• Difficulties understanding figurative language.

FLYER

DUE TO CURRENT RESTRICTIONS THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL 2021.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS...WHILE THRIVING AS AN EARLY CAREER TEACHER

EARLY CAREER TEACHERS (FIRST 3-5 YEARS) IN JUNIOR PRIMARY, PRIMARY, MIDDLE, SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTINGS (INCLUDING CLASSROOM TEACHERS AND TRTS)

PRESENTER - DR JANE JARVIS, SENIOR LECTURER IN EDUCATION, FLINDERS UNIVERSITY

This workshop is intended for classroom teachers working with academically diverse students, and is especially designed for teachers in their first five years of practice. Most early career teachers arrive at school keen to establish an inclusive classroom, however, it can be challenging to apply the theory in practice at a time when the curriculum still seems unfamiliar and classroom management practices are still developing. This workshop provides an opportunity to refresh your understanding of the key principles and practices of effective differentiation, with a particular focus on realistic ways to get started with inclusive practices in the first few years of teaching, and build solid foundations for working towards more effective differentiation in the future. We will discuss teaching strategies that take relatively little preparation; critical areas of classroom practice that can support a differentiated approach; and how to set and evaluate reasonable goals for differentiation in the first few years of teaching. Participants will have a good chance to share and reflect on their experiences of differentiation in a collegial atmosphere.

Learning outcomes for this workshop include:

• Review the key, evidence-based principles that form the foundation for effective differentiation
• Identify a small number of ‘go to’ strategies for differentiation that can apply across settings
• Consider classroom management strategies that can facilitate effective differentiation
• Share and reflect on your experiences of differentiation so far, and set achievable goals for professional growth
• Add new differentiation strategies to your teaching repertoire.

FLYER

DUE TO CURRENT RESTRICTIONS THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL 2021.