CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2012
Educa9on Support Resources for
Welcome to the first edi/on of Teacher Aides’ Support for 2012, I hope the craziness of the first few weeks at school is star/ng to die down and you are energized and ready for the year ahead. We are very excited to present a new format of our newsleFer and as always -‐ it is a space designed with teacher aides in mind! The theme for this newsleFer is how we learn best and crea/ng opportuni/es for all learners to succeed. In the last edi/on I talked about the idea that one size does not fit all ... not always and it is fiHng to start the New Year reflec/ng on this. You will find a new Insights and Informa9on sec/on, which is presented as an insert that you can copy and share. It is designed to be hole -‐ punched, ready to be put into a Resource folder – just for you. This will be a regular feature and in each edi/on we will present a new insight for teacher aides. This month we look at learning styles and strategies to engage, support and scaffold effec/ve student learning. Our Ac9vity Space will give you ideas to excite your students and in you will also find quick 9ps for your tool box and classroom support. The popular Paren9ng ideas by Michael Grose has returned although I have selected a Teacher Professional Development ar/cle for this edi/on –
Hold winning mee9ngs with parents ... every 9me. Parents are a wonderful source of knowledge and like you are focused on the best interests of the child. March sees the changing of the seasons and the diary is jam packed with ideas including the celebra/ons of St Patrick’s Day and World Down Syndrome Day to inspire you. Planning is already underway for the 2012 Retreat – circle Monday, October 22 in your diary!
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2012
Ac$vity Space A great li0le idea from Pinterest kindly posted by Miss Kindergarten.
Teacher Aides’... Introduction
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Introducing...the “I’M DONE JAR”
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Wri$ng some ac$vi$es on paddlepop s$cks, adding a picture on the back for my students who need a li0le more help reading, & glued gems on the top just for fun. Normally, during group lessons you’ll have students who just ‘get it’ and finish their work waaaay before some other students have. Rather then tell those students to look at a book, this will assist them in being more crea$ve and give them a chance to figure out what to do without even having to ask the teacher. You can set up the rules as they suit you, but usually I’d tell them it’s a random pick and they have to take first pick. One day they might get to colour, another day read, write a le0er or draw a picture.
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Ruth Kirkby Education Support Specialist Email: ruth@churchilleducation.edu.au
IN THE DIARY 1 March World Maths Day World Maths Day allows students to play at home & at school against other students around the world in live games of mental arithmetic. http:// www.worldmathsday.com/Default.aspx
SIMPLE STEPS 1. Take a jar or $n 2. Decorate/Label “I’m Done” 3. Use Paddlepop s$cks (last longer) 4. Write a series of tasks on s$cks 5. Consider 2 jars colour coded with varying degrees of challenging tasks.
It is our privilege to introduce you to some amazing teacher aides in our new Profiles sec/on in 2012. This month we revisit Robyn Heit, a teacher aide at Albany Creek Sate School in QLD, and proud mother of Tara, who was born with Down syndrome.
4 March Clean up Australia Day Schools can be involved in Clean up Australia Day on Friday March 2 with Schools Clean up Day http:// www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/about/aboutthe-event/clean-up-for-schools
So grab a cuppa, a space to relax and make /me for you.......Un/l next month...Ruth
www.bullyingnoway.com.au/talkout/ nationalday.shtml
P.S If you have some ques/ons or would like some content covered in the future, please give me a call or send me an email.
green on this day to celebrate Irish culture.
16 March National Say NO to Bullying Day
Schools throughout Australia will celebrate the annual National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence.http://
17 March St Patrick’s Day Australia turns
DIY GAMES Encourage students to create their own games, based on a topic of learning. It will test their logic skills, engage their learning style & they’ll have a lot of fun. Visual & Kinaesthe$c learners will enjoy the use of colour & the ‘hands on’ approach while auditory learning styles will enjoy the opportunity for self talk & interac$on with others. WikiHow has $ps on how to create games at h0p://www.wikihow.com/Make-‐Your-‐Own-‐Board-‐Game All you need is cardboard, dice, art supplies & imagina$on.
Don’t forget!...
www.stpatricksday.org.au 20 March World Storytelling Day is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night. The theme for 2012 is Trees which links nicely to us! http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Storytelling_Day 21 March World Down Syndrome Day This date (21/3) represents the 3 copies of chromosome 21 which is unique with Down syndrome. http://www.ds-int.org/events/wdsd 21 March World Harmony Day In 2012 the Harmony theme Sport recognises the positive influence that sport can have in our multicultural nation. www.harmony.gov.au
To book your Free Tool Box Training Workshop (1 hour), delivered on site and Free of Charge. Like St Ambrose’s Catholic Primary School, you can have a free professional development workshop delivered at your school for up to 12 of your school officers. The earlier Tool Box Training Workshops that I released were very popular and received great feedback from parKcipants and principals... To avoid missing out, simply call now to book in your school for a workshop -‐ 1300 793 002 -‐ or send me an email. © Churchill Educa9on Pty Ltd 2012
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Learning Modali9es LEARNING STYLES
INSIGHTS & INFORMATION How do we learn best? At the beginning of a new school year it is important to make time to get to know your students, their interests, individual needs and how they learn best. Once a successful relationship is established, effective teaching and learning can occur! The idea of learning styles is that each person learns best if information is presented to them in a particular way. Once you know a student’s learning style, you can facilitate new learning so they will grasp it quickly and easily.
EDUCATION EDUCATIONSUPPORT SUPPORTNEWSLETTER NEWSLETTERFEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2012
Learning Style research has shown that many at risk or poorly achieving students have tac/le/kinaesthe/c learning strengths. When their individual learning needs are not met they may o\en disengage due to a lack of relevancy, repeated failure or a feeling of aliena/on. Research has shown consistently that when students are taught according to their individual learning style, their academic achievement increases as does their aHtude, self esteem, discipline and outlook toward the future. VermeZa & Sheehan Niagra University
Lecture!
Some/mes this means that, you have to present informa/on to a student in a way that will engage them but is not the way you learn best. However, if you do not aFempt to accommodate a student’s preferred learning style, you make it harder to get the message across, o\en leading to frustra/on on your part and lack of commitment from the student. A number of different ways of learning are recognised and auditory, visual and kinaesthe/c learning styles are just three of them. There are many resources that you can explore to iden/fy your own learning style and help you to understand how a student learns best. These include: hFp://www.googobits.com/ar/cles/719-‐understanding-‐ learning-‐styles.html hFp://www.child-‐central.com/learning-‐styles-‐children.html To find out a student's preferred style, you can also observe how, when given a choice, a student presents an assignment. Do they make an oral presenta/on? Act it out? Build a model? Draw something? Write something? Use a power point presenta/on? Once you iden/fy a child’s learning style, you can nourish the best his/her style. Schools o\en make use of methods that favour auditory and visual learners. Auditory students learn best through speaking and listening and enjoy group work in drama, music and debates. Visual students learn best by seeing. They remember page layouts when recalling informa/on. Kinaesthe/c learners are more doers that thinkers. They are “hands on” learners who need to be directly or physically involved. The Learning Modali/es diagram illustrates the benefits of this approach for all learners. Kinaesthe/c learners can find it difficult to sit s/ll and wait for informa/on to be given. They love to explore, are quite ac/ve and are o\en mistaken as rowdy and undisciplined as schools try to limit their movement.
Reading!
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Audio! visual!
Demonstration!
Discussion!Group! ! Practice!by!doing! !
Teach!others/Immediate! use!of!learning! !
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY
Gedng started -‐ student profiles... Here are some quick /ps for geHng to know more about the students you support. So very important in your role to have this understanding, allowing you to match your teaching with their individual learning needs.
1. Use items from your tool box, such as fidget toys, modelling clay, so\ balls or bubble blowing that are fun and engaging, to implement ac/vi/es that will develop safe, posi/ve, rela/onships with students.
2. Create a profile on each student or group. Note their background, interests, family members, friends, learning style, special needs, strengths, weaknesses, triggers, etc. Keep post it notes handy and add to this profile as you discover new things ...
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Average' retentio n'rate' ! ! 5%! ! ! ! 10%! ! ! 20%! ! ! 30%! ! ! 50%! ! ! ! 75%! ! ! ! 90%! ! !
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3. “Roam the know” – just like Reading Recovery, find out what a student can do and work with what knowledge they have to build up their confidence and self esteem. This creates a wonderful opportunity for praise as well as highligh/ng what the student needs to know and where they need to head.
4. Take a photo of your class, group or the student you support at the beginning of the year and collect and date work samples to add to your profile. Revisit these throughout the year to highlight growth and learning. (Make these photos fun by making weird & wonderful faces, poses or by dressing up)
5. Set learning or behaviour goals for a week, month, term or year. (e.g. mastering the tricky ‘e’ when wri/ng my name or being able to write an informa/on report on my own) Record these and place in an envelope, (stored in the profile) so they can be opened at a later date for review.
6. Nego/ate an agreement with each student to: a. outline expecta/ons of both the student and the teacher aide
Where our le\ hemisphere sees the parts to the whole, our right hemisphere understands the whole, big picture. Neither PerspecKve is wrong or less important but only the le\ has been rewarded in classrooms & on standardized tests. Allie Golan hFp://www.visual-‐learners.com/books-‐visual-‐spa/al-‐ learners.html
b. encourage posi/ve behaviour c. develop rules for the use of a fidget toy, such as a troll. This could take the form of a contract, agreement or cer/ficate and once signed, stored in the profile.
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EDUCATION EDUCATION SUPPORT SUPPORT NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2012 2012
CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2012
Learning Modali9es
Professional Development
Profile
Hold winning mee$ngs with parents...every $me! by Michael Grose-‐Australia’s No. 1 paren/ng educator It doesn’t maFer what level or posi/on you hold in a school you’ll be required to work with parents on a one-‐to-‐one basis at some stage. Here are some general principles & ideas to make it easier to work with parents. 1. Always work from the premise of ‘what’s in the best interests of the child.’ This is the star/ng premise towork from and should become the guiding principle in all mee/ngs with parents. This is a par/cularly useful premisewhen a parent’s personal issues or rela/onship issues get in the way and clouds their judgment. It’s best to establish this premise at the start of a mee/ng. ‘Thanks for coming along to this mee/ng. As you know we both want what’s best for your child and that will be the basis of our mee/ng today.’ 2. Always take notes. Seek permission if you think it wise. Always explain to parents that you are taking notes as a record of the mee/ng. This sends a strong message that you value parental input, and it also shows that you are listening to what they say. Records of mee/ngs are also useful to refer back to in the future.
Robyn Heit (le\), Tara Heit (right)
3. Always have a plan. Having a plan is difficult when you are ambushed by a parent but as much as possible go into a mee/ng with a plan of ac/on. This means bringing along work samples, and supplying proof of poor behaviour if that is the purpose of your mee/ng.
This month we’re geHng a glimpse into the special needs of suppor/ng a child with Down Syndrome. These /ps are shared by Robyn Heit, based on her experience as a mother to Tara Emily Rose Heit. Tara was born with Down syndrome and despite a degree of intellectual impairment and delayed developmental milestones, showed us that she could and would learn, proudly gradua/ng from High School. Robyn became a teacher aide a\er spending many years volunteering in the classroom to support Tara’s learning. Robyn has shared these strategies for suppor/ng a student with Down syndrome:
4. You set the agenda. Some/mes difficult parents can steer the agenda their way, bring in kids when it is inappropriate or try to bully less experienced teachers. Be firm at the start and set the rules and aims for the mee/ng.
* Tip to Remember: We have more in common than we are dissimilar Find the common ground to build a
1. Check the background of parents. Do your homework first by talking with other teachers, referring to notes or checking school records. This informa/on can be invaluable as you work towards posi/ve outcomes for kids. 2. Assess who should be present. Assess whether you should meet with parents alone, have a colleague present or have a senior teacher or school psychologist present. Similarly decide whether it’s best to have the child present for some or all of a mee/ng.
Tara & her sister Danika
3. ARend to comfort and calm. Consider how you can make people feel relaxed and at ease. If a parent is obviously angry then acknowledge the emo/on and work at ways at reducing anger so that you can focus on the issues as ra/onally as possible.
8. Follow-‐up. If no follow-‐up mee/ng has been arranged make a note in your diary to follow up the parents at some stage. Assess whether the follow-‐up needs to be done by phone, through a face-‐to-‐face mee/ng or an informal type of mee/ng. Published by Michael Grose Presenta5ons. All rights reserved www.paren5ngideas.com.au
Year 7
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Give constant praise.
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Expect and model respectul behaviour.
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Establish and adhere to rou/nes.
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Use clear, simple language.
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FM transmiFer may be used in classroom (to drown out classroom noise).
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Seat student where they can see and hear and away from distrac/ons.
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Low muscle tone can affect both gross and fine motor skills causing /redness therefore allow regular breaks.
More informa9on can be found at:
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Allow wait/take up /me for instruc/ons. Ask that they follow what is expected of them.
www.cdss.ca .
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Use clear, precise instruc/ons, not complex – one at a /me.
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Ensure repe//on of tasks.
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Break tasks into smaller manageable steps.
6. Maintain control. Generate a variety of possibili/es and op/ons before deciding what needs to be done. Work toward an outcome. Use objec/ve criteria, procedures and reasoning to underpin the thinking that leads to decisions. 7. Be prepared to stop the mee9ng if it gets out of control. If you feel threatened or a person won’t calm down then politely and firmly adjourn for another /me. Agree to an interim decision, if necessary, or make a considered decision yourself.
Use visuals – /metables, pictorial support, and self management tasks (e.g. a /ck sheet for completed tasks).
Insist on eye to eye contact to ensure instruc/ons have been heard.
4. Establish what parents know. Avoid assuming that a parent knows what’s going on with their child. Check with the parent first about what they know about a situa/on or the issue you are about to discuss. Take this knowledge into account when proceeding. 5. Focus on issues, not posi9on. Many mee/ngs are doomed before they start as one or either party takes a posi/on and spends most of the /me defending their posi/on. Help parents iden/fy the key issues and manage discussion around those. Priori/ze issues according to levels of importance & long term impact.
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rela9onship
Steps to follow
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A person with Down syndrome is an individual first and foremost. Use people first language-‐ emphasis should be on the person, not the disability.
Down Syndrome Associa/on -‐ www.dsaq.org.au CDSS Informa/on Series: Students with Down syndrome -‐