CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER MAY 2012
Education Support
CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER MAY 2012
Professional Development
Resources for Teacher Aides...
Go visual to manage kids Do you use a roster for kids’ jobs? Do you put two or three things you want each day on a list for your children to read?
Introduction The weather is changing and the days have been glorious, it is a wonderful time to live and work in Brisbane. Since our last newsletter I have had the pleasure of visiting several schools including St Flannan’s Catholic School, St John’s Anglican College, Northside Christian College, St John Fisher College and Samford State School and I continue to hear inspiring stories of the difference their teacher aides make to these school communities. Churchill Education have a teacher aide website www.teacheraidecourses.com.au as well as a facebook page, we invite you to share some of your stories on these sites or contact me at ruth@churchilleducation.edu.au so that I can profile the work of your school officers. We hope to create a community of practice where schools can share, support and inspire each other.
Do you use hand gestures such as pointing to a bedroom while you say a child’s name indicating you want them to go to their room? Angie Jones shares her story of success and I am pleased to offer some tips to get you started. Our Activity Space,
Parenting
Newsletter and Insights section this month are all about helping you get the students organised & their learning on track. As I put pen to paper NAPLAN is about to begin and I hope that this month’s newsletter will give you an excuse to take a break and make some time for you… Until next month … Ruth P.S: Spaces are still available for our Learning Support Co‐ordinators Workshop on Tuesday 5 June, 1.30 – 3pm at the Whitehouse, Samford Village. This session will share simple strategies to support the work of teacher aides and give an insight into the “tool box” that so many people are talking about …
This month we offer you support to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning in our Profile section. I have listened to many teacher aides who have been asked to jump through hoops to apply for recognition or even worse, are asked to study units of work, regardless of their expertise or experience. © Churchill Education Pty Ltd 2012
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Ruth Kirkby Education Support Specialist Email:ruth@churchilleducation.edu.au
IN THE DIARY 4‐8 June – National Cyber Security Awareness Week www.staysmartonline.gov.au 5 June ‐ World Environment Day www.unep.org/wed 14 June ‐ World Blood Donor Day www.donateblood.com.au
30 June ‐ This is the last day you can put your office staff & teacher aides through a n a t i o n a l l y r e c o g n i s e d qualification & receive $4000 in federal government incentives per eligible team member, including receiving the incentives by installments instead of a lump sum at the conclusion of the training.
If you do, congratulations! You are using the visual mode to help your kids be organised, be cooperative and be well‐behaved. Most homes are highly verbal and in that we rely on our words to ensure things get done. We tend to tell kids what to do through words rather than pictures or hand signals; relay important messages using words and even verbally give kids lists of things to do. This may appeal to auditory learners and also to easy kids. If you have a visual learner, and this includes most boys, or a child who likes to think they are calling the shots then your reliance solely on verbal messages will mean that not everything will get done, and a great deal of what you want to get done will be resisted. When we go verbal with our all our instructions we often teach kids to shut down. As a principle, try to go visual as much as possible when managing kids, and keep your words for conversations, relationship‐building and encouragement. Use visual prompts and reminders Here are two ways to go visual when you want to ‘manage’ your kids:
1.
Construct simple ‘to do’ lists. Help children remember routines by placing 3‐5 important things on charts and place them where he or she can see them. These can include bedroom cleaning routines, getting ready for school routines, getting ready for bed routines, and even chores rosters.
2.
Place non‐negotiables on signs. My son had a “KEEP OUT!” sign on his bedroom door as a child, indicating in strong terms to his sisters his wish for privacy. Fortress Bedroom it certainly was! Parents can do something similar when circumstances suit. For instance, if you have family meetings you can place simple rules on little signs such as “Talk about one thing at a time.” “No interruptions”. “Stick to the point.” By going visual you indicate that this is non‐negotiable and important. http://imaginationsoup.net/2012/03/kids‐at‐the‐library‐scavenger‐hunts‐gear‐routines‐more/
National Year of Reading 2012 Design a Library Card! So many options … • you could have a competition for each student to design a library card • Have each class design a mega library card and display the class card in the library with all the books the class borrows recorded on the card • Get your local community library involved & have them display the winning entries • Let technology shine – design an electronic library card, for example, in Powerpoint and create a new slide for each book borrowed, creating a slideshow of books your students read during the year
CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER MAY 2012
Tool Box Tips
CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER MAY 2012
LEARNING STYLES Getting Them Organised By Sandy Russo
On the theme of getting students organised, an extra, low cost tool box addition … a simple reminder bracelet ... can be made from strips of scrap paper. Write on the bracelet what the student needs to remember … whether that’s something for the next lesson, a take home reminder, or a visual prompt for the rest of the day. Staple the bracelet and use bright marker pens to keep the reminder front of mind. This strategy is great for a variety of ages and needs … and can effectively communicate with parents. The same strategy can be used in reverse by parents to remind the student to do something at school. You could even have the student make their own reminder bracelet, and don’t forget to add a little visual cue! Let your arty skills flourish.
Students with learning difficulties need simple structured routines to help them become organised within their daily lives, both at home and at school. This article looks at how to combat the chaos and disorganisation caused by short‐term memory problems with a combined effort by parents and teachers. How to combat disorganisation in the classroom
Teachers can help students by:
Behaviour Management‐Quick Tips As a mother of sons, I know that raising a boy generates different challenges than raising girls. I have loved this article by Michael Grose, “Raising boys is all about time and timing” and thought I’d share a snippet with you to help us to assist our boys to get organized. Their ability to focus ‐ Ever noticed how some boys will work at diminished capacity on anything that’s not important to them? This happens around schooling a lot. Give them a project that’s due in a week and they’ll amble along for six days and then focus like a laser beam the night before it’s due (often after a great deal of panic or a brief mental meltdown!) One way to get boys to focus is shorten their deadlines. Give them two days, not two weeks to do something. Even better shorten the deadline and give them a practical purpose ( or a tangible reward if you can’t think of a good purpose) for doing something – “hand this work in tomorrow and you’ll get ten minutes of free play!” Alternatively, if they drift along waiting until the last minute and then go into a mad panic, don’t sweat it. They may just be saving themselves for that big effort! The greatest gifts to give boys revolves around time. Not just your time, although that is important, particularly for dads whose time boys crave. In fact, most boys crave some one‐on‐one time with their dads, as long as it’s done a way that’s relevant to their age. But there’s two other time aspects to consider. First, give them time to mature and develop. Don’t expect them to be what you want them to be on your timing. Most boys take their time growing up. It takes patience and time to grow a boy…….. sometimes a decade or two. The other aspect refers to communicating with boys. Adults who do best with boys have a way of getting into their timeframe. They can talk with them about what interests them now, what’s important to them now, what’s grabbing their attention now. That’s relatively easy when your sons are under ten, but challenging when they are teenagers. You have to be a little cunning to get into a teenage boy’s timeframe. A parent who picks up a teenage boy from a party at midnight, just may have a better chance of getting into this timeframe and getting a window into what’s important than one who parents from a distance. So time and timing are the keys! Give boys time to mature, give them your time and get into their timeframe if you want to get on their wavelength. © Churchill Education Pty Ltd 2012
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•introducing colour coding in their class timetables, book coverings, sections in folders and using A4 coloured wallets •creating visual diaries and calendars with colour blocking for different subject areas and due dates for assignments •making checklists that are ticked off throughout the day so that the student knows everything has been done •providing time to check off the list •allowing students to practice the routine each day •creating special places for books to be stored so they are not mixed up in the student’s drawer or locker e.g. make a permanent space at the front of the class for each subject’s books and appoint monitors to hand out and collect the books providing fewer books to by including two subjects in the one book checking student diaries and ensuring that enough information has been included for a student to complete their homework writing ‘NONE’ in the diary if there is no homework set (to help parents!) making homework due dates the same day each week giving students you know have memory problems their homework list at the end of the day and having them show you they have placed the books needed in their bag breaking down large tasks into mini tasks that will be completed and handed up in stages Planning the homework and lesson requirements for the term in advance, and communicating with parents so they can plan the home routines around the time table (see Google Calendar)
Communication between school and home There are many ways of sharing lesson requirements, homework due dates and details of special events. For the teacher to communicate with students and parents they have the choice of:‐ • • • •
sending out a printed calendar that has been colour coded school diary using the mobile text messaging systems many schools now have emailing each parent and student with the assignment outlines due during the term © Churchill Education Pty Ltd 2012
CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER MAY 2012
Activity Space
CHURCHILL EDUCATION
EDUCATION SUPPORT NEWSLETTER MAY 2012
Profile: Angie Jones
Building Anchor Charts Angie Jones was ready to give up her dream of becoming a qualified Education Support Worker. Despite working as a teacher aide, Angie was not given the option of having her experience and skills recognised by her TAFE through Recognition of Prior Learning, (RPL). Instead she was forced to study the full Certificate III in Education Support qualification and as a working mother, finding the time for this was difficult. Combined with the frustration of studying units that she was already competent in, Angie gave up her Teacher Aide studies and disillusioned, she was almost ready to walk away …
We’ve all seen classroom charts and there is no doubt, they are valuable learning aids. An anchor chart is a chart that you create as a class, or as a working group, even if that group is a pair. They are a fun way to help your students retain information. Anchor charts can be on any topic and should be visually interesting. You can do some of the pre‐work on the anchor chart, for example, you might have a heading and a basic picture ready. Filling in the learning, though, is part of the magic … you talk together and work out the answers and then complete the anchor chart. And don’t be afraid to add texture to your anchor charts … stick pictures and objects to them, anything that will help your students visualize, learn and remember strategies and knowledge. Extension Inspiration: take a photo or a copy of your anchor charts and form them into a book that can go home with your students to help them (and their parents) with their homework. Anchor charts from one year could form the basis of a homework aid book for the following year.
A web search saw Angie find Churchill Education and we were able to match her work experience, (including her previous employment history in an administrative and managerial role), skills and knowledge with the units in the Certificate III qualification. Angie was overjoyed to discover that she could use RPL to complete the whole qualification and this was issued to her within 28 days of her enrolment. Angie’s luck was changing and within the next few months she found a permanent job as an Education Support Worker. Angie continues to go from strength to strength and is greatly appreciated by her school community! “Hi Ruth, I hope you are well. My job is going great and I now work every day except for Fridays. I got an email from the principal saying what a great job I was doing and what an asset I was to the school. Thank you for all you have done for me I will never forget it. Angie Jones” If you are looking to gain an Education Support qualification, make sure you talk about the possibility of RPL, even if you are a volunteer in a school. Completing courses such as “Support‐a‐Reader”, combined with in class reading support, could make you eligible!
Here are some tips to help fast track the RPL process:
Quick Tips Sometimes, getting organised can be about giving the mind a clear space to think about the task at hand. These handy Brain Break sticks can be great for behavior management (and are worth including in your tool box). When you think your students are drifting, or it is one of those very hot Queensland afternoons, then call Brain Break and delve into this low cost activity centre … a disposable cup with some coloured popsicle sticks, each bearing a different activity. The range of activities can be tailored to age groups. Have a loud kitchen timer, set it for 1 minute and let the Brain Break begin. Our favourites were doing the Macarena, 10 push‐ups, beach ball fun, or Rock/Paper/Scissors.
Have you attended any professional development activities that will assist you in gaining Recognition of Prior Learning? Following the steps below will help fast track the process for you: • retain the Statement of Attendance/Participation from any programs you have
attended • wherever possible apply the knowledge and skills from the program in your school
setting • write a brief statement on school letterhead detailing how you have used the
knowledge and skills over time • request a supervising teacher/s to sign and date the statement to verify the
information • provide a copy of the statement and Statement of Attendance/Participation to the RPL
assessor
© Churchill Education Pty Ltd 2012
© Churchill Education Pty Ltd 2012