Evidence-based strategies for promoting independence in children with special educational needs

Overview of two-part workshop (2^nd & 9^th March, 5 – 7pm)

This two-part workshop will seek to explore a range of evidence-based strategies for promoting independence in children with special educational needs. The workshop will focus on a collaborative approach to pupil development, with material relevant both for teachers and Special Needs Assistants. Strategies will span a range of pupil needs including organisation skills, social/emotional skills and learning to learn skills. Focus will be placed on practical whole-school and individual strategies for pupil development, with reference to individualised pupil planning.

Biography

Claire Griffin is an Educational Psychologist and lecturer in Educational and Developmental Psychology at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick. Claire originally worked within primary and special education settings and in residential care centres for persons with intellectual disabilities. Claire completed her PhD in 2018 through University College London. This research explored the preparedness and deployment of Special Needs Assistance when supporting the behavioural care needs and independence development of children in primary schools. Claire’s research interests include inclusive education, psychological and educational assessment, positive behaviour support and the voice of the child in education.

An information evening will take place on Thursday the 5th of March here in the Education Centre for Teaching Principals. The purpose of this information evening is to explore the idea of setting up clusters in Kerry where Teaching Principals would cluster together to create a post where someone would cover their relaese days throughout the year. This would allieviate the headache of having to find substitute teachers throughout the year. Linda Dennehy who is a Teaching Principal in Mallow will share her expertise on how she set up a successful cluster in Mallow. She was previously also part of a successful cluster in the Killarney area.

Registration: 8.45 AM
Seminar beings : 9.15 AM
Seminar concludes : 3.15 PM

Course Description

This course is aimed at mainstream primary classroom teachers and Special Education Teachers who work with pupils with identified or unidentified specific literacy difficulties. It is designed to support teachers with appropriate and practical strategies to implement with their pupils across the school context. It will also give an understanding of the background and theory of dyslexia/specific literacy difficulties                                                

Anticipated Outcomes

• To develop an understanding of the background and theory of dyslexia/ specific literacy difficulties
• To gain confidence in identifying students with specific literacy difficulties and using appropriate screening and diagnostic tools
• To gain an understanding of the principles of teaching students with dyslexia and reading difficulties
• To provide strategies to implement in their own teaching

Course Outline and Content

• Introduction to dyslexia and reading difficulties, theories and research, identification, screening and assessment
• Principles of teaching students with specific literacy difficulties, specific teaching methods for reading and spelling, put theory into practice (from phoneme awareness to word attack), strategies to develop sight words, fluency and comprehension
• Effective classroom strategies and support (writing, reading and numeracy), differentiation, metacognition, technology.

Information for Applicants

The course is open to

• Mainstream primary classroom teachers, Special Education Teachers who work with pupils with identified or unidentified specific literacy difficulties
• Participants will require permission from the Board of Management to attend. Typically, substitution for this seminar will only be allowed to classroom teachers with primary responsibility for students with a special educational need and if it is deemed absolutely essential by the Principal
• Typically substitution will only be allocated to non - substitute teachers
• Payment is not available to teachers in a substitute capacity

Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Please click on Dyslexia to register for this course. This course is not booked through the Education Centre. It is booked through the NCSE website.

Camara Education Ireland, in partnership with Google for Education, are delighted to be hosting Google for Education Discovery Days. 

Hosted by experienced teachers and teacher trainers, topics covered will include G Suite for Education set up and admin, introductory classroom use, advanced Google apps for teaching and learning, and Chromebook deployment. No experience using the platform is necessary, as attendees will get the chance to explore the G Suite for Education platform in this training taster session. Chromebooks will also be provided to use on the day. 

Register your interest in attending at bit.ly/2tRagmH

 

Title:   Helping the Struggling Speller

This talk will examine spelling as a skill and also as a developmental process. It will explore reasons why children struggle with spelling and what can be done to overcome these difficulties. It will also examine strategies to aid spelling development. Using case studies, it will show how to detect spelling difficulties and suggest methodologies.

Expected Outcomes:

Participants will have an increased awareness of spelling as a skill and how spelling develops. They will be able to examine children's writing and detect strengths and weaknesses and build up a profile of the child's spelling development. It will also lead participants to reflect on their own classroom practice and how the quality of errors determines spelling improvement.

Brendan Culligan

Brendan spent thirty years as a primary school teacher in Dublin. He specialised in learning support teaching for fifteen of these years. He spent another fifteen years lecturing in initial teacher training both in Froebel College of Education and Marino Institute of Education. He was a member of the D.E.S. task force on Dyslexia in 2001. He is a past secretary of I.L.S.A. and past president of the Literacy Association of Ireland. He delivered the keynote address at their last year’s conference. He is a designer and tutor of inservice on Literacy Difficulties and has presented papers both nationally and internationally. He has edited journals for both I.L.S.A. and L.A.I. He has published many articles on literacy and is the author of ‘Improving Children’s Spelling’ and also ‘Spelling and Handwriting’. His latest work is a cursive handwriting programme from the beginning called ‘Go with the Flow’.

This is a follow on training to the Introduction training which took place in December. Teachers who attend this course will get first preference on hiring Numicon kits for their school from the Education Centre.

Mathematics needs to be active and social. Numicon is both. The Numicon approach is multi-sensory, uses objects and has a focus on action,  imagery  and  conversation, in other words a focus on children physically doing maths.

By using Numicon shapes and materials, children understand number relationships, spot patterns and make generalisations. Numicon’s visual, auditory and kinesthetic (practical) approach appeals to different learning styles.

Numicon enables children to really ‘see’ how numbers and the number system work. The Numicon teaching approach helps children communicate their mathematical thinking to teachers. This in turn helps teachers to ‘see’ pupils' understanding. The concept of 'doing' maths is the key to the Numicon programme.

This ‘Intermediate’ presentation will focus on Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division.

The course fee of €20 is non refundable.

 Trauma Informed Teaching 

Saturday 15th of February, 29th of February and the 21st of March 10am - 3pm.

Lunch will be provided on each day. The fee is non refundable or transferrable. If the minimum number of teachers for the course to run isn't reached (10) you will be refunded in full.

If children feel safe and connected to their teachers, they will be able to learn and cope better at school.

This program is a new experiential program that has been developed to support teachers & SNAs to create an environment in their classrooms where children who have experienced trauma can learn to connect better to safe adults, build friendships and reach their full potential.

This program takes place over 3 days training and full attendance is compulsory. Your time with a child over a school year can last a life time and set seeds for that child to believe they matter, ask for help and blossom like all children should.

Teacher- “I am a trauma informed teacher”

Child- “My teacher understands me and cares"

This course will provide an overview of the impact of trauma on students and explore how adverse life experiences can impact on their behaviour in the classroom.

Learning objectives:

• Exploring the impact of trauma on the developing brain.
• The prevalence of trauma exposure in our schools and the need to be trauma informed.
• Gaining an understanding of trauma and how children experience trauma.
• Trauma-sensitive practices and interventions to address the impact of trauma on children and how to increase their ability to succeed in school.

Training in trauma-informed teaching helps your students feel safe. Children who have experienced trauma have challenges with self-regulation and with learning. Frustrations can mask symptoms and causing children to act out. As a trauma informed teacher you will start to create change in your school and support the children who have experienced trauma.