CONCURRENT SESSIONS
SESSION 1
DAY 1: 10.45 - 11.45 (Ballroom 1)
Inclusion: Dissolving Barriers and Borders for Educators
Presented by: Dr Moya O'Brien, Deirdre MacIntyre
Organisation: Institute of Child Education and Psychology (ICEP) Europe
Technology has the potential to cross barriers and boundaries and support a diverse community of learners. Online learning promotes inclusion for all educators, providing access to professional development regardless of location, disability or other life constraints. In our presentation, we will reflect on our experiences over nearly two decades of delivering online professional development training to educators across the world. The diversity of our learners reflects the benefits and value of online learning provision to professionals who would otherwise be marginalised and unable to access professional development and education. Technology is a powerful enabler and liberator both for individuals and systems; for our learners, it facilitates real inclusion while also building capacity within the educational system. Through the lens of research, case studies and educators' personal stories, we will explore the transformative impact of online learning for developing and enriching practice, increasing cross-cultural understanding and reducing professional isolation.
DAY 1: 10.45 - 11.45 (Ballroom 2 + 3)
Know Better, Do Better - School discipline, disability and behaviour
Presented by: Vicky Booth, Dr Natalie Swayn
Organisation: Department of Education, QLD
In this workshop the participants will be engaged in a thoughtful reflection of the current status of school discipline, including the impact on students with disability. Touching on contemporary research of effective practice, findings from multiple state and territory behaviour reviews, and the issues raised through the emerging new industry of "behaviour specialists" spurred through funding opportunities from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, this presentation will challenge participants to consider their beliefs, attitudes and knowledge of school discipline, staff support and the role of school in the community. In particular, the wicked problem reflected in the overrepresentation of students with disability in school disciplinary exclusion statistics will be presented as a co-design challenge for the audience.
DAY 1: 10.45 - 11.45 (Bastille Room)
Language, culture, understanding: Using digital play to motivate language learning
Presented by: Amanda Macdonald
Organisation: Education Services Australia, VIC
This presentation looks at the potential to provide additional language learning experiences for children by incorporating tablet technology into a play-based curriculum. Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) is a key part of the Australian Government's commitment to supporting language learning. Using the suite of seven ELLA apps to learn words and phrases from another language can lead to a process of growth and discovery for both children and teachers. Teachers report that children with learning support needs, and who were non-verbal, have begun using some colour names, greeting words and counting.
The ELLA program helps motivate children to learn about another culture. It also provides opportunities for families from diverse backgrounds to become more involved in their child's preschool year.
Participants at this presentation will have the opportunity to explore the ELLA apps and discuss ways to use them to support additional learning needs, develop cultural competencies and link digital play to other, more traditional, forms of play in preschool.
DAY 1: 10.45 - 11.45 (Concorde Room)
Trauma informed pedagogies
Presented by: Dr Anne Southall
Organisation: Latrobe University, VIC
Students from backgrounds of abuse and neglect continue to experience severe educational disadvantage despite a growing body of evidence from the field of neuroscience exposing the profound and long-term impact on cognitive and social development. This presentation explores the consequences of early childhood trauma on the learning systems, the critical role of the student-teacher relationship in the classroom context and the emergence of new trauma-informed pedagogies that promote learning for these children. A dual framework emerging from current research in Victorian schools is presented, which enhances adult social competency to strengthen the student's teacher relationship and promote the internalisation of healthy socioemotional development in traumatised students.
SESSION 2
DAY 1: 11.45 - 12.35 (Ballroom 2 + 3)
Leading Schools in an Inclusive World
Presented by: Racquel Gibbons, Christopher Thomas, Diana Boulter
Organisation: Department of Education, QLD
This innovative middle leadership program was a partnership between the Department of Education Metropolitan Region and QELi, and was a bespoke program that drew on experience and research to respond to both system and national priorities in inclusive education. Focussing on middle leaders of inclusion, the program aimed to improve their leadership capability to lead inclusive practices in their schools. This program drew on current evidence-based practices and included regional mentoring, intentional collaboration as well as experts in leadership, inclusive practices, policies and culture. Participants' feedback and our evidence demonstrates an overall growth in their leadership capability that resulted in improvements in attendance, engagement and academic improvements. The presentation will share the need that sparked this innovative change, outline how evidence and experience framed our approach, and demonstrate the impact of learning this program has achieved. This session will give leaders an evidence-based approach to improving the leadership capability of middle leaders of inclusion to improve outcomes for all.
DAY 1: 11.45 - 12.35 (Ballroom 1)
Hearts and Minds; growing inclusive culture in North Queensland schools
Presented by: Bronwyn Reguson
Organisation: Department of Education, QLD
International research supports a paradigm shift to inclusive education for the superior social and academic outcomes for all students. As a result, educational leaders are asking what this means for their school community. Jackson (2017) highlights that change rarely occurs from a base of logic and data; rather, engaging educators in change requires a hearts and minds approach. Carrington (1999) further affirms that reflection on both current beliefs and practice is necessary in developing an inclusive school culture. Since 2017, North Queensland Region has hosted 13 inclusion forums for school leadership teams with over 300 attendees. This workshop will explore the initial phase of an inquiry cycle approach to leading inclusive schooling practices through:
- articulating shared understandings of inclusive education
- identifying strengths in current beliefs and practices
- articulating next steps for improvement.
DAY 1: 11.45 - 12.35 (Bastille Room)
Collaboration for Effective Inclusion: What does it really take?
Presented by: Dr Lisa Bridle
Organisation: Community Resource Unit Ltd, QLD
For several years, Community Resource Unit Ltd has undertaken leadership development for families of students with disabilities to build a movement of families supporting each other towards better school inclusion. More recently, CRU was funded by the Queensland Department of Education to build the capacity of families to advocate for their child with disability and to effectively partner with schools. The Families for Inclusive Education project provides individual consultations, workshops across Queensland, information resources and supports to establish peer support networks.
This presentation will describe the project and why investment in families matters for inclusive schools and communities. It will draw upon family reports on what desirable relationships with schools look like and encourage reflection on parents' frustrations when ""partnership"" is not experienced as meaningful or sustained. By being more aware of the lived experience of families of students with disability, school leaders will be challenged to respond with compassion, flexibility and concrete commitments to school transformation.
DAY 1: 11.45 - 12.35 (Concorde Room)
A 'Whole-School' Approach to Understanding and Managing Anxiety
Presented by: Dr Claire Hayes
Organisation: Consultant Clinical Psychologist, QLD
This presentation aims to develop participants' understanding of anxiety and to support themselves, their students, colleagues and parents to manage it effectively using the three step "Coping Triangle" process. It draws specifically on work developed and carried out by the presenter in two schools during 2019. The psychoeducational program, based on key cognitive behavioural principles, involved working with over 150 teachers, approximately 700 parents and over 2000 students. Lessons drawn from the extensive evaluations will be presented to the conference participants who will look at how they can take key points and directly apply these in their own schools, educational settings and wider communities to develop resilience and increase wellbeing in every student, every day.