Congratulations to the Finalists in the 2021 Australian Teacher Aide Team of the Year Awards.
This is the first year we have had a team award category, and we were impressed by the high calibre of the nominations.
We hope you enjoy reading about these exceptional teams, and how they work collaboratively to support student learning and wellbeing at their schools.
Thank you to the schools that submitted a team nomination, and especially to the school leaders who made time to recognise the work of their teacher aides.
Tasmanian eSchool, TAS - Team Finalists
Nominated by: Janet Johnson, Principal
Felecia Phillips, Nathan East, Monica Sigtenhorst, Sheri Matthews, Kara Nankervis, Jonathon Tanner, Deb Arnold, Michelle Denman, Jessie Phillips-Lee, and Amberlei Darlington-Beresford.
The Teacher Assistant team at the Tasmanian eSchool, are Finalists in the Australian Teacher Aide Team of the Year awards.
Tasmanian eSchool provides online learning to students who experience barriers in accessing an education from Kindergarten to Year 13.
18 months ago students at Tasmanian eSchool did not have access to teacher assistant support in their online classes, so the school developed a pilot program, to better support learners with disability, online.
As neither the teachers or the teacher assistant team were familiar with providing online class support, they worked closely together to plan lessons, work out how best to utilise shared workspaces, and how to communicate effectively when there may be adjustments required, or issues to address.
The team found that the most successful way of working, was for the Teacher Assistants, to sit by the teacher delivering the online class so they can communicate (face to face) during the lesson and provide with immediate support, wherever possible.
Principal, Janet Johnson said that the online Teacher Assistants have been doing innovative work in virtual break-out rooms, to support learners with disability, to access an education suited to their needs, and to reach their academic and wellbeing goals.
Many of the learners at Tasmanian eSchool experience anxiety that has been a significant barrier to them accessing education. Before the Teacher Assistant Team could work with students to support learning, they needed to build a relationship with learners, and increase their confidence to engage online.
Some of the ways the team has addressed these challenges include using 'chat' and 'emoji' options to encourage students to communicate their thoughts and understandings, and contribute to class discussions; using voice and text messages to successfully engage reluctant readers; and sharing pictures of favourite animals, books, or movie characters to gain a better understanding of students and how best to engage them in learning.
Felecia a teacher assistant at the school, said, “I just love working with my teachers as I feel I am treated with respect and my ideas are valued and taken on board. I spend time each week chatting with my teachers as to the progress of classes and to exchange information and ideas. I also catch up regularly with the support staff so everyone can stay informed, as well as discuss the best strategies for what tasks we currently have. Collaborating with other staff members is important to the success of our work.”
Dandenong West Primary School, VIC - Team Finalists
Nominated by: Tamsin Forth – Speech Pathologist
Melani Hutchins & Evelyn Vrondou, Education Aides at Dandenong West Primary School, are Finalists in the Australian Teacher Aide Team of the Year awards.
Dandenong West Primary School is a multicultural school with approximately 42 different languages spoken in the school community. Many students are from a refugee background, and some have experienced significant trauma before commencing at the school.
The school has a teams of teachers, speech pathologists and education aides who work together to provide additional support to students to develop speech and language, EAL, numeracy and literacy, where required.
Melani Hutchins (Mel) and Evelyn Vrondou have worked Dandenong West Primary School as educational aides for 7 years. Mel supports inclusion and learning in the classroom for students in Prep to Grade 6, and Evelyn has worked in the reading intervention team, mainly supporting students in Prep to Grade 3.
Mel and Evelyn work closely with classroom teachers and regularly consult with teachers to increase continuity between literacy intervention and classroom practice. They also administer, score, and evaluate assessments of literacy skills to determine eligibility for intervention and to track response to intervention, and support other members of staff in using these assessments.
“Both Mel and Evelyn have shown a dedication to each individual student they work with. Their passion is evident in their interactions with each child. They create trust enabling the children to take risks in their learning and to progress in both knowledge and skill. It is a pleasure to listen to them talk about how they have supported a particular child through a challenging task and helped them find success, motivating the child to continue trying to improve. I have observed a marked improvement in the children that attend the program from my class.” said Lynne, Year 1& 2 teachers
Following Mel, Evelyn, and the team’s intervention, the number of students in Grade 1 and 2 needing literacy intervention has decreased from 50% in 2019 to 35% in 2020. The number of students in Grade 1 now performing at or above level has increased from 25% in 2019 to 70% in 2020.
During remote learning, Mel and Evelyn did weekly video literacy lesson for students in Prep – Grade 2. This ensured a continuity of learning and was highly valued by teachers, students, and parents. Many parents reported that they learnt so much from watching these videos and felt more confident in knowing how to support their children.
Both Mel and Evelyn have shown initiative in translating theory into practice and creating new resources for use in literacy intervention and classroom practice, that has benefitted classroom teachers and students.
Mel has developed resources for tracking and developing reading fluency in intervention and in the classroom, and been involved in teacher training to help put this into practice in the Prep – Year 2 classrooms. Evelyn’s reading worksheets have been adapted for use in the classrooms and home practice. This shows the skill level, initiative, and independence that Mel and Evelyn possess.
Sacred Heart College, WA - Team Finalists
Nominated by: Peter Edward Bothe, Principal
Mrs Anita Fiore, Mrs Bernadette Fitzsimmons, Miss Rebecca Landers, Mrs Helen Mirco, Mrs Kathryn Hogan, Mrs Helen O’Donoghue, Mrs Sophie Richards, Mr Chris Torpy, Mrs Jenny Baker, Mrs Kathryn Hogan, Mrs Jane Oliver, Mrs Cristy Sanders, Mrs Sonia Piccirilli, Mrs Jenny Magno and Mrs Catherine Marcello. Not in picture: Ms Pippa Walker, Mrs Sharmaine Lee Fong and Mrs Marcella Guerrero.
The Education Aide team at Sacred Heart College, are Finalists in the Australian Teacher Aide Team of the Year awards.
Sacred Heart College follow an inclusive model of education, encouraging students with diverse abilities to be genuinely included in all activities within the classroom.
The Education Aide team are valued members of the College and their dedication to the students is often referred to by classroom teachers. They work alongside teachers assisting them with modifying class work, provide academic assistance, positive behaviour
Support, and assist students to learn strategies to help with their emotional and sensory regulation.
Peter Edward Bothe, Principal at Sacred Heart College said, “No day is long enough, that it would allow me the time I would need to explain how our much our EAs positively impact the teaching and learning lives of our staff and students!”
The team work closely with class teachers to ensure each student has achievable goals and outcomes to work towards. They ensure that work is modified in a way that makes it accessible for individual students.
One teacher described the team as a “firm but gentle breeze that blows into my classroom bringing positive energy, compassion and care into every corner of the room.”
The Educational Assistants think creatively and work with students to help them find the best ways to achieve to their potential and achieve success. They provide encouragement to students to work towards life skills and independence using a positive approach.
The team help students to approach teachers to ask for assistance if they need it, and give students the confidence to advocate for themselves and be able to talk about what they need to help them succeed, and achieve to their potential.
The Educational Assistants have developed a system of recording books where each students’ outcomes for every subject can be referred to easily. Notes can be left so that if it is not the same EA working in the class each time, the new person can easily find out where the student is up to. This has been highly effective and allows all staff to enter a room with the confidence to know what students should be working on.
It also enables the students to be aware of the objectives that they are working towards and can act as a reminder if they need to refocus, and helps with reporting as they allow for immediate feedback to teachers.
The Educational Assistants show great initiative in seeking out professional development opportunities that will assist them to gain an even greater understanding of a range of disabilities. They participate in goal setting activities and seek feedback on their performance so they can consistently look for ways to improve and offer better learning opportunities to the students they work with.
