TA TALK

Issue 30

April 2018

Welcome back after a short interlude this week when we paused to remember our brave servicemen, both past and present. I am sure many of you participated in Anzac Day services across Australia, with students and families. We were greatly impressed, but not surprised, by the respectful conduct of our local students who participated in the dawn service nearby. 

Next week all schools are back for Term 2, and it will no doubt be a busy first few weeks.with NAPLAN testing scheduled for mid-May.

Again, this month, we have added two new resources to our Professional Development library plus we have two live webinars on offer for the month ahead. You can read more about new and upcoming professional development below.

Last week, we spent two days in a workshop with Karen Clarke, author of From Bullied to Brilliant, to spearhead the progress of a two-part coaching program for educators, Understanding and Managing Bullying in Schools. This program is a collaboration between Karen and Australian Teacher Aide and will be available for purchase exclusively on the ATA website. If you want to read a bit more about Karen's approach to bullying, and stay posted on the progress of this practice-based program, register your interest on our Stop Bullying! page.

We wish you a productive term ahead.

Warm regards

Mandy and Stella

A reminder that all of our live webinars are recorded and uploaded to the member's Professional Development library under the relevant interest group. Make sure you are in the 'Related Resources' tab when searching for resources.

COMMUNITY WEBINAR: ADHD / ASD - The Game Plan

ATA guest presenter, Sue Suchocki, uses a unique approach to help educators and families support children, teens and adults with ADHD and ASD.

During this webinar, Sue uses the analogy of a soccer game, to introduce the players from the ADHD and ASD team in the world soccer league, identified by their individual profiles.

Learn what each team has in common, and where they differ; understand how the players read the game plan; and determine strategies that you can use to help the players reach their goals in the classroom.

MEMBER WEBINAR: How to Apply for a Teacher Aide Position - A Step by Step Guide PART 3

This webinar wraps up the three part series on How to Apply for a Teacher Aide Position with a step by step guide to preparing for an interview. You will learn:
• What to expect in an interview
• How to prepare for an interview
• How to answer interview questions

BLOG: A Collaborative Framework for Student Success

In this recent article, Stella highlights some key findings and recommendations from the world's largest in-depth study on the impact of teacher aides on teachers, teaching, and student learning. The article features some useful resources, designed by ATA, that schools can use right now, to identify collaborative teacher aide practices, and evaluate effectiveness in working with teacher aides.

MEMBER WEBINAR: Mathematics - Helping Students Develop Number Sense

Number sense develops gradually, and is the foundation for confidently using mathematics in our everyday lives, and for academic purposes. This interactive webinar will explore a range of practical strategies teacher aides can use to support students in their early development of number sense, including strategies for:

· Counting

· Place value

· Addition

· Subtraction

COMMUNITY WEBINAR: Strategies to Support Reading - Before, During and After

Effective readers use a range of strategies to comprehend texts, before, during and after reading. In this webinar, we partner with the Reading Centre (Department of Education and Training, QLD) to explore some of the strategies that teacher aides can apply at each stage of reading, to support students with their comprehension of texts.

TA TOOLBOX - Disability

The Difference between ADHD and Autism

Although ADHD isn’t on the spectrum, there are many characteristics in common for children with these conditions. This article on the difference between ADHD and Autism, by Understood.org, identifies many of the signs you may observe in students, and offers suggestions on how to support them. There are links to other useful topics on ADHD and Autism in TA Toolbox, as well.

POST 1  - The tattle phone

6,182 views

221 reactions, comments and shares

Finally, a solution to 'tittle tat' behaviour. Your comments suggest many of you are ready to instal one of these in the classroom, and in the playground! Wouldn't be too difficult to find a discarded phone to serve the purpose. Did you get creative?

POST 2 - Saw my teacher on a Saturday

6,163 views
248 reactions, comments and shares

Who let the teachers out? Especially on a Saturday!! A humorous poem written from a young student's perspective; but one which many of us can relate to when thinking back to our younger years.

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