TA TALK
Issue 49
November 2019
Welcome to the November edition of TA Talk.
The end of the year is near and this month, we hosted our final two web events for 2019, Creativity and Learning and Teacher Aides Around the Globe: What we can learn from other countries. Despite the busy time of year, we had great attendance at both events, a reflection of the commitment teacher aides have to their ongoing professional development. Planning for 2020 is well and truly underway. Keep an eye on our Web Events page over the next few months, as we will be uploading the new year's event calendar soon.
We are proud to say we are ahead of the game! If you attended our last community webinar, Teacher Aides Around the Globe: What we can learn from other countries, you will know that our signature program, Effective Teacher Aide Practices for Schools (eTAPS) responds to many of the key recommendations made following extensive research about TA practices here, and in other countries. If you are serious about a whole school approach, improving collaborative practice and student outcomes, then eTAPS is a 'must-have'.
Until the end of the year, our current school membership plans will include eTAPS. Next year, eTAPS will still be available, but through higher level plans. Therefore, if you are not yet a member school and maximising your budget is important, NOW is the time to take action!
We hope the rest of term 4 goes smoothly for you. Holidays are on the horizon!!
Warm regards
Stella and Mandy
Does Effective Teacher Aide Practices for Schools (eTAPS) use evidence-based practices?
Yes. All our professional development resources, including eTAPS, reflect evidence-based research, as well as contemporary teaching and learning practices.
Our signature program, eTAPS, is unique and only available through membership with Australian Teacher Aide. It provides school leaders with a set of 4 professional development resources specifically designed to enhance support practices in Australian schools. Included in each resource is a Putting it into Practice activity enabling teacher and teacher aide teams to work together to discuss what they have learned, and collaborate to improve outcomes for students.
In this tutorial we discuss the importance of a creative approach to learning, show you how to promote learning through the arts, and look at 5 simple strategies you can use to encourage students to think creatively in a digital world.
Teacher Aides around the Globe: What we can learn from other countries
After being awarded a 2018 VET International Practitioner Fellowship by the Department of Education and Training in Victoria and the International Specialised Skills Institute, Sheree Chevalier travelled to the UK, Jamaica and Spain to research education support issues globally.
Following this world wind tour in 2019, Sheree shares what she learned about:
• TA qualifications • How TAs are supported to manage student behaviour • How teachers and TAs work together, and • TA professional development opportunities.
Based on her findings, Sheree also shares the 10 recommendations she put forward to the Department of Education and Training in Victoria to improve collaborative practice in schools.
2020 Calendar of Events Coming Soon
We are still finalising our 2020 live web events for next year, however, here is a sneak peek of some of the topic areas planned:
- Behaviour
- Trauma
- Assistive Technology
- Mindset
We are excited about our line up of content experts; some are new to ATA and some are returning presenters. More details will be published on our Web Events page soon!
Member Webinar Challenge
Congratulations go to Rebecca Schembri, our winner of the November Member Webinar Challenge. Rebecca won a monogrammed ATA polo shirt for having the first correct response to our word association challenge. We gave the words Play, Sea and Pack and asked our listeners to come up with a fourth associated word. Can you guess what it was?
WHAT'S TRENDING ON THE ATA FACEBOOK PAGE
Ever heard of Bal-A-Vis-X?
34,391 views
2,088 reactions, comments and shares
We received so many positive comments following this post about Bal-A-Vis-X. Since, we have contacted a company in Singapore to see if they will do a presentation for our community. How cool would that be?? In the meantime, here are some of our FB follower comments:
Every school should do this. Looks good for concentration - Brenda
This could be good for the upper school movement breaks that got mentioned at the last leadership breakfast - Tammy
This is fantastic! We need this - Nick
Looks cool for increasing concentration and coordination - Jaimie
Let's do this at our school - Naomi
Teacher aides, the 'race' that supports the nation's learners
20,472 views 1,120 reactions, comments and shares
We posted this on Melbourne Cup day earlier this month. Just a little play on words to keep important issues at the fore on a day that is totally blindsided by one very famous race :)
DOES YOUR SCHOOL HAVE A PD PLAN FOR 2020?
LET THE EXPERTS COME TO YOU!
We have resources across many topic areas including Additional Needs, Behaviour, Disability, Digital Technology, Effective Teacher Aide Practices in Schools (eTAPS), Inclusive Education, Learning and Wellbeing, Literacy, Numeracy and more.
Why use ATA professional development?
- It's online, so it's accessible no matter where you are in Australia
- It's designed specifically for the education support role
- You get access to interactive live web events every month, and
- 24/7 access to over 80 comprehensive video tutorials for 12 months from date of joining
PLUS, you can link an unlimited number of staff to your school membership account.
Not sure if our professional development options are right for your team? Easy! If, within the first 30 days of school membership, you decide that our professional development does not meet your needs, send us your feedback and we will give you a full refund.
Leaders in Professional Learning for Teacher Aides
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