Explore strategies to create inclusive classrooms

Overview

How do you approach student diversity as a teacher? How do you create supportive and inclusive learning environments?

Academics, Experts and Health Professionals will share their knowledge and provide practical strategies for educators to implement in the classroom at this two day Symposium.

This conference will focus on:

• ADHD

• Mental Health

• Anxiety

• The Spectrums

• Inclusive Classrooms

The Symposium will bring educators together with the common goal of working towards making classrooms diverse and inclusive for all students. The success and wellbeing for all students through each stage of learning is a priority.

Tickets

Tickets include tea/coffee on arrival, morning tea and lunch, along with a Certificate of Attendance (Mapped to APST).

Register NOW to access our Early Bird Rates

Target Audience

This conference is best suited to all educators including diverse learning leaders, teachers and support staff as well as classroom and specialist teachers.

9:00 - 9:45am

Speaker: Carolyn Blanden, Principal, Warakirri College

Embracing the Challenges: Addressing Students' Mental Health, Social Disadvantage and Diverse Learning Needs

An increasing number of young people are disengaged, disconnected and disaffected due to life challenges that range from social disadvantage, mental health difficulties, peer relations and identity concerns to existential trauma. As a result, they slip through the cracks of our education system.

This session explores how we can change the educational landscape so these young people can have the best possible future. We’ll discuss how to meet the needs of these students and empower educators with the tools to embrace the challenges and make a real difference.

9:50 - 10:30am

Speaker: Lauren Salajan, Psychologist & Classroom Teacher, Anakie Primary School

Understanding ADHD: How You Can Support Students with ADHD in Your Classroom

Lauren, who is both a classroom teacher and psychologist, will explain the ADHD brain and outline simple strategies you can employ to better support the students with ADHD in your classroom.

10:30 - 10:50am

Morning Tea

10:50 - 11:30am

Speaker: Trudy Parkin, ADHD Educator and Life Coach, Thriving Minds Coaching

Empowering Teachers to Enable Students with ADHD to Thrive

Through storytelling and numerous classroom examples, Trudy shares how her management of ADHD in the classroom has evolved, especially following her own late-in-life ADHD diagnosis. Hear and learn from her essential insights on how to understand and connect with students who have ADHD.

11:35 - 12:20pm

Speaker: Yvonne Harvey, Principal, Heathdale Christian College

The Intervention That Works For School Children With ADHD

This presentation for teachers highlights the challenges of ADHD in the classroom, and shares possible interventions for parents and teachers. We’ll examine the roles that neuroscience, psychology and education play, and discuss how rewards and consequences work in children with ADHD. We’ll explore the policy and classroom program changes that are necessary for children with ADHD, as well as their teachers and peers, to flourish.

12:25 - 1:00pm

Speaker: Dr Roy Rozario, Editor for Exchanges Journal (Warwick University) and Senior Research Scholar (Deakin University)

A marriage of pedagogies and technologies to support diverse learners.

In this session, we take a closer look at a PhD research study that ventures into the practices of Melbourne primary school expert teachers in m-devices, to unpack how the use of technology can help teachers to more effectively pedagogically accommodate diverse learner needs in classroom teaching.

We’ll explore how teachers used a combination of simple and complex m-learning practices (including devices equipped with text, audio, picture, video, gesture and spatiality/layouts), along with pedagogies such as peer mentoring, individualised/collaborative practice, to support deep-level learning.

1:00 - 2:00pm

Lunch in the Education Show

2:00 - 2:20pm

Discussion

2:25 - 3:15pm

Speaker: Natalie Karras, Founder, You Are Seen

Dysregulation: The epidemic of the classroom

Many teachers are already feeling burnt out by the challenges associated with teaching a classroom full of children – neve rmind the challenges of teaching children with special needs.

Rates of autism, ADHD, dyslexia and others are increasing, and dysregulation goes hand in hand with these conditions. This places further stress on teachers.

In this session, Natalie will share what dysregulation looks like, how it can be managed and what we can do to help children thrive, while also reducing the burden on teachers.

3:20pm

Wrap Up Day 1

9:00 - 9:45am

Speaker: Lorien Parker, Accessible STEM Leader, SciencePlay Kids

Diverse learning techniques for the diverse classroom

Did you know that 30-40% of every classroom is made up of neurodivergent learners?

Led by Dr Loz (who has ADHD and Autism), this workshop explores various hands-on approaches and techniques – using low-tech materials - that make learning opportunities more accessible for ALL your learners.

We’ll also share a variety of tricks and tips for engaging neurodivergent students more effectively.

9:50 - 10:30am

Speaker: Elizabeth Wilson, Coordinator Learning Enhancement and Support, St John’s Anglican College

Strengthening Social Emotional Learning in the Middle School Classroom

The transition from primary to secondary school is daunting for many students. Add in the emotional turmoil associated with puberty, social connections, the media and performance pressure, and this development period becomes even more overwhelming. The alarming statistic that one in seven young people aged 4-17 will experience a mental health condition in any given year clearly illustrates that Middle School students require ample opportunities to develop their social-emotional capacities.

This session references the neuroscience- and research-based programs and interventional programs that St John’s Anglican College implements to promote social-emotional literacy, boost students’ self-regulation skills and increase resilience.

Elizabeth’s presentation provides meaningful strategies to support student wellbeing, highlights the critical link between mindfulness and self-regulation, and discusses both prevention and intervention to strengthen social-emotional learning. Participants will actively engage in hands-on learning and take away ideas and practical tools that staff can easily embed in Middle School classes.

10:30 - 11:00am

Morning Tea

11:00 - 11:40am

Speaker: Adrian Wilkinson, Assistant Principal ELearning & Innovation, St Peter Claver College

Living, Raising and Teaching on the Spectrum

So, you think you know Autism?

This session looks beyond the narrow identifiers of being on the spectrum and explores the wide variety of Autistic traits common to people students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It explores the impact these traits have in and beyond the classroom. The session aims to give educators a better perspective on students living with ASD, and the ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ of what they see (and often miss) in the classroom.

11:45 - 12:25pm

Speaker: Amanda Lecaude, Academic Life & Executive Function Coach, Organising Students

Unlocking The Key To Executive Functioning – Supporting Students In The Classroom And Beyond

Executive function, along with self-regulation, plays a fundamental part in a child’s learning, school functioning and academic achievement. Yet for many teachers of students with Autism or ADHD, a great challenge is knowing how to help them (and other students) learn effectively.

This session focuses on understanding the role executive functioning plays for all students and, in particular, for those with additional learning challenges. 

12.25 - 1.25pm

Lunch in the Education Show

1:25 - 2:05pm

Speaker: Georgia Solomon, Coordinator of Student Support and Enrichment, Radford College (Junior School)

Leading Inclusive Education: Practical Strategies For The Primary School Context

This workshop will provide a case study showcasing the practical strategies Radford College's Junior School implements to support all students. Beginning with an overview of the College's context, participants will learn how the school has developed processes to embed inclusive strategies to support students. The presentation will share practices to support students with challenges in the areas of social skills, sensory processing, self-regulation, and access to the primary curriculum. The ways in which these strategies have impacted students’ outcomes will also be discussed.

2:10 - 3:00pm

Speaker: Dr Vanessa Spiller, Clinical Psychologist, Jumpstart Psychology

Complexity in the Classroom - Understanding and supporting neurodiversity through a new lens." 

Find a framework to understand better the complex neurodiversity that exists in every classroom. Tasked with educating students, teachers often find themselves also supporting multiple young people with ADHD, autism, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, trauma and more! The challenges of juggling academic learning with individual learning needs and classroom management with these students can sometimes seem impossible!  Take away a framework for better understanding these students and their brain-based strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we will focus on identifying the kinds of supports, accommodations and strategies that make a difference for these students and why some of our tried and true strategies don't always hit home. 

3.05pm

Wrap up Day 2 and Conference Close