The course aims to:
- Provide key personnel (Resource Teacher, Learning Support Teacher, SEN Co-ordinator) in the area of special educational needs in post-primary schools with an overview of current policy for teaching students with SEN
- Examine the challenge of leading special education provision in post-primary schools
- Explore new and existing methodologies for planning and building whole-school collaboration
- Focus on current good practice and on the importance of self-evaluation procedures in relation to special education
This course is a sister course to 'Leading Inclusive Learning for Students with Special Educational Needs in Post Primary Schools - Principals'. The courses are ideally taken together but can be taken as a standalone option.
Expected Outcomes
At the end of this course each participant will:
- Be familiar with recent policy trends in special education at post-primary level
- Show understanding of the role of the resource/SEN teacher at post-primary level and have shared in an exchange of current good practice in this role
- Develop strategies to plan more effectively for individuals with special educational needs
- Be able to offer support to their in-school staff in the areas of: Inclusion, Differentiation, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia/ DCD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Team Teaching
- Understand a range of strategies to deal with challenging behaviours in students with special educational needs
- Explore a range of strategies to help promote behavioural, emotional and social skills in students with special educational needs
- Be introduced to the concept of provision-mapping and the importance of self-evaluation in the school’s special education department
- Have received in-school support in an area of their choosing
- Have implemented at least one of the strategies given to them and presented their results and findings to the other members of their group
Course Overview
(a) Module 1 – Two-Day Seminar
Day 1: 9.00AM – 4.00PM
- Whole-school planning provision for students with special educational needs - a review of skills and practice
- Individual Education Planning
- Continuing Professional Development for whole-staff support:
- Principles of Inclusive Learning
- Promoting classroom differentiation for students with special educational needs (includes general differentiation/inclusive strategies)
- Dyslexia
- Dyspraxia/ DCD
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Team-teaching
- Challenging Behaviour
Day 2: 9.00am – 4.00pm
- Challenging behaviour: a whole-school approach
- Supporting behavioural, emotional and social skills for specific groups or individual pupils
- Leading provision for students with special educational needs
(b) Module 2 – Online Module
Two-hour e-learning module: Team Teaching
(c) Module 3 – School Visit
SESS will supplement the initial two-day course by providing school visits to course participants, and their colleagues if required, on a wide range of special educational needs provision.
(d) Module 4 – Evening Seminar
Having completed the other elements of the course, participants will attend a two-hour evening seminar where they will share practice and give a five minute presentation on one aspect of their work during the year.
Information for Applicants
- Key teachers, currently working with students with special educational needs in post-primary schools may apply and more than one participant per school is encouraged
- Participants will require permission from the Board of Management to attend
- Typically substitution for this seminar will only be allowed by the Teacher Education Section, DES, to subject teachers who have a primary responsibility for pupils with a special educational need. and if it is deemed essential by the Principal. Please contact the SESS with any substitution queries.
- If you wish to be considered for the course, please complete the attached form and return it to:Special Education Support Service, Cork Education Support Centre, The Rectory, Western Road, Cork.Fax: 021-425 5647
- Coursework and materials will be provided in e-format. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops/memory sticks to the course with them.
Participants may choose to undertake Module 1 only but will not receive overall certification.
Registration: 8.45AM
Start: 9.00AM
Finish: 4.00PM