Enhancing Professional Skillset

Please send your feedback on this core component to: professional.skillset@sd44.ca

Guiding Questions

How can we enhance our professional skillset in a manner that strengthens the home-school partnership?
How can we work closely with post-secondary institutions to ensure optimal recruitment of top graduates?
What kind of professional offerings can we provide on school-based and
district-wide Pro-D days to enhance the skillset of our personnel?
What kind of courses can we co-design with post-secondary institutions to enhance the skillset of our personnel?
How can we use mentorship to further share the skillset of those who exemplify best practices in their support of complex learners?

Goal

To enhance the professional skillset of school personnel who are supporting student with complex needs.

Key Actions

Retain the services of Shift Education to provide inservice to parents, school personnel and students in relation to promoting the sexual health and safety of complex learners.
Retain the services of TMG Consulting to provide professional development to Education Assistants and a two-day inservice to school counsellors on promoting mental health for complex learners.
Retain the services of SEEDS to implement at five selected sites school-wide programs aimed at supporting the socialization and sense of belonging for complex learners.
In partnership with Capilano University develop a course that provides advanced training in Applied Behavioural Analysis
In partnership with the University of British Columbia, develop opportunities to provide current employees access to courses located in North Vancouver that will further enhance their ability to support complex learners.
Selectively recruit school-based administrators to engage in advanced coursework related to supporting students with complex needs to further build capacity within the Family of Schools model.
Host yearly inservice that provides an introduction to autism spectrum disorders and/or applied behaviour analysis offered by the Provincial Outreach Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder (POPARD).
Train all Education Assistants and Speciality Support Staff on collecting Functional Behaviour Assessment data.

Indicators of Progress

Collect pre and post data from parents and school personnel who are supporting a complex learner to determine if key actions have resulted in successful outcomes as they relate to supporting student transition.
Use this information to meaningfully inform key actions for further development of this component in the 2018/2019 academic year.

Golden Rule for Supporting Complex Learners

The golden rule of providing support in inclusive classrooms: support others as you would wish to be supported. Click here to access the printable PDF.

Spring 2018 Educator Webinar Series | Down Syndrome Research Foundation

Join DSRF speech-language pathologists and teachers for a comprehensive 8-part webinar series designed to maximize successful classroom participation for learners with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. This series is for classroom teachers, resource teachers, education assistants and other professionals who work in the school setting. Registration is for the entire series of 8 webinars and the cost is $100.

To register, please visit https://www.dsrf.org/events/events-calendar/educator-series-webinars.

Registration Now Open! | BC Summer Institute 2018

Due to its great success in 2014 and 2016, the Family Support Institute is pleased to announce that the third BC Summer Institute is coming to Vancouver this August 2018! Early bird registration runs until April 30, 2018. For full institute details, please visit bcinclusivelearning.com.

Support Staff Education and Adjustment Committee (SSEAC) | Learning Options

There are fifteen learning options for districts and locals to choose from. These options are designed to introduce or enhance the knowledge and skills of EAs. Click here for more information.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guide to Evidence-based Interventions

2012 Consensus Publication – Missouri Autism Guidelines Initiative

PROVINCIAL OUTREACH PROGRAM INFORMATION & TRAINING

Provincial Resource Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD)
The Provincial Resource Program for Autism and Related Disorders (POPARD) provides consultation, training and support services to all public and independent schools across the province of British Columbia with a primary focus on increasing the capacity of school district staff to support students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For more information about POPARD, please visit AutismOutreach.ca.

POPFASD – Provincial Program for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
POPFASD is a British Columbia Ministry of Education provincial resource program whose mandate is to increase educators’ capacity to meet the learning needs of students with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training
With a focus on prevention, our core training program equips staff with proven strategies for safely defusing anxious, hostile, or violent behavior at the earliest possible stage.

ACT – Autism Community Training
Parents, para-professionals and professionals who continuously upgrade their knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder are the foundation of building a welcoming community for individuals with ASD. ACT provides a variety of educational opportunities available through our events, videos and resources.

“An Interpreted Education – What You Need to Know”
Webcast hosted by Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University.