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? How do you manage behaviour in the classroom, with the diverse range of needs that have to be addressed?

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

• The Spectrums

• Behaviour Management

• Classroom Management

• Mental Health

• Anxiety

• 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.

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.

Tickets

Choose from one or two day ticket options. Tickets include arrival tea/coffee, morning tea, buffet lunch and a Certificate of Attendance (mapped to APST).

Speaker: Kritz and Bianca Sciessere, The Big Sister Experience

Anxiety: What Your Students Need you to Know

Research shows us that 1 in 3 females and 1 in 5 males will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime with the median onset age now being 15 years young. Statistics around anxiety are increasing at a rapid rate amongst our young people. In this presentation we will cover the science behind anxiety and how to explain this to your young people. We will share top tips for supporting your students with anxiety, and how to empower them with strategies to manage their anxieties on their own, both in and outside of the classroom.

Speaker: Ros Lugg, Educational psychologist & Dyslexia specialist, StepsWeb

Understand the neurological aspects of literacy development - and learn to meet all the needs in your classroom

This session will cover the neuroscience behind transitioning from conscious decoding to genuine reading fluency. It will examine why some students struggle with this transition and how to utilize correct methodology and modern teaching tools to help them suceed. Participants will be introduced to an online tool which allows teachers to track a student's progress towards fluency using the Visual Word Form Area of the Brain. There will also be an opportunity to trial this tool with their own learners.

Speaker: Sam Butterfield, Director of Teaching and Learning, Hume Anglican Grammar

Classroom habits, intentional routines that serve both students and teachers.

Classrooms are highly complex ecosystems with a lot happening below the surface. This session is designed to help teachers build habits and routines for both themselves and their students that reduce friction, build a sense of community and belonging, empower students and create a space where students succeed and the joy returns to our teaching.

While a small proportion of students will require significant interventions outside of the classroom, there are powerful strategies that meet the needs of many learners who currently find school hard. This session draws on research in psychology and pedagogy to focus on creating a classroom where diverse learners experience success, grow in confidence and make genuine progress.

Speaker: Kerryn Burgoyne, Founder, KTalk

Autism in schools & mental health in children/teens

Kerryn is an autistic woman diagnosed at the age of 30 with Asperger's Syndrome. Her session will describe her very early days where she had no support or assistance in the classroom and didn't have the tools or early intervention. She will speak about comprehension/imagination, impairment of the autistic child/teen/adult. She will also provide information on the mental health of the child/teen/adult via her lived experience sharing strategies that may help you or your students to thrive!

Speaker: Jade Wong, Director of Learning Support, Waverley Christian College

Navigating Education with Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Dual Lens of Parent and Educator

Children with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), particularly those who have been in out of home care, face unique challenges in educational settings. This session, led by an educator and carer with lived experience of parenting neurodivergent children impacted by trauma, will explore the profound impact of ACEs on learning, behavior, and emotional regulation. Attendees will gain insights into the dual perspective of a parent and educator, with practical strategies to create trauma-informed, supportive environments at school that foster growth, safety, and resilience for all students. Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by students who have experiences trauma or who are neurodivergent and ways to support and nurture their inclusion in the school environment.

Speaker: Sharon Murphy, Welfare Counsellor, Keeleys Cause

The Importance of Inclusive Educations

Sharon leads efforts to provide children with autism and intellectual disabilities the tools they need to succeed in school. She is dedicated to empowering families and advocating for accessible learning environments. Sharon will discuss the role of technology in inclusive education, collaborating with families, inclusive curriculum design and teacher training and development.

Speaker: Rhys O’Loughlin, Head of Digital Learning & Cathy Cassar, Head of Positive Pathways, Hester Hornbrook Academy

School is for more than just curriculum

How do you re-engage young people who have disengaged from school? We will share key insights from the first year of our Propel program which saw an increase in attendance outcomes. Student survey results indicated the desire for applied hands-on and practical learning and we listened! We reached out to local community members, built connections by sharing the context of our young people and encouraged a wide array of bespoke experiences with a focus on helping our learners take the next steps on their positive pathway. Leave this session with key learnings from the pilot year of our Propel program and some things you can try with your next incursion and excursion.

Speaker: Meg King, Occupational Therapist

Educators and occupational therapists: A collaborative approach to supporting diverse learners

The increasing presence of school-based occupational therapy demonstrates a growing commitment to inclusive education and student well-being. This joint presentation, featuring a teacher and an occupational therapist, highlights the benefits of interprofessional working in addressing the diverse needs of learners and fostering inclusive learning environments.

The presentation will include opportunities for discussion, worked case studies and practical take away tips that educators will be able to implement within their own classroom. Attendees will gain insights into collaborative approaches, develop their analysis skills and feel empowered to create inclusive and supportive learning environments for all students.

Speaker: Jen Robin, Curriculum Reform Advisor

Developing fluency, vocabulary and comprehension skills in Grade 7 and beyond

Learn about the impact of fluency, vocabulary and comprehension on engagement, participation and success across a range of high school subjects, and take away some resources and activities that can be applied in your classroom. Background research will be explored to provide a context for ways to build fluency, vocabulary and comprehension for all learners. This session would be helpful for teachers who are finding that students are struggling to understand and remember content in their subject, it would also be beneficial for learning support staff who are providing small group and individual support to high school students.

Speaker: Hanna Ewans, Special Education Teacher, Gunnedah High School

Practical Strategies for Supporting the Behaviour and Socio-Emotional Wellbeing of Students with ASD

This session will provide teachers with practical strategies to support the behaviour and Socio-Emotional wellbeing of students with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). We will discuss the barriers that these students face in both mainstream and support class settings and outline specific methods to manage challenging behaviour, support wellbeing and provide an individualised approach to learning. The session will be supported by case studies of students with ASD and strategies that have significantly improved their school experience.