Developmental Language Disorder affects both language comprehension (listening and reading) and language expression (talking and writing). One in fourteen children will have a developmental language disorder. Students with a DLD often face challenges with classroom learning and require specific adjustments to the curriculum.
Course Aim
This workshop will provide educators with specific strategies and tools to support participation and learning for students with DLD in the classroom.
Course Outline
The workshop will provide educators with information and tools for:
- a clear understanding of Developmental Language Disorder
- adjusting your language to meet the needs of students
- using visual schedules and visual information successfully for daily routine and learning tasks
- adjustments to facilitate learning in:
- developing active listening skills
- vocabulary knowledge and use
- using complex sentence structure for sharing ideas, describing, giving opinions
- reading comprehension
- written language skills
Course Designed For
Teachers. Education Support Officers and Speech Pathologists
Duration
One day
Booking
Currently scheduled courses can be booked online via our online booking system. If you can not find a suitable course on the online system, please contact us. Many of our courses are scheduled based on demand.
Autistic students benefit from consistent routines, visual information for learning, and support in understanding the social context of the classroom and playground.
Course Aim
Communication Strategies for Autistic students will provide attendees with the knowledge and tools to support their students’ understanding of classroom language, strategies for educators to adapt their language to meet the needs of the student, use visual information effectively, identify strategies to help their student communicate, and to help to support their social connections with peers.
Course Outline
The workshop will provide educators with information and tools for:
- a clear understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- creating a classroom environment for successful routines
- using visual schedules successfully for daily routine and learning tasks
- develop individualised strategies to support communication and co-regulation
- using visual learning supports effectively and consistently
- understanding how social stories can share social messages for all students
- supporting play and peer interaction skills
Course Designed For
Teachers. Education Support Officers and Speech Pathologists
Duration
Three hours
Booking
Currently scheduled courses can be booked online via our online booking system. If you can not find a suitable course on the online system, please contact us. Many of our courses are scheduled based on demand.
What is a Sounds Wall?
A Sounds Wall is a classroom display for all the different sounds heard in speech and used for reading and writing. Sounds Walls are based on the science of reading and provide educators with an explicit way to teach phonemes (sounds) and the spellings used to represent sounds.
A Sounds Wall benefits students by:
- providing explicit instruction of phonemes
- building orthographic mapping
- providing a consistent review of sounds
- giving a visual reference for students in the classroom
- improving spelling
- improving decoding
A Sounds Wall is usually divided into two displays, one for consonants and one for vowels. Sounds are organised by the place and way (manner) in which they are made and common spellings for the sounds are included.
Course Aim
Sounds Wall in the Classroom will provide attendees with the practical information and instructions required to build and display a Sounds Wall in the classroom. The session also teaches the skills required to use the Sounds Wall to explicitly teach students about the features of sounds.
Course Outline
Sounds Wall in the Classroom will provide teachers with:
- a clear understanding of a structured speech-to-print approach to teaching phonemes and letters
- the full instructions required to build and use a Sounds Wall
- a set of sound/letter cards to build a Sounds Wall with consonants and short vowel sounds
Course Designed For
Teachers
Duration
One day
Booking
Currently scheduled courses can be booked online via our online booking system. If you can not find a suitable course on the online system, please contact us. Many of our courses are scheduled based on demand.
“Topic Talk” is an oral language resource designed for educators to use with primary school students from Foundation to Grade 2. It includes a clear framework for targeting the key areas of oral language: vocabulary knowledge and use, listening skills, grammar forms, sentence structure and phonological awareness. The program is based around a collection of vibrant colour photographs that are organised into common themes and provides a comprehensive platform for encouraging oral language development. The program can be used with individual students, in small groups or for whole class activities.
The Topic Talk programs target the following skills:
• To follow one-three step instructions that include language concepts (first/then, before, after, some/all, between, above/below).
• To understand and use specific content vocabulary on the topic.
• To be able to complete oral and written sentences using content vocabulary.
• To use compound and complex sentence structure.
• To identify if a sentence has a positive or negative meaning.
• To use adjectives to describe nouns.
• To identify, blend and segment syllables and sounds in words.
The Topic Talk themes include farm animals, zoo animals, Australian animals, mini-beasts, fruits/vegetables, school, clothes, community, home, seasons, toys, beach.
The Topic Talk theme packs include:
• Pre / post-test to measure student progress.
• Comprehensive detailed instructions to introduce each activity.
• Colour photos for the theme.
• Resources for all activities
Each participant receives two Topic Talk theme packs at the training session (farm animals, fruit/vegetables) and schools may purchase additional packs for $40.
We are very excited to offer this fantastic, evidence-based program that can provide real improvement in children's language development. The Talk Boost KS1 program was developed in the United Kingdom by the ICAN Children's Communication Charity. It is a structured oral language program designed to support the language development of children from socially disadvantaged / language impoverished backgrounds as well as students with English as an Additional Language.
Talk Boost KS1 has been shown to accelerate children's progress in language and communication by an average of 18 months after a ten week intervention program. Since its launch over 58,000 children have benefited from the program in the U.K.
The Phonological Awareness Programs: Level 1 & 2 gives students structured and explicit practice with specific phonological awareness skills. The programs provide students with ongoing development of sound awareness skills upon which they can continue to build their literacy knowledge. The Phonological Awareness Programs: Level 1 & 2 are linked to skills outlined in the Victorian Curriculum. The program activities are implemented several times per week to facilitate learning and may be used with individual students, small groups or as a whole class.
Phonological Awareness: Level 1 Program Structure
The Level 1 program is delivered to students over ten weeks.
The program targets the following skills:
- Segmenting words into syllables
- Isolating sounds within words
- Blending three-four sounds to identify words
- Segmenting words into three-four sounds
- Segmenting words with initial and final blends
- Manipulating syllables and sounds in words (deleting, substituting)
- Orthographic mapping of sounds to letters to build sight word recognition
Phonological Awareness: Level 2 Program Structure
The Level 2 program is delivered to students over eight weeks.
The program targets the following skills:
- Segmenting words into syllables
- Producing rhyming words
- Blending four-six sounds to identify words
- Segmenting words into four-six sounds
- Segmenting words with a three sound initial blend (e.g. spl, str, scr)
- Manipulating syllables and sounds in all word positions (deleting, substituting)
- Orthographic mapping of sounds to letters for words with irregular spellings to build sight word recognition.
The Level 1 & 2 manuals include:
- Pre / post-test to measure student progress
- Detailed instructions to introduce each activity
- Prompts to use if students have difficulty with a specific skill
- Resources for all activities
Course Aim
Implementing the LEAP Program provides attendees with an understanding of the Literacy Enhancement Activity Program and its use in supporting students experiencing literacy difficulties. Attendees also receive a manual with detailed instructions to introduce each activity and all the resources required to run the program.
Course Outline
- How key literacy skills develop
- The use of cueing strategies and other techniques to support skill development
- Guided practice in the delivery of each program within LEAP
- Practice recording student progress
Course Designed For
Literacy Support Teachers and Education Support Officers
Duration
Two days
Booking
Currently scheduled courses can be booked online via our online booking system. If you can not find a suitable course on the online system, please contact us. Many of our courses are scheduled based on demand.
Training can be delivered at Communicate in Narre Warren, Melbourne or at your school. Discounts are available for schools who host our training sessions, so please contact us if you can provide a venue.
Professional Learning