Equity through Engagement,

Engagement through Innovation

Appropriate Holistic Teaching and Learning Environments for students at 1a and 1b

What does Equity mean for a student at 1a and 1b?

ACARA is committed to the development of a high-quality curriculum for all Australian students,

one that promotes excellence and equity in education. All students are entitled to rigorous,

relevant and engaging learning programs drawn from a challenging curriculum that addresses

their individual learning needs.

Teachers will use the Australian Curriculum to develop teaching and learning programs that build

on students’ interests, strengths, goals and learning needs, and address the cognitive, affective,

physical, social and aesthetic needs of all students.

The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (MCEETYA, 2008)

(Melbourne Declaration) provides the policy framework for the Australian Curriculum. It includes

two goals:

Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence.

Goal 2: All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals and

active and informed citizens.

The ways in which the Australian Curriculum has been designed to address these goals are detailed in The

Shape of the Australian Curriculum Version 4 (ACARA, 2012). The propositions that shape the development of

the Australian Curriculum establish expectations that the Australian Curriculum is appropriate for all students.

These propositions include:

• that each student can learn and that the needs of every student are important.

• that each student is entitled to knowledge, understanding and skills that provide a foundation for

successful and lifelong learning and participation in the Australian community.

• that high expectations should be set for each student as teachers account for the current level of

learning of individual students and the different rates at which students develop.

• that the needs and interests of students will vary, and that schools and teachers will plan from the

curriculum in ways that respond to those needs and interests.

What does ‘on the same basis’ mean?

‘On the same basis’ means that a student with disability should have access to the same

opportunities and choices in their education that are available to a student without disability.

‘On the same basis’ means that students with disability are entitled to rigorous, relevant and

engaging learning opportunities drawn from the Australian Curriculum and set in age-equivalent

learning contexts.

‘On the same basis’ does not mean that every student has the same experience but that they are

entitled to equitable opportunities and choices to access age-equivalent content from all learning

areas of the Australian Curriculum.

‘On the same basis’ means that while all students will access age-equivalent content, the way in

which they access it and the focus of their learning may vary according to their individual learning

needs, strengths, goals and interests.

We can surmise from ACARA that……

. Equity in curriculum access does not mean using

the same pedagogy for all. Equity in curriculum

access means employing the most appropriate

pedagogy and approach for the student.

Engagement is the single best predictor of

successful learning for children with learning

disabilities (Iovannone et al., 2003). Without

engagement, there is no deep learning

(Hargreaves, 2006), effective teaching,

meaningful outcome, real attainment or quality

progress (Carpenter, 2010).

Why Engagement?

Engagement through Innovation

Finding the best Pedagogy

Essential Professional Knowledge

Know students and how they learnKnow the content and how to teach it

Australian Professional Standards for TeachersAitsl: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership

Knowing the Student’s Learning Strengths and Challenges.

Who is the student working at 1a and 1b?

Learning the fundamental learning

skills usually mastered in first year of

life. Lacey (2011)

They are very

early learners still

working on what

it means to be a

successful

communicator

and often

encountering the

world at a purely

sensory level.

In addition to learning disability also

experience one or more of the

following disabilities; sensory or

physical disabilities, mental health

problems, autism and challenging or

self-injurious behaviour (Carnaby,

2002)

Communication highly

idiosyncratic (Porter et al

2001) and relies on the

interpretation of others

(Thurman et al 2005)

Social interaction

difficulties, repetitive and

restrictive behaviours

(Volkmar et al 2005)

So……..

How do we engage such early learners in

“age –equivalent” content so that it builds on

students’ interests, strengths, goals and

learning needs, and address the cognitive,

affective, physical, social and aesthetic needs

of the student?

We don’t take the curriculum content and

continue to simplify it until we think the student

may access it.

This leads to tokenism.

We start with the student, observing what

knowledge and skill base he or she brings to the

content. We then use an extensive knowledge of

early cognitive, communicative and concept

development to determine his or her access point.

This leads to Big Picture Learning.

Then we employ the most

appropriate pedagogy to

elicit and develop this

learning.

Focus on Innovation in Pedagogy

Understanding Curriculum Content and the Early Learner is the subject of another workshop.

QASEL 2018???????

An Appropriate Pedagogical Approach

Why Process Based Learning?

The Need: The fundamentals of learning are not taught to NT children in the first year of life they

are enabled and allowed to grow through social play. (Imray and Hinchcliff, 2014) Children with

disability disengage from interactions the more directed the activity (Rogers 1988).

The Theoretical Underpinning: Learning is an active process in which ideas or concepts develop

based upon their current/past knowledge. (Bruner 1966). Vygotsky (1978), Luria (1973) and

Hobson (2002) view social engagement as central to the origin of symbolic thinking and

cognitive development. Rogoff (1990)contents that children learn through a cognitive

apprenticeship while doing activities with more skilled partners not through direct instruction.

The Pedagogical Response: Constructionism (Papert 1991) advocates student-centred, discovery

learning where students use information they already know to acquire more knowledge. The

teacher’s role is not that of lecturer but a facilitator. Learning is scaffolded (Bruner 1966) using a

soft scaffold (Saye and Brush 2002) with in their Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky 1978).

Construction of Learning rather than Direct Instruction

What is Process Based Learning?

Process-based learning is a holistic approach, learning is taken as a

whole rather than teaching to specific targeted objectives. For the teacher the

process of the learning becomes the objective, however, the

learner decides where the process will go, the pace and direction of the

learning and therefore the pace and the direction of the teaching. The

teacher may prompt and try different strategies to elicit progress but will

ultimately be guided to the learning outcome by the student(Imray and Hinchcliffe; 2014).

Process Based Learning is neither new nor uncommon

1840s Friedrich FrÖbel developed the concept of Freiarbeit and Games as an integral part

of the Kindergarten.

Play Based Learning

Being Becoming Belonging – 0-5 years ACARA

Reggio Emilia

Montessori

Project Based Learning

Inquiry Based Learning

The Process Based Learning for Students with Special Needs Paradox……….

The Child with Special Needs

Learns through

experiences of

touching, moving,

listening and

observing

The Neuro-Typical Child

Explores material

items in the world

in conjunction with

relationships with

other children

Exhibits endless

opportunities to

express themselves

through

imaginative play.

May be dealing

with any or all of

the following…….

Exerts control over the

direction of their

learning and will seek

help, acting

spontaneously for

optimal development

Montessori says this is driven by

these innate human

characteristics; Abstraction,

Activity, Communication,

Exactness, Exploration,

Manipulation of Environment,

Order, Orientation, Repetition,

Self- Perfection and a desire for

purposeful activity.

Struggling with the

Fundamentals of

Communication

Incomplete Tools

and Skills for

Learning

Sensory and/or Physical

Impairment which

impedes exploration or

manipulation of the

environment.

Limited or

habituated

play skills.

Find it hard to interact

with other people, or

who seem to find little

or no pleasure in

interacting with other

people.

Engage in

Stereotyped

Activities

May have developed a

Secondary Motivational

Deficit

which compounds their

lack of engagement

So are we mad to pursue PBL for this cohort????????

Power of Intensive Interaction

ObservationObservation

Building the perfect “Soft Scaffold” for the learner..

The Student

Developing Play

Skills

Developing a social

context for learning

Focusing on tools and skills of learning strengths and

mitigating deficits.

Reactive Enabling

Environment

Student supported to engage in learning at their own level and pace within a social context

Communicative, Cognitive, Personal and Social Development

Don’t expect the process to look like a neat ordered diagram…….

The Southport Soft Scaffold

Reactive Enabling

Environment

Focusing on tools and skills of learning strengths and mitigating deficits.

Developing a social

context for learning

Developing

Play Skills

The

StudentThe

Staff

Observation

Staff team work; observation and ideas sharing and development from all staff is essential

and most productive.

Southport Soft Scaffold: Observation

The Student

Careful and insightful observation leads to provision of appropriate opportunity

What are you looking for?

Preference for

object or activityStrengths, likes

and interestsPossibilities in

all areas

Possible underlying

schema

Southport Soft Scaffold: Environment

What to consider when creating learning environments?

The Student

in the

EnvironmentThe Senses

Physical Access

Flexibility

Agency over own

Learning

Concept FormationOpportunities for social

interaction

Early

Communication

about Concepts

Exploration of Schema

Power of a Reactive Enabling Environment

Southport Soft Scaffold: Developing Play Skills Together

Student + Staff

Follow the

Student’s

agenda

Exaggerated

play partner

Close Sibling

Model

Gently

interrupting

habituation

Playful

tension

Opportunities

to increase

challenge

Collaboration

between

students

Developing play skills in a Social Context

Case Study: Amy

The Power of Pedagogy

When staff use their careful and insightful

observations to develop reactive enabling

environments; focus on demonstrated student skills;

provide opportunities to develop play skills; and offer

social contexts for learning, the perfect soft scaffold is

created for each learner.

The scaffold allows students to enter into a

‘cognitive apprenticeship’ (Rogoff, 1990),

where children learn from and with others,

by doing activities with more skilled

partners.

“…in the most effective settings,

practitioners support and challenge

children’s thinking by getting involved in

the thinking process with them.”

EYFS, 2008

Equity through Engagement, Engagement through Innovation….

(MCEETYA, 2008)

Goal 1: Australian schooling promotes equity and excellence.Goal 2: All young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals

and active and informed citizens.

References:

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.) General Capabilities in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. Accessed 5th March, 2016. Sourced from: http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_resources/Mathematics_-_GC_learning_area.pdf

Carpenter, B., Egerton, J., Cockbill, B., Bloom, T., Fatheringham, J., Rawson, H. and Thistlewaite, J. (2015), Engaging Learningers with Complex Learning Difficulties. London: Routledg

Hewett, D. (2012), ‘What is Intensive Interaction? Curriculum, process and approach’, in Hewett, D. (ed) Intensive Interaction: Theoretical Perspectives. London: Sage.

Hewett, D. & Firth, G. (2011). Rationale for the Child-Centred Learning and Activity Session (CCLAS). Curriculum Documents for Schools The Intensive Interaction Institute.

Imray, P. and Hinchcliffe, V. (2014). Curricula for Teaching Children and Young People with Severe or

Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties; practical strategies for educational professionals. London: Routledge

Lacey, P. (2011). ‘Developing a curriculum for pupils with PMLD’, The SLD Experience 61; 4-7

Linder, T. (1982) Pleasurable play; its value for handicapped infants and their parents. The Journal for Special Educators 19 (1), 59-68

Mahoney, G. & Powell A. (1984) Modifying parent-child interaction: enhancing the development of handicapped children. Journal of Special Education

McConkey R. & Martin, H. (1983) Mother’s play with toys: a longitudinal study with Down’s Syndrome infants. Child: care. Health and development 9, 215-226

Martin, P. (2016). Progression Matters Available ONLINE at; https://progession-matters.com

Rogers, S.J. (1988) Characteristics of social interactions between mothers and their disabled infants: a review. Child: care, health and development 14 301-317

Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in Thinking; Cognitive Development in Social Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Saye, J. and Brush, T. (2002). A Summary of research Exploring Hard and Soft Scaffolding for Teachers and Students Using a Multimedia Supported Learning Environment. The Journal of Interactive Online Learning. 1 (2) 1-11

Staves, L. (2001). Mathematics for Children with Severe and Profound Learning Difficulties. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd.

Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in Thinking; Cognitive Development in Social Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978) Mind in society: The development of psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

Williams, D. (2006) ‘Assessment for Learning: why what and how’ edited transcript of a talk given at the Cambridge Assessment Network Conference on 15th September 2006 at the faculty of education Cambridge University. Available ONLINE at; http://www.dylanwilliams.org/Dylan-Williams;website/Papers.html