training and development topics

Developing the ability to regulate our emotions, arousal state and behaviour is fundamental to successful classroom participation. 

There are several essential components to understand. The first is understanding relationships and educators being co-regulators for the students. The single most important foundation in any classroom is relationships. Strong relationships create a sense of security and trust and enable student's feel confident to take risks in their learning or to try strategies which educators recommend. 

The second is understanding our brains. It is essential that we understand what is happening in student brains during dysregulation as it helps inform the best way to respond.

The final component is emotional literacy which supports us to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express emotions. 

Project Classroom will teach educators how our ability to regulate develops and the key steps we need to follow to support this skill to develop.

Classrooms are often busy environments. There is the chatter of voices, art displays, incidental bumps from peers, footsteps from the hallway, the teachers voice, the scratchy carpet on the mat and the list goes on. 

All of these elements can impact on the way which students are able to access their learning.

Project Classroom will teach sensory processing theory and key elements to ensure we set up classrooms that are sensory smart.

Many educators use a range of sensory tools to help with a student's participation. Wobble stools, lava lamps, move-n-sit cushions, tactile tools, stress balls and noise defender headphones are just a few of the tools available. 

The success of these items is underpinned by how these tools are taught. Most importantly these are "tools" not "toys" and it's important that we provide explicit instructions to support their use. 

Project Classroom will give you the skills to successfully implement sensory tools at your school.

Children. Need. To. Move.

A key strategy in all classrooms is movement and brain breaks and these can be applied both proactively or reactively. 

A proactive movement break is when we deliberately schedule in movement and brain breaks such as between lessons to recharge. A reactive movement and brain break is when we notice the needs of the student or the class and provide them with input at this time.

I get consistent feedback that by proactively scheduling in movement breaks, we decrease the need for reactive breaks.

Project classroom will teach the senses which are activated during the break in conjunction with identifying which breaks will be a good fit for their students. 

Classrooms are BUSY! 

With so much going on, some students will need a break from this intensity. Chill out zones enable student's to stay in the class but in an environment which is less stimulating. 

We can maximise the success and helpfulness of chill out zones though pre-taught systems and rules as well as the regulating items available when accessing the space. Project Classroom will teach these key elements to ensure chill out zones are a success.

There are times when students can feel the classroom is too overwhelming, or the student's needs may be beyond what can be provided by the individual teacher at that time. 

Regulation rooms are an option for consideration - a space where a student can access the coregulatory support of an adult with smaller student ratios. These spaces also have a range of regulation tools which the student can access and practice using.

In the same way some students require small group support with their literacy, some students require smaller group support to scaffold their ability to regulate. The intent of these rooms is to explicitly support skill development which can be transferred back into the classroom.

Project Classroom will teach the key components to ensure these spaces are successful.

There is a huge cognitive load for our learners in the classroom. Things such as finding books, glue sticks, scissors or pencils, knowing where to sit during mat or desk top work or even asking for help all add to a student's cognitive load. Then we add the maths lesson on top! 

Project Classroom will help educators to be aware of this load and consider what can be automated and simplified for the students to be successful in the classroom.

There is an alarming trend that students are starting preschool and school with under developed fine and gross motor skills. This has a huge impact on participation in classroom tasks. Sitting on the mat, using scissors, handwriting and playing on the play ground all have high motor demands.

Project Classroom will provide key strategies for junior primary classrooms to embed motor development into everyday teaching practices.