Velg Training and Skills Education are proud to be working together to offer practitioners in the VET Sector a quality, specialised PD Program in March 2023.

Introducing our Focus Week: Student Support

Focus Weeks are a dedicated week of learning opportunities (one webinar per day) specifically designed to increase the knowledge and skills of VET practitioners in targeted topics.

Showcasing five content-rich, 60-minute webinars over five days, each webinar is focused on a different aspect of Student Support, with each of the 5 topics aimed at complementing and increasing existing practice.

Learn from some of Skills Education's most highly regarded presenters as they share their knowledge and valuable content via webinar.

Attend one, some, or all! The choice is yours.

This Focus Week has been informed by two key inputs:

1. Your Feedback! When asked about preferred topics for 2023, attendees have said:

• Helping struggling students - Create a series on this particular topic

• Ways to encourage or impose better time management on students

• More strategies to assist struggling students

• Tips to engage trainees and those learners who are sent to study from Centrelink, specific examples that can be used by non-experienced T/As

• Motivating adult learners

• Techniques to incorporate recognition of past learning

• Dealing with students with learning disabilities

• Methods to try/use on learners online and in the classroom

• More on maintaining interaction with participants whose motivation and commitment is generally low

2. The Sector’s Focus on the importance of Student Support, health and well-being services

• ASQA's 2022 Spotlight on Student Support series highilghted best-practice and compliant student support strategies.

• The goal is to make sure that the help learners get to do training is right for them by figuring out what learners can do and what help they need, and then giving them the right kind of training help.

• The Draft Standards for RTOs (currently still in consultation phase) also propose having a refined focus on student support. This focus on support recognises that flexibility is important to best help learners, and suggests taking positive steps that meet the needs of each learner, such as: making reasonable adjustments for learners with disabilities; and adapting practises or giving them help to deal with any personal circumstances that might get in the way of their progress.

Date

Webinar & Presenter

Overview

Supporting Learners with Recognition for Existing Skills
Presenter: Wendy Cato

Simple Learning Strategies to Engage and Support Students with Disability
Presenter: Darlene McLennan

• recognise learning disability (versus general disengagement or student difficulty)
• know how to address barriers in the classroom / training environment with simple, positive strategies
• 'regroup' after a student has had a 'meltdown' - how to get an even keel again
• read body language/behaviours of a neurodiverse student to pick up on cues given out by the student (noting that neurotypical ppl generally fail to correctly interpret cues e.g. why a neurodiverse student may not be looking at you - is it really rudeness or disengagement?)
• maintain a balance so that neurodiverse students AND neurotypical students are engaged and enjoy the lessons
  
  

Key Principles for Student Success and Engagement in an Online Environment
Presenter: Allison Miller

• Ways to orient students to the online environment - even when you're not there
• What 'presence' is and why it's important
• Impact of digital skills/literacy levels on students' ability to navigate online systems - and how you can help
• Simple techniques you can use to support student confidence online

Adults as Students; Top tips to keep them supported and on track
Presenter: Mick Gwyther

Leverage adult learning principles to support and facilitate learning
Presenter: Michelle Charlton