CHC40213: you will be required to find out some information from your supervising teacher Be mindful when talking to your teacher that her/his time is very limited: Certificate IV in Education Support (3) Assignment, TAFE NSW, Australia

SECTION 1: Legislation

As part of your work placement tasks, you will be required to find out some information from your supervising teacher. Be mindful when talking to your teacher that her/his time is very limited. You will need to arrange a suitable time to ask any questions that you may have.

As soon as possible, clarify the following with your supervising teacher:

1. Clarify and confirm your understanding of legislation to ensure consistency of interpretation and application, including what legislation, awards or policies and procedures you should be following when working as a teacher’s assistant. Clarify who you would report conflicting legislative directives to.
Legislation:

Who I would report conflicting directives to:

2. You will need to source any relevant certified agreements. Request from your supervising teacher if there are any. In the space below, list the agreements that are in place and include one significant piece of information from that agreement.
Certified agreement name:

Significant information:

3. How did you maintain confidentiality whilst you were on placement?

SECTION 2: Planning for a student with autism spectrum disorder

1. Consult with school staff to identify a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Select a child whom you currently work with at your work placement school. The student may or may not have a formal ASD diagnosis. Your selection may need to be guided by school staff, as they are a good source of information about the child and how they are impacted by ASD. They may permit you to view the child’s IEP or EAP.

• You are required to work as a team member to consult and implement education programs for the student. At all times, you must use professional language when working with the teacher and other professionals.
• You will need to document your consultation and implementation with school staff using the attached format.
• Before you begin working with the student, identify the processes for provision of support to students with disabilities. Include the titles of these below:

1. Create a student profile using the attached format.

Use the attached planning sheet to record the following information for parts 1.3 to 1.6. 

This is a tabulated summary of the student’s main issues that covers ‘the triad of impairments’ that affect all children with ASD. It also incorporates both the students’ abilities/strengths as well as their needs. As part of this, you will need to assist the teacher to create goals for the child (this may be part of an ILP that is already in place)

2. Based on your student profile, suggest at least one (1) strategy for each of the areas identified on the planning sheet that may help the student.

The strategies you have devised may or may not be implemented. If there is already an IEP in place for the child your own strategies may only be hypothetical and you will be supporting the teaching strategies used by the teacher. Please be clear on the planning sheet which are strategies you have devised, and which are strategies from the child’s IEP.

3. Follow up

Based on your observations and implications, write 1 goal in each area as well as follow up activities/resources and strategies that you could use to support the child to develop and/or extend his/her knowledge and skills. Consult with the teacher as to the appropriateness of these and modify as needed based on your consultation.

4. Implementation of activities and strategies.

It is preferred that your implementation occurs in consultation with the school personnel. You must contribute to supporting the student on at least one occasion, by either using your suggestions or following the students existing IEP. This support may include the following:

• working as a team member to implement education programs
• selecting and using suitable resources for the student
• supporting positive social interactions
• supporting the teaching strategies used by the teacher

5. Monitor, record and review the strategies you have implemented.
   • In your evaluation, you can incorporate any of the following information:

• Document observations and offer feedback to the supervisor
• any modifications you made to the strategies,
• any barriers experienced and how you overcame these
• how you adjusted resources to suit the individual needs
• reflecting on whether or not you felt the strategies were successful in addressing the needs of the student
• discussing issues with the teacher and other professionals as required
• adapt levels of support required and provided after consultation with the teacher
• taking appropriate steps, if required, to maintain personal safety of self and others

SECTION 6: Cultural diversity

Diversity includes gender, age, race and ethnicity, disability, parental status, religious beliefs, cultural background, sexual orientation, language, literacy and numeracy skills, personality style, personal values, outside of work commitments, educational level, socio-economic background, marital status and teaching assistant commitments’ (Kearns: 2012;98)

1. Write a brief profile of your work placement school.
You may find it useful to refer to school annual reports and information contained on the school’s website, or the My School webshttp://www.myschool.edu.au
 Include details of the school community and location of the school.
 Discuss how a school’s community and geography impacts on the school’s culture.
 Give reasons for your opinion as to whether the school reflects the diverse nature of Australian Society.

2. Provide examples from your workplace where you recognised and respected the needs of people from diverse social and cultural backgrounds to create culturally safe environments. In one of the examples, explain how you have used effective strategies to communicate when a language barrier exists.
Occasion 1:

Date: Occasion 2:

Date: Occasion 3:

Date:
3. From your workplace school identify three things you observed that embraced and celebrated cultural safety. Indicate how you have followed this to promote, embrace or celebrate the cultural difference to enhance relationships in the workplace. In each entry, explain how you have used verbal and non-verbal communication constructively to establish, develop and maintain effective relationships, mutual trust and confidence. One of the entries needs to show how you have used communication techniques to show respect for cultural differences of ATSI people.
Occasion 1 Date and day:

Occasion 1: what you observed and how you promoted, embraced or celebrated the cultural difference?

Occasion 2 Date and day:

Occasion 2: what you observed and how you promoted, embraced or celebrated the cultural difference?

Occasion 3 Date and day:

Occasion 3: what you observed and how you promoted, embraced or celebrated the cultural difference? Focus on respect for ATSI cultural differences.

4. Based on your reflections that you have done in section 8 (Individual personal and professional development plan) in regards to your cultural understanding and potential biases, evaluate how you have integrated cultural safety into your work practices. Include strategies that you have used to ensure that you are valuing all people in the environment.

5. Think about your interactions with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
a. What strategies have you used to build positive relationships that value diversity with students? List at least 2.
b. Evaluate how you have communicated with the person – what did you do well and what could you have done differently next time?
Strategies to build positive relationships.

What I did well: What I would do differently.

6. Describe an occasion when you contributed to planning to include Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander contexts in the education program and learning environment. This could include an activity with the children, a resource (such as a book), or a discussion.
Date:
Occasion:

7. 7. Sometimes misunderstandings arise as a result of diversity in the workplace. Give an example when such a situation arose.
8. – What were the circumstances around this misunderstanding?
9. – How did you respond to sensitively manage and resolve the situation and what was the outcome? Who did you seek support from?
10. – What was the potential impact of this misunderstanding on social and cultural diversity?

SECTION 10: Cultural safety action plan

Introduction: The final section of this assessment requires you to:

• Develop an action plan for promoting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety in the workplace.
• Share the action plan in the workplace
• Respond to three short answer questions relating to the development, implementation and evaluation of the action plan.

When: You must develop and share your plan during your work placement.

Where: The research and written requirements for this assessment are to be completed outside of placement hours so as not to impact on the student’s engagement with staff and clients during the work placement.

Resources and equipment: Nil

Specific Assessment Conditions: Prior to engagement with an Aboriginal person, community or organisation please ensure you have identified local Protocols, for further information and support please discuss with your teacher.

1. Develop a Cultural Safety Action Plan for your workplace. The action plan should be informed by the research you have already completed. An action plan is a tool for you to devise ways to support the delivery of services and programs that are culturally safe and encourage increased participation.

Your plan must include:

1. One strategy for each of the following:

• increase participation
• build partnerships and
• enable self-determination and community control in your service delivery (10-20 words each)

Your strategies must promote cultural safety and be developed in agreement with your supervisor.

1. Identify resources you can utilise to implement your strategies and promote partnerships between staff, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and their communities (25 – 50 words)
2. For each strategy identify how its success will be measured
3. You will need to implement one of your strategies and demonstrate a range of skills during the implementation. To complete this refer to the demonstration skills report below. Skills you must demonstrate include;

• Ensuring your work practices are grounded in an awareness of your own cultural biases
• Ensuring your work practices reflect an awareness of your own and other cultures
• Demonstrating communication techniques that show respect for the cultural differences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
• Engaging with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander interpreters and colleagues as cultural brokers according to situation needs. (if you have a situation where an interpreter is needed you should make use of this or consult with a colleague who can act as an interpreter. If no such situation arises you should discuss how you would access this if needed).
• Supporting the development of effective partnerships between staff, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people and their communities

1. An evaluation that involves an Aboriginal and/or Torres/Strait islander person in the review. This could be a colleague, a client or your teacher/assessor. Record the conversation and their feedback below and how you have revised your strategy. Once you have the feedback from the Aboriginal and/or Torres/Strait islander person write an overall evaluation of your chosen strategy