Our Learning Support Coordinator Mrs Merilyn Myers has put together a blog post about learning support at Swan Christian College. The blog post is part of our student well-being blog published twice a term.
Learning Support at SCC
– By Mrs Merilyn Myers, Learning Support Coordinator
Our College has been blessed with a diversity of abilities, interests, and talents amongst our student body. This diversity brings richness, challenges and opportunities for service.
In acknowledging these differences in our community, the K-12 Learning Support teams are committed to enabling students to develop into the person and for the purpose for which God has created them.
Specific processes and programs have been put in place which aim to facilitate opportunities for identification of, and intervention for student’s diverse learning abilities.
Examples of the strategies used to address learning differences across Junior, Middle and Senior Schools are: the establishment of individualised student learning plans, access to individual and small group enrichment and extension programs, differentiated instruction, alternative and modified assessments, provision of exam accommodations, modifications of classroom environments, team professional learning sessions, and the use of standardised and diagnostic assessment tools.
Useful sites to develop an understanding of student diversity include:
– http://australiangiftedsupport.com/
– https://dsf.net.au/what-are-learning-disabilities/
– http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/learning_disabilities.html
Students with diverse learning abilities may also undergo a referral process to internal staff (Learning Support Coordinators, Enrichment and Extension Coordinator, College psychiatrists), and external service providers (eg. pediatricians, speech therapists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists).
The referral process for teachers has been recently reviewed, however, as a parent, should you have cause to consider referring your child regarding any area of learning support please contact your child’s class teacher (Junior School) or mentor teacher (Middle/Senior School).
Mrs Merilyn Myers
K-12 Learning Support Coordinator