Rethinking behaviour - Strengths-based approaches to inclusion

This course focuses on understanding how children use behaviour to communicate their feelings. It takes a strengths-based approach that is responsive to children, respects diversity and difference and works with family strengths to support children’s social and emotional learning. It provides a range of strategies that you can use to both design safe and supportive learning environments and guide children’s emerging social and emotional skills.     

How many hours of study are suggested? 

This course will take around 3 hours of study.  

You have one year from the date of enrolment to complete this course. 

Course overview 

By completing this course, you will be able to: 

• Apply a critical understanding of developmental theory that acknowledges children’s diverse experiences and learning pathways to implement a strengths-based approach to inclusive education   
• Understand the ways that children use non-verbal language and behaviour to communicate   
• Engage in conversations with families about children’s development and behaviour with sensitivity and respect  
• Design learning environments and implement teaching strategies that support inclusion and assist children to manage their emotions and behaviour

This course is organised into the following chapters:    

• Welcome and overview 
• Introduction 
• A strengths-based approach  
• Working with family strengths 
• Guiding children’s behaviour 
• Designing learning environments for inclusive practice 
• Final reflections and actions 
• Resources and references 

The course is delivered as self-paced online training for early childhood educators and teachers offering a rich blend of multimodal learning and activities to consolidate professional learning. 

Meet your presenters

Leonie Arthur Leonie has worked as an early childhood educator in long day care, preschool, and the early years of school, including teaching in Aboriginal communities in Sydney and the Northern Territory. She is one of the authors of Programming and Planning in Early Childhood Settings and was part of the team that developed the first edition of the Early Years Learning Framework. She was a lecturer in early childhood education at the University of Western Sydney, where her research focused on effective pedagogies for learning and teaching in low socioeconomic communities, and the role of collaborative action research in educators’ professional learning and curriculum design.

Jennifer Skattebol Jennifer has Scandinavian and Irish heritage and was raised in Queensland on Turrabal country. She has worked for many years as a researcher with children, young people and their families who experience economic and related adversities.    Trained and experienced as an early childhood teacher, Jennifer is the Deputy Director of TeEACH Research Centre, Western Sydney University.  She leads a program of research that addresses issues of economic inequality and the experiences of children and families in high poverty contexts. Jennifer’s aim is to bring the perspectives of marginalised people to the fore of policy making

Acknowledgment

The Engaging Families research team would like to acknowledge:

• Our research participants, including families, educators and community members
• Our research institutions - UNSW Sydney, Western Sydney University, the University of Sydney, and Griffith University
• Our research partners – KU Children’s Services, Family Day Care Australia, Goodstart Early Learning, Childcare & Kindergarten (C&K), Early Childhood Australia
• Our creative team – the still and moving images used within this course were provided by Jamie James, Nisa East, and Sivani Yaddanapudi
• Our funders – Australian Research Council and NSW Government

APST Aligned | NESA Recognised

3 hour contribution

This course aligns to Standard 1 (Know students and how they learn) and Standard 4 (Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments) of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

CELA is a NESA recognised PD provider.