Professional Development-VCAL

TMELA can offer PD to schools, organisations or individuals in a number of areas

VCAL

Although VCAL is a reasonably new course, Linda has been teaching the majority of the learning outcomes for the past ten years in the TAFE and ACE sector through the Certificates of General Education for Adults course.  (Very similar outcomes, slightly different emphasis).

As she has facilitated the regional moderation for this course for the last six years, she has a thorough understanding of the learning outcomes, as well as lots of experience in delivering these to young people.

Ask her about the Bridge Building Project (see PD below) with these students.

Teaching and Learning – Approaches & Strategies

No matter what area of teaching they work in, teachers will be presented with a full-on, action packed, hands-on day and leave enthused and inspired to make their teaching even better.  The day will cover the following topics:

• The learning environment

• Fostering Positive Attitudes

• Learning Styles

• Multiple Intelligences

• Developing Higher Order Thinking

• Thinking Strategies and tools

• Different styles of instruction and Learning:

• Directed Teaching

• Cooperative Learning

• Inquiry based learning

• The 5e Instructional Model

• Scaffolding

• Differentiation

• Timeframes - Pace and Wait

• Reflection

• Testmonials

Bridge Building

If you need an idea for a project suitable for your VCAL group - don't miss this one. In this hands-on classroom project, students work independently building team and communication skills as well as applying a plethora of numeracy and literacy skills. An integrated unit of work targeting VCAL, (but works in many different classroom environments) and can be adapted for groups from the early Middle Years through to Adults. Learning outcomes demonstrated in VCAL, CGEA and VELS mathematics. Adaptated from Maths Projects Series “Building Toothpick Bridges” (1985) Dale Seymour Publications

Kites - Developing an Integrated Maths Project

Participants will make kites in this session as an example of a hands-on project around which we will build an integrated Maths program.  Participants will tease out the maths (and other domains) involved in the project and develop a simple, but effective plan. Discussion will focus on:

• the benefits of Working Mathematically on projects such as this

• differentiating the curriculum

• engaging students

• inclusive curriculum

Participates will take away a sound but simple planning structure for integrated program planning, a clearer understanding of what it means to ‘Work Mathematically’ and see how other curriculum areas can be integrated into the mathematics classroom.

Some Remedies for the 'I hate maths' Syndrome
Strategies for Enhancing Middle Years Numeracy

This PD focuses on engagement and success and will involve active participation in hands-on activities by all participants.  It encompasses ‘best practice’ in numeracy teaching with middle years students and incorporates differentiated curriculum, multiple intelligences, thinking strategies and organizers, reflections on current practices and an investigation of real life applications. 

Much of the groundwork for this presentation comes from the presenter’s extensive experience with ‘youth at risk’ groups, but has also been applied very successfully in the ‘normal’ middle years classroom.  Insight into some of the symptoms, causes and remedies for the ‘I hate maths’ syndrome are exposed – which includes scrutiny of teaching methodology.

Real Maths
Strategies for Enhancing Middle Years Numeracy

Simple message – make it real.  Sounds good – but how?  How, is the focus of this PD, and planning and questioning are two of the key components.  It shares some very simple but effective planning tools and encourages the use of the local community and environment to make it real.  It looks at identifying outcomes and the break-down of skills needed to achieve these outcomes and how these can be achieved in a meaningful way.  This PD also looks at ways of lifting the profile of mathematics amongst the students, the school and the community.

Throughout this PD, participants will not only be listening, discussing and reflecting, but be experiencing each component in a hands-on way so that when the day is finished they will already be putting into practice what they have learnt ready to apply it with their own classes straight away.

Strategies for Enhancing Maths in the Middle Years

• Evaluating current Teaching and Learning practices

• Disengagement – discussing the issues

• Strategies to consider

• Consistency/Routine

• Variety of Presentation

• Clear instruction and direction

• Making Maths enjoyable

• Provision for all abilities

• Some activities to try

• Feedback and Evaluation

• Other administrative considerations

Numeracy Teaching For Trade Teachers

This PD will identify some of the key numeracy concepts that seem to be commonly causing concerns with the teaching of apprentices and pre-apprentices.

It will focus on Teaching and Learning Strategies to assist in being able to identify components within skills and a variety of practical strategies which can be used to help students in understanding these concepts.

Some of the specific topics covered will include:

• Decimals

• Fractions

• Percentages

• Measurement

• Conversions

• Estimation

Others will be negotiated during the session.

Fostering Positive Attitudes to Maths

This session aims to give students positive experiences in Mathematics through enjoyment of confidence-building activities.  It aims to demonstrate, review and create engaging tasks to motivate students to learn.  The tasks will build the knowledge and confidence needed, without being too tedious.  They will help prime the students’ minds to want to succeed and to be more prepared to immerse themselves into challenging situations. 

Through hands on activities and reflective discussions, participants in this session will depart with an array of games and activities that they can use in their own classrooms the very next day along with the confidence to apply what they have learnt in this session to create many other invaluable activities suited to the needs of the students with which they work.