“Education and family counseling for students with SEN (Special Educational Needs)

COURSES for STAFF in SCHOOL EDUCATION

Introduction

The training course is addressed to teachers of kindergarten and primary schools with the aim of promoting educational skills of a general nature. Being teachers of children with disabilities, especially children with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, it can request to be supported by specialists on educational procedures and it can be fundamental to receive information on the psychological functioning in pupils.
But it is more than this: to seize educational techniques requires teachers to recognize and manage their own emotional states, to reflect about situations that can help maintain behaviors and/or pupil difficulties.
In order to achieve this awareness, the teacher should be gradually led to work on him/herself, to face the difficulties that can support him/her in searching for a new balance in the classroom, in the relationship with the disabled students well as with the family, for an inclusive teaching and education.
Educational inclusion is seen as the global policy prescribing development towards a regular school that welcomes all students with their unique individual characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs, all children with and without special educational needs and disabilities like autism and Asperger syndrome.
The School which combats discriminatory attitudes and offers a meaningful and individually adapted education to every student benefits the community of the class and the school.
We need to rethink the learning oriented to new pedagogical approaches, to develop and to strengthen the students’ awareness of their own learning process playing an active role in it.
The opportunity to attend this training path within a group of teachers sharing the same experiences, allows the teacher to fell supported, understood, addressed in his/her functioning.

Learning objectives

  • To give knowledge and basic competencies about autism and psychiatric disabilities
  • To offer a framework about ways of knowledge, intervention and relationship strategies
  • To focus on learning-teaching competence, cooperation and responsibility
  • To spread basic knowledge about relationship with the special needs pupils
  • To develop skills and competences of teachers to design effective educational tools to meet the needs of students and to go towards educational inclusion in school
  • To know the characteristics of an inclusive school
  • To know the techniques for optimistic management of the class
  • To know the inclusive education and pedagogy
  • To know how to facilitate communication processes and develop competence in pupils and parents
  • To learn how to grow the school motivation and self-esteem in pupils and parents
  • To learn the techniques of family counseling

Activities Programme

1st day

Welcome meeting: presentation of Polaris staff & experts; briefing of the activities

To give knowledge and basic competencies about autism and psychiatric disabilities

  • Theoretical references about autism

To offer a framework about ways of knowledge, intervention and relationship strategies

  • Autism Know-How: what is Autism and how autistic person feel and think, learn and
  • Principles of inclusive pedagogy
  • Positive classroom climate: multisensory-approach and over-sensorial-protection approach
  • Analysis and discussion of real cases
  • Simulation: Socialization activities with active mediation and listening techniques for teachers and pupils

2nd day

To focus on learning-teaching competence, cooperation and responsibility

  • The Programming of the Head teacher and the teachers: the co-responsibility in education and training of teachers
  • Preventing burnout
  • Techniques and strategies for reduction of the levels of conflict and stress and to increase team working, trade relations and sharing emotional experiences between students and parents
  • Techniques of learning-teaching with focus on real use of different tools as resources for the group
  • Tools to learn how to grow the school motivation and self-esteem, Shaping of care of different needs as a personal and mutual advantage

To spread basic knowledge about relationship with the special needs pupils

  • The threshold between functional and dysfunctional learning model
  • The evolutionary containment
  • Analysis and discussion of real cases
  • Simulation: compare model and approach with and without adapting style to Special Needs 

3rd day

To develop skills and competences of teachers to design effective educational tools to meet the needs of students and to go towards educational inclusion in school

  • Techniques and strategies for reduction the levels of conflict and stress and for team working, trade relations and sharing emotional experiences between students and parents
  • Tools to develop in students the ability to think, recognize and communicate the emotions underlying the painful experiences
  • Techniques and tools to learn how to observe in functional and cooperative team way
  • The activation of resources for inclusion

To know the characteristics of an inclusive school

  • Role of environment in sensorial and perceptive process
  • Techniques of learning-teaching strategies, keeping target and focus according to special needs
  • The strategic collaboration with the teacher of support
  • Meeting with Director and teachers of a kindergarten and/or primary school; focus on techniques used in the teaching of autistic students and on the use of techniques of family and social counselling

4th day

To know the techniques for optimistic management of the class

  • Care and tools for transition between kindergarten and primary school, and transition between primary and secondary school
  • Construction of a Protocol for transition

To know the inclusive education and pedagogy

  • Principles of inclusive pedagogy
  • Methodological, didactical and emotional implications
  • Interactive board: strengths and weaknesses
  • Making a lesson with interactive eboard, creation of a digital book and realization of conceptual maps to study
  • Workshop and role-plays

5th day

To know how to facilitate communication processes and develop competence in pupils and parents

To learn how to grow the school motivation and self-esteem in pupils and parents

To learn the techniques of family counseling

  • Active listening and sharing needs with pupils and parents
  • How to manage crisis and behavioral problems
  • Know-How create functional connection in team, family and class
  • Techniques and tool to listen and support family needs and read emotional interaction
  • Simulation:  role play

6th day

  • Visit to rehabilitation center for autism (3-12 aged pupils; 13-18 and more aged pupils) “Il Cireneo”.
  • Case studies & simulations
  • Resume of the course & learning
  • Collecting of final feeds back 
  • Assessment of learning outcomes
  • Final evaluation of the course
  • Visit to the city and surrounding area to discover the art, traditions, history, nature

Target groups

Teachers in childhood and school education.

Trainer

Luisa Di Biagio, CHPsychol (Accredited Member of the British Psychological Society), Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor Psychologist, Member of three professional orders in Italy and UK, Psychologist, Ethologist, Expert in Sexual Education and Counselling, Expert in Counselling Psychology also of religious orientation, Expert in Autism, Expert in Human-Animal Relationships, Trainer, Speaker at numerous National and International Congresses, Author of publications both popular and scientific and academic, Activist for the rights of Autistic People and for integration, ENCi Qualified Technician for the preparation of working dogs and working dogs in the Service of the person.

Educational

Teacher’s slides and operative cards.

Other activities provided

  • The last day of the course includes evaluation of the course, awarding of Certificates of Participation (2 hrs) and farewell dinner in a typical Italian restaurant offered by Polaris.
  • The program provides also cultural activities as visits to the city and surrounding area to discover the art, traditions, history, nature, typical foods, wine and culinary products of the Abruzzo area.
  • Free support in reservation phase for the transfer from the airports to Vasto and in research of a comfortable and suitable accommodation is provided based on the participants needs and at Polaris’ sole and absolute discretion.

Duration*

42 hrs (in class and practical training), 6 days from Monday to Saturday (excluded travel days).

DATES

18/23.03.202415/20.04.202413/18.05.2024
1/6.07.20247/12.10.202411/16.11.2024

Fee of course*

480 € per person

Working Language

English

*N.B.: the course dates and the duration could be arranged with participants groups of at least 8 people.