Educator Workshops [Special Needs]

• Odyssey into an Unusual Mind: Insights into the Complexity of Autism. Educators gain insight into the complexity of the autism spectrum though an in-depth study of the characteristics of the diverse profiles of autism.
• Teaching Special Students: Practical Strategies for Working with Students with Autism and Other Special Needs. Educators learn about practical strategies for working with students with autism and special needs in the following areas: social/communication, academic, sensory and behavioural.
• Functional Behavioural Assessments: Diagnose, Design, Execute and Evaluate. Educators learn how to design and implement Functional Behavioural Assessments (FBAs) to address the behavioural challenges of targeted students within the classroom setting.
• Designing and Implementing Lesson Plans that Engage Students with Autism and Other Special Needs. Educators learn how to design and implement differentiated and effective lesson plans for students with special needs in classroom settings.
• Transforming Outings into Diverse Versions of "Real-life Stories" with Learners of Various Functioning Levels: A Step-by-Step Guide. Educators are challenged to think outside the box about breaking down the steps of the writing process by forming a story from scratch and customising them to match learners of various functioning levels.

Contact us for further enquiry about Educator Workshops.

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ALL NEW ! Caregivers-Educators Collaboration Workshop [Special Needs]

• Bridging Points of View on Students with Special Needs. An highly interactive workshop, this workshop addresses the areas of conflict that often arise between caregivers of students with special needs and educators pertaining to the effective integration of these students in the mainstream school environment. Through moderated discussions and a series of small-group exercises, caregivers and educators can learn how they can collaborate with one another in a team to maximise the learning experience for the students with special needs.

Contact us for further enquiry about the Caregivers-Educators workshop.

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ALL NEW ! Learning Materials and Writing Workshops
[General Education/Special Needs]

• * The Magic of Scaffolding: Every Kid can Learn. Participants learn how to develop and apply various types of scaffolding ranging from external tools (readily available for purchase or home-made) to the insertion of in-worksheet prompts that can augment their students' (special needs/typical) ability to engage in the learning with independence.
• * Introducing Words, Pictures, Story! (WPS!): A Writing Template for Students with Autism and Other Special Needs. Participants obtain an in-depth understanding of the nuts and bolts of the WPS! Writing Template, used as scaffolding for writing and literacy development.
• * Transforming Words, Pictures, Story! (WPS!) into a Story Map. Participants learn how to help children with autism and other special needs move to the next level of story writing by incorporating WPS! components into a story map and putting together a story.
• * Brainstorming a Story: Let’s Compose a Story Together. This workshop introduces educators and caregivers to a fun, dynamic, but yet structured, approach of transforming the story writing experience into an interactive group activity. In this approach, children, working together with one another and guided by the teacher’s posing of questions, “brainstorm” the content of diverse components that will go into the making of a story. Additional ingredients such as pictures and props can be incorporated to stimulate inspiration and imagination.
• Words, Pictures, Story! (WPS!): Doing Mathematics through Stories. Participants learn how to create WPS! writing templates with mathematics underlying their storylines.

* These workshops can also be customised for teachers of typical learners, by setting higher expectations and requirements. They can also be adapted for primary school students.

Contact us for further enquiry about learning materials and writing workshops.

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ALL NEW! Creative Writing Workshops for Primary School Learners [GENERAL EDUCATION]

• Words, Pictures, Story! (WPS!) My First Steps in Writing. This is a comprehensive 10-week storywriting course for student learners, involving the use of the WPS! writing template, workbook, and my latest modification -- WPS! templates in a box. Thus, teachers will have a ready-made programme that can be implemented. This storywriting course is an ideal supplementary literacy course that can enhance student interest and learning in story writing, language components and story composition.
• Writers' Theatre©: Story, Acting, Revising -- A New Storywriting Process (A Workshop for Typical Primary School Learners). This fun, creative and dramatic workshop will enable students to experience the dynamic quality of the creative brainstorming process that goes into the writing of a story. Working in small groups, students will dramatise a simple story that contains implausible story lines, grammatical errors and poorly defined characters. Through their dramatisation of the story, students can return to re-work their stories and improve their version.

Contact us for further enquiry about the creative writing workshops.

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Caregiver Workshops [Special Needs]

• Caregiving, One Breath at a Time. The caregiving of a child with special needs, or individuals with mental illnesses, can be physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting. Conscious Breathing that takes up little time and effort offers a powerful tool for relaxing and recharging. In this workshop, participants will:

  • learn about the effectiveness of conscious breathing;
  • practise breathing techniques; and
  • identify ways of incorporating them into their caregiving lifestyle.
• Raising an Adolescent with Autism: Challenges, Perspectives and Strategies. Targeted at caregivers and educators, this interactive workshop will explore the unique challenges posed by adolescents with autism, as they grapple with their physical and mental changes. In this stimulating workshop, we will also discuss perspectives on this issue and explore effective strategies for dealing with these changes. Topics covered will include: Physical, Mental and Psychological Transformation, Sexuality, Aggression, Role of the Public and Authorities, Behavioural Management and Parenting (for Adolescents).
• * Bridging Life and Learning: Creating an Individualised and Customised Learning Programme. Caregivers learn how to transform the routines and life experiences of their autistic children into a customised learning programme that matches the latter’s learning preferences and functioning levels.
• Tough Love: Taking Charge of Your Autistic Child. Caregivers learn how to manage the behaviour of their autistic children at home and in public to increase compliance and extinguish negative behaviour.
• The Human Touch: Alternative Healing Techniques to De-stress You and Your Autistic Child. Caregivers learn about the use of non-invasive alternative healing techniques to enhance their ability to manage stress for themselves and their autistic children, while addressing the latter’s sensory sensitivities.
• Open Your Mind, Open Your Heart: Grieving and Loving Your Special Child. Caregivers address their sense of grief and confront their attitudes and mindsets, which undermine their ability to cope with the challenges of raising their autistic children.

* I also create customised home learning programmes for interested families who are either interested in homeschooling their children or supplement their learning with creative and innovative learning worksheets and materials.

Contact us for further enquiry about caregiver workshops.

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Additional Information

As each workshop can be adapted to meet a designated time-frame, in accordance with the needs of the participants, the costs are negotiable.

In general, schools and other organisations will be charged a flat-rate per-session cost. They will be responsible for: providing the venue; making copies of the handouts; and providing AVA support.

In the case of workshops for parents and caregivers, I am looking for a minimum number of 6 participants to conduct a workshop; charges will be on a per-participant basis.

If the participants do not exceed 10 per session, I can provide the venue without additional costs within a comfortable home setting. I will provide the copies of the handouts and the AVA support.

If the venue needs to be rented, this will be added to the cost of the training per participant.

Awakening Minds offers additional useful and practical workshops for educators, caregivers and students that focus on mental wellness and the impact on the overall well-being of learners.

For further details, please contact us.

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