Speak Out August 2013

2015 National Conference

Training course for educators

Bringingwordshome: volunteering in Zimbabwe ‘C hildren learn through play, they develop language during play. Teachers should not dominate play, they instead should just help children to learn different vocabulary by helping their interaction in an environment where vocabulary learning is possible.” This was the response of one lecturer to the question, ‘How would you adapt your talking in the classroom to assist children with language and communication difficulties?’ when he attended a two-day course on ‘Speech, language and communication development and difficulties in children’. The course, which was one of two run in Zimbabwe in January 2013, took place at Madziwa Teachers College in Shamva, north-east of Harare, and was delivered to the college’s lecturers. Similar responses were given during the second course held in Harare which was attended by teachers, rehabilitation assistants, paediatricians, psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists and parents. In 1989/1990, as a fledgling speech and hearing therapist working in Zimbabwe (where I was born and grew up), I trained teachers from Harare Region schools to be the identified ‘speech teacher’ for their school – the teacher that would hold a specific role in relation to children with speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCDs). Many teachers attended training sessions and I even had the opportunity to support some of them on-site. Together we reviewed the children the speech teachers had identified, on the basis of the training that had been delivered, as requiring extra support due to SLCDs. After starting my career in Zimbabwe, I worked in the UK/Europe gaining a wide range of clinical and professional experience and then immigrated to Australia in 2010. The ‘Bringingwordshome’ project was conceived a year ago. The aim was to contribute to my country of birth and to bring benefit to and for children with SLCDs in Zimbabwe. There is limited speech pathology available in the country, it was not therefore difficult to develop aims to provide input that would have impact. Networking with old and new colleagues and friends, we agreed that it would be best to deliver introductory training about speech, language and communication development and difficulties in children to teachers, a range of other professionals that work with children and lecturers who train teachers. The aim of the introductory training was to establish understanding of the impact of SLCDs on children’s learning and functioning and to develop skills and strategies: • in identifying SLCDs in the classroom, and • for enhancing communication in the classroom so that all children in education settings benefit. At the end of the courses, course participants demonstrated increased knowledge regarding speech, language and communication and the identification of SLCDs in children.

Call for 2015 Conference Planning Committee Speech Pathology Australia is now calling for expressions of interest from ACT members for a position on the 2015 National Conference Planning Committee. Expressions of interest should include a covering letter stating relevant experience and a curriculum vitae to support the application. The application should be submitted to Michelle Foley – National CPC/SA Councillor via email: CouncillorCPD.SA@ speechpathologyaustralia.org.au Applications close Friday 13 September 2013 2015 Conference Convenor Speech Pathology Australia is pleased to announce that Felicity Martin has been appointed the 2015 Conference Convenor and we look forward to a successful Conference in Canberra!

Speak Out August 2013

29

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au