Recently, while having a blood test prior to a medical appointment, I was chatting with the nurse and she asked what sort of work I did. When I replied that I work as a Teacher Support Officer, which used to be called an Integration Aide, she asked, “What’s an Integration Aide?” When thinking about it later, I thought that there are probably more people in the community who do not have a clear idea of what our work involves.

At Ballarat High, we have a small number of students who receive funding for assistance in class. To receive this, the school needs to follow an application process with the support from the Department of Education. The funding is determined by the needs of each student. The more specialised equipment and support a student requires, the higher level of funding is given to the school. Our role is to assist and support the classroom teacher to achieve a positive learning outcome for our students.

Our role covers many areas which are dependent on the needs of the student and their individual educational plans. This can include the development of programs relating to life skills, social skills, physical fitness and career pathways. We often laugh together about how our day is never ‘set in stone’ due to unexpected changes.

During classes we guide students with their class work by providing visual and verbal prompts and modification of work with the guidance of their classroom teacher. Students may either attend one-on-one sessions or collaborate in small groups. We continually liaise with a vast array of people, such as paraprofessionals including psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, as well as school leaders, staff and families. We are often called upon to be involved in student paraprofessional assessments and meetings relevant to the individual student/s we support due to our thorough knowledge of the student.

It is important that we have a strong understanding of the diagnosis of our student and how it can impact on their learning, therefore we regularly attend professional development days to ensure we are using current methods of support. Teachers will often communicate with us to seek ideas as we have a holistic understanding of the student’s needs.

As a team of staff our philosophy is that all students can learn and can achieve success.

Jan Boldiston

Teacher Support Officer

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