Paula Kluth addressing the workshop.More than 100 participants took part in our workshop with Dr. Paula Kluth at Mount St. Agnes Academy on April 16, making it the biggest workshop BASE has ever hosted!
Chicago-based Dr. Kluth is a renowned autism and inclusive schooling expert and author. She works with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners.
The workshop - “You’re Going to Love This Kid”: Educating Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms” - was a key event for Autism Awareness Month and designed to help parents and professionals develop their expertise in autism and renew their enthusiasm for their work with individuals on the autism spectrum.
Dr. Kluth said she was very pleased with the response from the local autism community and educators to the workshop:
"This workshop is based on my own experiences as a teacher of students with autism. When I began working in an inclusive school twenty years ago, there were few resources available on educating learners with autism and no books, workshops, or materials on teaching those with autism in general education classrooms. Therefore, when I became a professor of education, the first book I wrote was “You’re Going to Love This Kid”: Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom. Even though I have written nine other books since then, this one is still my most popular. The workshop of the same name is also my most popular workshop. I think this illustrates the need that still exists for both classroom teachers and learning specialists.
"This workshop works well in Bermuda because here all students-those with and without disabilities- are educated together; this is a goal people in other countries have been trying to reach for years! Most of he topics covered in the workshop, including ideas for helping students polish communication skills; active learning structures; tips for creating comfortable classrooms; learning games; and adapted instructional materials, work just as well for students with and without unique learning needs. So, we were hoping that every teacher - no matter what needs or abilities their students have - would find some new strategy.
"The fact that Bermuda is small has some wonderful benefits. Teachers have to learn from one another and they have to collaborate. In addition, in a small community, creating changes in an educational system can be much easier than in a larger region. With only a few dozen schools on the island, word can travel quickly and so can innovative practices.
"I am hoping that participants left with a range of ideas they could use immediately. We did a lot of brainstorming and had a lot of time for discussion. Based on these conversations, it was clear to me that educators are committed to educating all students in their diverse classrooms. I overheard many teachers saying that they were going to use ideas right away on Monday morning."
BASE received overwhelmingly posititve feedback from the workshop. These were typical comments:
“The workshop was amazing. Dr. Kluth was a wonderful and upbeat presenter. I think the messages were clear and appropriate for the audience.”
“The time flew by – I was so engaged in the topic and the activities kept me moving. I feel confident enough to use what I learned today right away in the classroom.”
“We got to try many of the instructional techniques she presented. It was a great reminder that children need to move to learn!”
“Very practical, hands-on workshop.”
Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 4:39PM 