SWAN Hill Specialist School offers students a foundation year that prepares them for learning and life-skills they will carry throughout their lifetime.
Red Room is made up of predominantly Prep children and teacher Jaimee Kiel said low classroom sizes and teacher-
student rations were a big advan-tage when teaching children foundation skills.
“Each classroom has a teacher and at least one education
support worker and that really allows us to focus on each child’s specific needs,” she said.
“Our children in Red Room learn through an investigation program where they can drive their own learning through exploration and investigating.
“Children are encouraged to ask questions that they find relevant rather than have a teacher be guiding what parts they will learn about.”
Red Room also focus learning on numeracy, literacy, sensory, dramatic play and a science
station.
Through play, children can investigate and make their own discoveries.
Red Room also caters for student’s differing communication needs with a variety of communication supports.
Some of these include visual PECS cards (pictures and words), communication devices such as iPads with lots of different programs able to be downloaded to suit each individual child and basic sign language.
Ms Kiel said the students took part in community participation one day per week.
“We head off on a bus into the community and the students get to experience all different aspects of our community,” she said.
“One week we might visit a park or a shop in town and other times we pay a visit to the surrounding towns that are nearby.
“It’s about getting the children out into the community and it’s also a chance to teach them about social rules within the community.”
