Learning Assistance Support Teacher
Mrs Gill and Mrs Drysdale
The role of the Learning Assistance Support Teacher (LAST) is to target and develop individual, group and class programs based on the identified needs of students across the school. This includes programs for students who are working below the level of their peers as well as programs for students who are working beyond the level of their peers. These programs are developed in consultation with each classroom teacher.
The main areas of focus are:
- Literacy, which includes phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading, comprehension, aspects of speaking and writing, and
- Numeracy, which covers number, space and geometry, patterns and algebra, data, measurement and working mathematically.
The LAST will also provide short targeted periods of intervention for students in K-6 who are just short of achieving stage outcomes. In addition to this, the LAST will also undertake an intensive one on one literacy program with 2 Year 1 students each day. Students will be identified via testing and will receive half hour individual lessons each day until they meet stage outcomes.
The LAST also works with the classroom teachers in Stage 1 to implement The Count Me In numeracy program in Terms 2 and 3. The children participate in game based activities to help develop number and problem solving strategies. For more information on Count Me in Too please visit http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/countmein/index.htm
In addition to the work undertaken each week in classrooms, part of the role of the LAST is to assist teachers to cater for the needs of hish Potential and Gifted students (HPGE). Identified students will have opportunities to participate in programs run by Whitebridge High school and the Hunter HPGE committee throughout the year. In Terms 2 and 3, the LAST will run an enrichment program for identified Year 3-6 students.
For our students, this has been an unsettling time.
The government and department have recognised this with the announcement of a $337 million program aimed at ensuring that schools can identify students who would benefit the most from intensive support. This will be tailored to their requirements to ensure that students’ educational outcomes continue to improve in 2021.
The COVID intensive learning support program will provide small group tuition for students who need it most across NSW primary, secondary and specialist schools.