Speak Out
June 2014
19
BRANCH news
QUEENSLAND
BrANCH NEWS — tasmania
During May
, speech pathologists
working in schools gathered at
a Tasmania-wide conference for
Department of Education employees.
The group was privileged to have
Dr Natalie Munro present on day one
of the event. As well as being a lecturer
at the University of Sydney, Dr Munro
is the Scientific Affairs leader for the
New South Wales Branch of Speech
Pathology Australia.
Dr Munro provided a thorough grounding
in the topic of vocabulary learning
and a range of practical vocabulary
intervention strategies for the classroom.
The presentation included a snapshot of
Dr Julia Starling’s work with secondary
school students and Dr Munro took the
opportunity to promote the upcoming
National Tour (which will be in Hobart in
August, please see p14 for details).
Day two of the conference was an
action-packed day with several
presentations by Tasmanian speech
pathologists. SPA’s Tasmanian Branch
President Alison Henty provided a
thoughtful and entertaining reflection
on decades of working in Tasmanian
schools. She spoke on the importance
of communication rights and strongly
encouraged everyone to become a
Communication Champion during the
ICP2014.
Kate Day
Speech Language Pathologist
Tasmanian Branch Speak Out Editor
Communication rights promoted at Tassie-wide event
Communication challenges in the classroom
Susan McKee
, Lecturer at the Central Queensland University,
School of Education and the Arts, recently invited Sharon Lowe
(Senior Occupational Therapist) and myself to present to her
class of Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary pre-service
teachers due to our many years’ experience working with
Disability Services (a QLD Government Department).
The class of around 40 students are enrolled in a course called
Managing Diversity. This course covers a range of topics with
the underlying focus on the pre-service teachers’ attitudes
towards atypical learners, hence why Sharon and my insights
about working with people with disabilities were sought.
Sharon and I spoke about our respective professions and
outlined common characteristics that a teacher might notice
in school students with communication difficulties and/
or occupational concerns. We went on to make practical
suggestions as to how teachers could modify their classroom
and incorporate strategies to maximise students’ levels of
participation and independence.
This forum was also a chance to showcase the ICP2014
to students who attended the session. SPA is using ICP2014
as a platform to build a
Nation for Communication
– “an
Australia where communication in all its forms is recognised
and valued”.
This was a great opportunity for information sharing, and
Sharon and myself received positive feedback from the
students who appreciated the practical presentation.
christine bartholomew
Speech Pathologist
Above: Dr Natalie Munro (third from left) with conference organisers Robyn Williams, Jane Mueller and
Sally O’Donnell; below, Tasmanian Branch Chair Alison Henty with Sally O’Donnell
Christine Bartholomew and Susan McKee display the “Nation for Communication
– Communication is a basic human right” poster with the students who attended
the presentation.
