EPV 2023 SUMMER COURSE
Equal Education For All: Inclusion and SEN
Enabling participants to respond to the demands of all their pupils, inclusive of their interests, abilities, talents and needs
COURSE APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Course breakdown
10 hours on-demand video material and 10 hours offline learning
Online tutor moderation
Downloadable articles and resources
Access on mobile and desktop
Course Approved for the Department of Education and Skills EPV Summer Course Certificate 2023
Full access to the course
Course Goals:
Explore the benefits of in-class support and provide practical examples of best practice in literacy and numeracy with a view to meaningful inclusion of all pupils: team teaching, power hours, station teaching and co-teaching
Learn about including pupils with ASD in the mainstream classroom with organisational tips and resources to aid meaningful inclusion (PECS, visual schedules and other visual aids; concrete materials; learning tailored to interests)
Highlight the importance of teacher expectations with regard to inclusive education
Discover the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework which through the use of strength-based learning, aims to improve the learning experiences of all accommodating diverse learners in a mainstream setting
With over 5,000 online students, the Child Psychology Institute comes highly recommended as a Summer Course Provider for Irish school teachers.
We also welcome secondary school teachers and SNAs to our summer courses.
Inclusive Education
obtain the ideas and skills required to create an inclusive learning environment
Inclusion in education can often be viewed by teachers as a daunting task rather than a welcome challenge. By engaging with this course, participants will be provided with the ideas and skills required to create an inclusive learning environment. We will explore tried and tested approaches that could be used in all classrooms.
Modern classrooms can vary greatly from setting to setting and the range of learning styles can be diverse. With that in mind, this course will examine the Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This provides an effective framework to improve the learning experience of all students within the mainstream teaching environment. As well as providing ideas and knowledge, this course will also invite the participants to reflect on their current practice and recognise the good, inclusive practice already in place. Furthermore, the participants can share their own experiences with others and via versa, enhancing the participants opportunities for professional development.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa
Incorporating a fully inclusive approach
learn to effectively communicate and support children with sen
Working with children from the perspective of understanding their experience and communicating with children effectively, means that teachers can provide a quality of teaching that is unparalleled in terms of contributing to a long-lasting impact. Tailoring lesson plans to be more empathetic and responsive to the needs of the child means that they will be more engaged and therefore want to learn more. The leadership within schools must incorporate a fully inclusive approach and this has to begin somewhere. After Participants engage in this course, they will be equipped with the knowledge of how to communicate effectively with children with SEN. Content can be downloaded and shared with the principal so every school can implement this innovative ethos with all staff, thus improving the lives of so many more students. As such, teachers’ engagement in this course will directly improve their practice in relation to leadership, teaching, learning and assessment in working with children with SEN.
This course is ten hours of audio content, visual content and assessment in total, and there are ten hours of recommended reading and resources for you to further develop your own learning.
Course Dates
GROUP 1
July 3rd - 16th 2023
GROUP 2
July 17th - 30th 2023
GROUP 3
August 1st - 18th 2023

Meet Your Instructor
Lorraine Lynch is CEO and Founder of the Child Psychology Institute. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychological Studies and English, a Higher Diploma in Psychology and a Masters of Science in Health Psychology. Lorraine is also the author of two books designed to promote children’s wellness – #100happydays4kids and Closing Saor’s Day. She is currently completing her thesis for her Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology.
“It is essential that children meet adults who are responsive and understand how a child’s mind works so that they can truly blossom into happy successful adults.”
Course Aims
- Examine the history of Special Needs Education in the Irish context
- Discuss the key documents that have brought us to where we are today: SERC Report and the introduction of Special Education Teachers and Special Needs Assistants; the EPSEN Act; Introduction of IEPs; Inclusive Education Framework; and Guidelines for Supporting Pupils with SEN in Mainstream Schools (2017)
- Provide an overview of inclusive education in the Irish context presently
- Becoming an inclusive practitioner-what’s it all about? Enabling participants to respond to the demands of all their pupils, inclusive of their interests, abilities, talents, and needs
- Introduction to Student Support Files – collaborating, prioritising and implementing planning with all stakeholders
- Explore the benefits of in-class support and provide practical examples of best practices in literacy and numeracy with a view to meaningful inclusion of all pupils: team teaching, power hours, station teaching and co-teaching
- Including pupils with ASD in the mainstream classroom-organisational tips and resources to aid meaningful inclusion-PECS, visual schedules and other visual aids; concrete materials; learning tailored to interests
- Highlight the importance of teacher expectations with regard to inclusive education
- Discover the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework which through the use of strength-based learning, which aims to improve the learning experiences of all accommodating diverse learners in a mainstream setting
- Consider the bigger picture: inclusion across the whole school community
- In-depth discussion of inclusion, differentiation and SSE
- Collaboration, discussion and sharing of personal experiences with fellow participants as well as engaging in practical activities; sharing of practices across a range of diverse school
FAQs
The course is divided into three groups that are running on the following dates:
- Group One: July 3rd – 16th 2023
- Group Two: July 17th – 30th 2023
- Group Three: August 1st – 18th 2023
Yes, all work is monitored by our e-tutor team, which means that you will receive feedback and you will be notified if more detail is required.
All of our EPV Summer Courses are just €99 per course. Pay just €175 for two courses or €250 for three!
Just add the course and the date to your cart and the discount will automatically be applied. Remember, as per DES guidelines, you cannot complete two courses in the same time-frame.
Our primary focus is on you learning and then supporting children with their emotional wellness. As a result, we place value on reflective learning. You’ll be asked to discuss your own understanding and experiences, as well as brief summaries of important topics. All assignments are less than 500 words.
We are obsessed with children’s wellness and our mission is to impart as much knowledge as we can on to the people who matter – the teachers and SNAs who are guiding, supporting and shaping our children every single day.
All of our courses have been developed with the most current research in the area of health and educational psychology. Students who have completed courses with us in the past keep coming back for more. Why? Because our customers complete courses that are jam-packed full of meaningful information and effective strategies that really do create change, not just across classrooms, but across careers!
We will be in touch before your course starts with login instructions. For now, enjoy the last term of school and we’ll see you in July/August for some summer learning!