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The inclusion team at the high school in the hopes of building staff capacity and learning decided to offer 30 minute sessions after school on four separate occasions on a variety of topics that staff were interested in. This information was collected via survey monkey, and topics were then chosen by four members of the inclusion team based on their knowledge level and/or interest. We mandated to keep the sessions to a maximum of 30 minutes in order to attract a large number of staff members to attend. The sessions were a hit with consistent positive feedback from staff and high attendance rates. The following details the specifics of each session:

Speedy PD 1: Slow Processing Speed: What It Is, What We Know and Don’t Know About It, and What We Can Do About It

Our first Speedy PD session was presented by Sarah Massey, a teacher and inclusion liaison at the high school. Processing speed refers to the pace at which you are able to perceive information (usually visual or auditory), make sense of that information, and then formulate and activate a response. There are a number of theories about the brain processes that contribute to Slow Processing Speed, and researchers are still determining the best way to define, assess and measure it. Children with Slow Processing Speed may have trouble with making decisions, anxiety, timed tests and homework completion, working memory, multi-step directions, and daily routines and transitions. Struggling in these areas can lead a child to experience psychological, emotional and academic difficulties, but there are a myriad of strategies:

• Educate yourself: The best thing we can do for our children and students is to be informed of their strengths and difficulties. Look to where you can obtain more information about your child’s learning profile
• Assessments: further assessments will provide a full picture of a student’s strengths and areas of growth, with accompanying strategies to promote improvement
• Routine: it is important to have a predictable routine at home, and as much as possible at school. This reduces the memory load on child, so they can focus on what needs to be done.
• Clear, Simple Instructions: Instructions should be given simply in a variety of modes (verbally and visually). Ask the child to repeat the instructions to ensure understanding.
• Time Management: Many children with Slow Processing Speed find it difficult to determine how much time a task will take. A “time timer” can be extremely useful as it visually shows how much time has passed, and how much time is left.

Sarah primarily used the professional work of leading experts Ellen Braaten and Brian Willoughby while developing this PD session. Their book, Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up: Help Your Child Overcome Slow Processing Speed and Succeed in a Fast-Paced World, is a must read for teachers and parents supporting children with Slow Processing Speed!

Speedy PD 2: Bullying - Quick and Effective Strategies

Our second Speedy PD session was presented by Lindsay Milburn, our Family School Liaison Counsellor. She started off by providing a definition of bullying, and encouraged staff to use the term bullying cautiously, and provided examples of true bullying (ie. chronic, repetitive, deliberate acts) versus naturally occurring and developmentally appropriate peer conflict (ie. not getting picked in gym class, single-episode rejection etc.) She also provided an overview about the spectrum of bullying including:

• Passive bullying which includes harmful jokes, inappropriate teasing, disrespect, undermining, ignoring, sarcasm, withholding information
• Taunting which includes visible and public harassment, creating/spreading rumours, intimidation, mockery, provocation, marginalization
• Threatening which includes repeated harassment, coercion, manipulation, control, loss of empathy, endangerment, light physical contact, tormenting, terrorizing
• Assault which includes threats of significant harm, unrelenting harassment, physical coercion and abuse, de-humanizing, striking, weapons.

Lindsay also provided staff with several “in the moment” strategies for how to manage/support students dealing with more serious cases of student conflict/bullying, and also strategies regarding how to empower students to navigate peer conflict with more confidence and effectiveness.

Speedy PD 3: Strategies for Educators - Helping Teens with Anxiety

Our third session was presented by Jim Poirier, a teacher and inclusion liaison at the high school.  Anxiety is the number one health problem in North America, and when left untreated is one of the strongest predictors of anxiety and depression later in life. The session provided an overview of what anxiety is, how it affects the adolescent brain, and detailed some of the warning signs that educators can look for and strategies for educators to help reduce anxiety in the classroom:

Symptoms of Anxiety

We know that when students are feeling high levels of stress and anxiety, their brains are unable to take in learning, and even short-term memory is severely affected. Therefore, when dealing with high anxiety in a classroom setting, students will not be able to properly store learning and information for future retrieval.  The session continued focusing on how educators can help students to manage stress and anxiety:

    Teachers…What Can We Do???

1. Teacher Self-Reflection
2. Relaxation Strategies
3. Self-Talk (Avoid Musterbation)
4. Encourage Critical Thinking
5. Combat Perfectionist Thinking
6. Change the Conversation
7. Combat Catastrophizing the Future
8. Create a School Structure
9. Work with Families
10. Collaborate with Other Professionals

Speedy PD 4: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? All You Need To Know About A Psych Ed

This session was presented by Dr. Sohel Shivji, our Family School Liaison Counsellor and FFCA alum. It was geared towards learning more about a Psych Ed. as an educational professional (teacher or administrator). Reading a Psych Ed. can be very daunting and overwhelming at first, so sometimes it can feel like reading just the recommendations will be good enough. For sure reading and executing the recommendations is important, but every teacher has a different teaching style and reading through certain parts of a Psych Ed. may help teachers think of exercises that will help based on a specific aspect of a student. A Psych Ed. generally consists of three components: 1) A measure of cognitive/intellectual functioning (WISC-V or WAIS-IV); 2) Academic achievement (WIAT-III); 3) Social/Emotional functioning. Full Psych Ed. assessments can take anywhere from three hours to seven hours depending on the child and the number of test batteries used to get the full picture of a child. Going through a Psych Ed. is essential for learning about some students in order to ensure the student’s educational needs are met and for any accommodations for their post-secondary schooling.

After going through information about the WISC-V and WIAT-III, we went through a WISC-V report together in search of things that may be key for a teacher to notice and see. The information and the report was directly from Pearson Clinical Assessment. The goal of the session was to help educators understand the Psych Ed. better and feel less overwhelmed with the information in a Psych Ed.

For next year, we hope to continue the Speedy PD sessions, while also taking advantage of the vast strengths of other staff on campus. Our hope is to build a community of learning where we cooperatively learn from each other. If you have any questions about the process or the sessions, please feel free to contact any of us at the high school.

Sarah Massey, Lindsay Milburn, Jim Poirier, Sohel Shivji