Wendy Roberts (NEVR): School Inclusive Practice Branch Manager

[Gentle music]

Wendy Roberts:

I chose the Masters of Inclusive Education at Monash University. It really had an individual focus, a school focus and a system wide focus. So that was particularly interesting to me.

[On-screen text: Master of Inclusive Education Program – Master of Inclusive Education – Monash University]

Stuart Edwards:

I think what teachers are finding, and the same for regional staff, they may have become qualified ten, fifteen, twenty or more years ago and reengaging in what the current research is and what the best practice looks like today has been really energizing for people.

Jennifer Small:

We're using, you know, leading practice that's been, you know, researched worldwide. And I think that's the benefit that we're doing good work and we know it's quality work.

Wendy Roberts:

This actually allows you to really learn the most contemporary ways, the most contemporary strategies and interventions that absolutely work. You're learning, you're taking it in, but you reflecting upon that and how you can implement that in a concrete way.

Stuart Edwards:

I think with that deeper knowledge, there's a greater opportunity to really help the school to see what they need and what they could be doing differently and how to go about doing that work differently so that a student gets a better outcome. While they're becoming qualified with a masters of inclusive education, they also have the opportunity to apply that learning in their day-to-day work.

Wendy Roberts:

True sort of collaboration and professional learning and implementing together is actually what makes it stick.

Jennifer Small:

Having had done a masters and having the knowledge, I think, you know, she was really able to very quickly design and co-design with DLs as well, a program for the rest of the school and improvement workforce.

Wendy Roberts:

It's not just theory on the page, it's actually in action, we can see the difference it's making.

Stuart Edwards:

People now have enormous resources and professional learning opportunities to go back and really learn from what the experts have found in schools that does work.

Wendy Roberts:

These are opportunities for the schools, for regional workforces to absolutely learn more, do more and influence more so that those kids can actually not fall behind, but rather be supported to really meet their educational needs.

[On-screen text: Disability Inclusion – Education for All. Victorian State Government – Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne]

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