Learning Opportunities

This PD series is unique because it focuses students with extensive support needs. The “Attic Club” gets its name from the top tier of the response-to-intervention (RTI) model. Those of us who support students with extensive support needs tend to use highly individualized approaches that are in the “attic” of the RTI model. 

Watch this two minute video to learn more about the "Attic Club"

Teaching students with extensive support needs can be complex and lonely work. Whether those students are educated in inclusive classes (with age-similar peers) or in specialized classes (with ability-similar peers), teachers report feeling isolated in their work and underprepared for the complexities in their classrooms. To address those concerns, this series of workshops is designed for educators that work directly with students with extensive support needs, whether those needs come from difficulties related to intellectual, communicative, or emotional/behavioural differences. In addition to providing evidence-based practices for supporting complex student needs, this series of workshops is designed to create a community of practice among teachers in southern Alberta that support students with extensive support needs. 

The workshops have three components: initial questionnaire, in-class visits, and professional development workshops. 

Once the attendees have been confirmed, they will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about their classroom, current teaching practices, and student profiles. In the questionnaire, they will have an opportunity to invite Dr. MacCormack to visit their classroom.