Education Support Worker Micro-Credentials

This micro-credential provides candidates with an overview of the roles and responsibilities of an Education Support Worker/Educational Assistant.

Badge Earning Criteria:
Successfully complete 2 hours of self-paced learning activities, assignments, and assessments.

Skills Acquired:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Identify the various responsibilities of an Education Support Worker/Educational Assistant
• Explore the relationship between unique student needs and the role of the ESW
• Explore the relationship between the learning environment and the role of the ESW
• Identify support strategies used by ESWs for supporting various areas of student growth
• Identify the responsibilities that are essential to the position of Education Support Worker/Educational Assistant.
• Apply your knowledge of the responsibilities of an ESW in a case study
• Identify the skills that are essential to the position of Education Support Worker
• Apply your knowledge of the skills of an ESW in a case study
• Identify the professional responsibilities of an Education Support Worker
• Explore the importance of legal obligations related to professional ethics in the role of and ESW

Cost: $80.00 + HST

This course provides candidates with an overview of the skills and strategies that will help them effectively manage classroom behaviours.

Badge Earning Criteria:
Successfully completed 2 hours of self-paced learning activities, assignments, and assessments.

Skills Acquired:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Define behaviour.
• Understand that everyone has a perspective on behaviours, how to shift their own perspective.
• Define functional communication, self-regulation, and cognitive development and learn the significant impact these skills have on behaviour.
• Define Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).
• Understand ABA and education.
• Understand the ABCs of behaviour.
• Identify and label examples of Antecedents, Behaviour, and Consequences.
• Learn the term precipitating factors and how they impact behaviour.
• Identify the behaviour escalation levels and appropriate staff actions.
• Apply knowledge to case studies.
• Discuss a variety of effective classroom strategies and principles.
• Define positive reinforcement and how to implement in the classroom.
• Understand the importance of rapport building.

Cost: $80.00 + HST

This micro-credential will define and explore different types of exceptionalities. Learn about different strategies that can be leveraged to support the development and progress of all learners in all classrooms.

Badge Earning Criteria:
Successfully completed 2 hours of self-paced learning activities, assignments, and assessments. The material covered includes defining and exploring different types of exceptionalities and different strategies that can be leveraged to support the development and progress of all learners.

Skills Acquired:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Identify and compare Ministry of Education Categories of Exceptionalities.
• Identify exceptionalities that are in each category, in general terms.
• Understand and explain how a diagnosis is identified. Categorize each exceptionality into which Ministry of Education category it belongs.
• Identify Ministry of Education in Ontario Behavioural Exceptionalities Definition.
• Identify various types on behavioural exceptionalities that can be observed in a classroom setting.
• Have a general understanding of strategies that they can provide for a student with a behavioural exceptionality.
• Identify Ministry of Education in Ontario Communication/Learning Disability Exceptionalities Definition.
• Identify various types of communicational exceptionalities that can be observed in a classroom setting.
• have a general understanding of strategies that they can provide for a student with a communicational exceptionality.
• Identify Ministry of Education in Ontario intellectual exceptionalities Definition.
• Identify various types on intellectual exceptionalities that can be observed in a classroom setting.
• Explore strategies that they can provide for a student with an intellectual exceptionality.
• Identify Ministry of Education in Ontario physical exceptionalities Definition.
• Identify various types on physical exceptionalities that can be observed in a classroom setting.
• Explore strategies that they can provide for a student with a physical exceptionality.
• Identify Ministry of Education in Ontario multiple exceptionalities definition.
• Identify what constitutes an identification of a multiple exceptionality.
• Identify how to support a student with multiple exceptionalities.

Cost: $80.00 + HST

This micro-credential provides an overview of key aspects of child development which include their physical, psychosocial, cognitive, motor, and language development during infancy, toddlerhood, preschool years, and elementary age.

Badge Earning Criteria:
Successfully completed 2 hours of self-paced learning activities, assignments, and assessments.

Skills Acquired:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Identify developmental milestones for each domain.
• Identify psychological stages of development.
• Identify supportive strategies to promote healthy development.
• Identify developmental milestones for each domain.
• Identify psychological stages of development.
• Identify supportive strategies to promote healthy development.
• Identify developmental milestones for each domain.
• Identify psychological stages of development.
• Identify supportive strategies to promote healthy development.
• Identify developmental milestones for each domain.
• Identify psychological stages of development.
• Identify supportive strategies to promote healthy development.

Cost: $80.00 + HST

This course provides an introduction to the use of Assistive Technology in the classroom. It will provide an overview of some of the many different devices that may be used in the classroom to support students. The main focus of the course will cover the 5 W’s of basic use of tablets (e.g., iPads) and their associated educational programs and applications. It will also introduce the learner to other devices that may be used in the classroom and commonly used terms in education, such as “accommodations”.

Badge Earning Criteria:
Successfully completed 2 hours of self-paced learning activities, assignments, and assessments.

Skills Acquired:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Identify the definition of assistive technology – any item, piece of equipment, or product system that can be used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability.
• Give examples of low and high technology.
• Describe the benefits of assistive technology.
• Identify 3 types of accommodations and what types of assistive technology can be found in each category (Instructional, Environmental and Assessment).
• List examples of Assistive technology for each accommodation.
• Be familiar with the names of various apps for iPads that help students with executive function skills.
• Be familiar with the use of certain accessibility features found on the iPad-speech to text, text to speech, guided access, word prediction, etc.
• Be familiar with alternative communication for non-verbal students. What does AAC stand for?
• What do you use it for? Ex. Sharing information, asking questions, greetings, etc.
• How often to use AAC?
• What is Aided Language?
• Be familiar with the different types of environmental AT that is used to support students in the environment.
• How to support students with assessment accommodations.

Cost: $80.00 + HST

This micro-credential provides participants with information that will assist in cultivating a strong and cohesive partnership that will positively impact students’ learning experiences and create a harmonious and supportive environment.

Badge Earning Criteria:
Successfully completed 2 hours of self-paced learning activities, assignments, and assessments.

Skills Acquired:
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Define the roles and responsibilities of educational assistants and teachers, identifying their unique contributions to the learning process.
• Examine the benefits of a collaborative relationship between educational assistants and teachers, highlighting its impact on student engagement, academic achievement, and mental health and well-being.
• Address potential challenges and offer strategies for effective communication and teamwork to overcome these challenges.
• Provide practical tools and resources to enhance collaboration and maximize the potential of this partnership.
• Explore case studies and real-life examples of school teams who have achieved outstanding results through effective collaboration between educational assistants and teachers.

Cost: $80.00 + HST