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Regardless of severity, most learners with disability who attend school will attend regular classes in mainstream schools. While representing a relatively small percentage of the school age population, learners with low incidence disabilities and therefore significant support needs can present a major challenge to many educators. Such children require individualised and specialised pedagogical understanding and skills to ensure that they are fully supported to participate, engage, and achieve in appropriate curricula. As Australia endorses inclusive education, learners with significant support needs are often included in regular classrooms. Pre-service teachers need an understanding of the physical, social, and intellectual developmental and learning characteristics of learners with moderate to severe disability, and the professional expertise to work effectively with them. As self-determination and self-advocacy are important qualities for learners with significant support needs, pre-service teachers also need to understand the importance of their role in developing student confidence and ability in these lifelong necessary skills, particularly during educational transition periods.

This course will support pre-service teachers to develop their awareness and understanding of how instruction and environment can influence and improve teaching and learning for learners with moderate to high support needs. Pre-service teachers will be able to articulate the diverse needs of learners with significant support needs and identify appropriate instructional strategies according to individual strengths and challenges. They will develop an understanding and appreciation of underlying theory, and legal obligations, as well as national and state expectations of educators in regards to ensuring the inclusion, participation, engagement, safety, and wellbeing of learners with moderate to severe disability in their classroom whether in special school or inclusive educational environments. Curricular approaches and techniques relevant to the teaching and learning of learners with moderate to high support needs, including the use of ICTs and assistive technologies will be explored. Additionally, an understanding of the different transition times in a learner's educational experience, and support strategies for these times, including the importance of planning and collaboration with relevant stakeholders, particularly parents/carers will be developed.

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course in accordance with the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership's (AITSL) Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). On successful completion of this course pre-service teachers should be able to:

1. identify and describe the physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of learners with significant support needs, and the implications of these characteristics for teaching and learning with consideration of the of legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support participation and learning of learners with disability (APST 1.1, 1.6);
2. identify and describe the legislative requirements and teaching strategies that support inclusion, participation and learning for learners with moderate to severe disability, with consideration and understanding of the need to also support learner wellbeing and safety (APST 1.6, 4.1, 4.4);
3. explain strategies to support the participation and engagement in classroom activities for learners with significant support needs, including the use of ICTs and assistive technologies to support and expand curricula learning opportunities for learners with significant support needs (APST 1.6, 2.6, 4.1);
4. discuss the importance of, and strategies for effective, sensitive, and confidential communication with parents/carers including opportunities for collaboration and planning to support learner participation and engagement in classroom learning and transition planning (APST 4.1, 7.3).