Helping kids with cancer get Back on Track
Fight Cancer Foundation’s education support program helps young learners receiving treatment for cancer stay engaged with their education.
The program’s specialist Education Advisors work with families and schools to develop individual support and learning plans that meet the educational, social and welfare needs of learners. They also provide tutoring and one-on-one learning activities, as well as fostering strong connections with learners’ schools and peers.
The role is varied, challenging and rewarding. Education Advisors are trained teachers who all have a passion for working within the unique children’s hospital environment. There’s no such thing as a typical day for an Education Advisor – but here’s a snapshot of what it can be like working to help young learners get back on track through Fight Cancer Foundation’s education support program.
Sonja Fea – Kindergarten Teacher, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
8.30am Education Support Team daily briefing. Attended by the entire teaching team, patient allocation and possible learning and teaching activities are discussed.
8.45am Quick catch up with teachers in the Early Years/Primary Years team to discuss who will work with particular learners today.
9.00am Visit allocated learners on the wards to let them know about today’s Group Learning session and to schedule individual learning sessions/times for developing Individual Learning Plans.
9.30am Discussion with hospital social worker about a particular learner. School is a major concern for this learner and their family – they worry they might fall behind peers and how their health condition will affect progress at school – discuss strategy for providing support to learner, family and school.
9.45am Meet with author/illustrator Alison Lester to discuss some possibilities about how she can support our literacy focus. Alison volunteers her time on a regular basis to work with both our learners and our teachers.
11.00am Facilitate a Group Learning session on the ward, focusing on a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Maths) boat challenge, ‘Who sank the boat?’ Use design thinking principles to encourage learners to build their own boats from a variety of materials and explore concepts of weight, mass and volume as they determine the weight required to sink these vessels. Who can build the most ‘sea worthy’ vessel? How much weight does it take to sink this vessel?
1.00pm Facilitate three individual learning sessions on the ward for learners who were unable to attend the Group Learning session. Sessions are based on learning goals articulated in an Individual Learning Plan. We accommodate different learning profiles, rates of learning and individual passions by developing an Individual Learning Plan for each student, negotiating between the learner, teacher and their parents/carers. It reflects conversations with the learner’s regular teachers and sets out goals and strategies that are challenging and achievable.
2.30pm Discussion with Clinical Nurse Coordinator about a particular learner. This learner is leaving hospital tomorrow and should be ready to return to school in a week. Need to determine what information the school needs in order to ensure appropriate support is set up.
Call learner’s school to discuss plans for transition. This learner will return to school in a changed physical state and the school will need to modify the timetable and learning activities. Facilitate planning process involving school, child and family, health professionals and social workers to ensure the return to school is as seamless as possible.
2.45pm Encourage a learner to attend daily music education session with our qualified music teacher. This particular learner loves music but is having trouble maintaining motivation to keep up with schoolwork.
3.00pm Attend interdisciplinary team meeting in the Children’s Cancer Centre. A range of professionals involved in the care of children and young people meet to discuss the needs of the school-aged children and young people in their care. In the meetings the health care needs of newly-diagnosed children are discussed, as is how best to support them, their families and their school.
4.15pm Meet with a family whose child is not enrolled in 4 year old kindergarten program as timing of diagnosis coincided with enrolment period. Discuss benefits of quality early childhood education, provide advice about what to look for when choosing a kindergarten program and how to enrol.
5.00pm Ensure that data relating to key interactions and progress/challenges is recorded in each patient’s medical records.
