Memorandum of Understanding

This MOU sets out the responsibilities of all parties involved in providing a voluntary work placement. It helps to ensure that everyone benefits from the placement, including the school, supervisors, children, families and carers, and the candidate.

The candidate will undertake various activities to assist the classroom teacher in the day-to-day operations. This includes helping with instructional and non-instructional tasks. The candidate will spend most of their time supporting students one-on-one or in small groups. They carry out set tasks under the supervision of their assigned teacher.

Where possible, the candidate should be exposed to various learning opportunities, including multiple subjects, ages, teachers and student needs.

Shadowing: Feedback from past students shows that candidates learn a lot from shadowing an experienced and qualified support worker. Unlike teachers, who are often very busy with teaching duties, support staff are in the best position to explain the various expectations, tasks and roles from the perspective of a support worker . They can explain what teachers are doing, why they are doing it and what the support worker should be doing at the time.

For example, an experienced support worker will intuitively know when to stand back and listen to the teacher, when to assist individuals or groups, when to circulate, which students to assist and for how long, when to report to the teache r etc. Where possible, we highly recommend facilitating regular shadowing and mentoring fr om experienced support staff.

The candidate will complete several assessments, each designed to be undertaken with minimal interruption to the teacher and the class:

• A structured portfolio
• A demonstration assessment (completed by an ITAC assessor)
• A short Supervisor's Report
• A timesheet to log hours

No. While some providers expect teachers to spend hours completing lengthy observations and reports, our materials are designed to take 20-30 minutes in total – the report can even be completed online, saving teachers even more time. Teachers are also asked to provide verbal feedback to help candidates improve their professional practice, i.e. at least daily.

Hint: At the end of the placement, the school manager and the supervisor listed in the MOU will receive a Certificate of Appreciation from ITAC. Teachers may be able to use these certificates to help meet the professional learning requirements of teacher registr ation they also look really good in your portfolio or hanging in your office.

While rare, schools are sometimes not happy with a candidate's performance. If this happens, contact us, and we'll take care of everything from there.

ITAC is a long-established Registered Training Organisation (RTO 52215) formerly known as Fast Track Training Australia. ITAC has MOUs with thousands of schools across Australia and is the industry leader in teacher aide training. In 2020, ITAC students won several awards, including VET student of the year and VET equity student of the year. More than 60% of Certificate IV students enrol with ITAC.

Hint: New legal requirements state that candidates must undertake their placement while supporting children between the ages of 5 and 18.

By the time candidates begin their placement, they will have completed most or all of the theory components of their course. This includes learning about WHS, policies and procedures, child protection, basic behaviour management concepts and techniques, foundational instructional skills and introductory knowledge of literacy and numeracy practices. Certificate IV candidates also learn about common disabilities and disorders such as autism, ADHD and intellectual disability.

ITAC courses are unique because our students learn research-based best practices such as those published in the academic literature. For example, in terms of instructional skills, the following have been shown to be effective:

• 3Ps (pause, prompt, praise)
• Systematic prompting (e.g. simultaneous prompting, least-to-most)
• Questioning skills (wait time, open questions, incorrect responders etc.)
• Levels of instruction (modelling, guided/shared, independent etc.)
• Scaffolding (instructional phase, fading, handover)
• Withholding answers for self-repair
• Concept understanding vs task completion
• Explicit instruction (basic principles e.g. linking to prior knowledge)
• Advanced strategies, e.g. formative evaluation, graphic organisers, metacognition, the zone of proximal development, motivational strategies, cognitive load theory, learning styles etc.

Candidates also learn how to avoid basic and common mistakes such as hovering near their focus student for too long (this has been shown to impede children's social development and independent learning skills – plus, kids don't like it!).

For a comprehensive list of research that forms the basis of ITAC's courses, please see our online blogs, including our literature review on the work and training of support workers.

Hint: For detailed information regarding the placement, please read the Vocational Placement Info Pack (Supervisors and Administrators). This document contains practical information to help supervisors and school managers such as what to do if a candidate is underperforming, and what the latest research says about best practice mentoring and coaching.

Note that the WPL info pack is email ed to schools using the details supplied in the MOU form. To receive a copy in advance, please email wpl@itac.edu.au.

Where possible, the school agrees to supply the following under the guidance, support and mentorship of a suitably experienced supervisor:

• Safety: The school agrees to provide a safe working environment per the applicable policies, regulations, and laws for paid staff.
• Supervisors: The school agrees to assign a supervisor who has suitable character, demeanour, enthusiasm, training, and industry experience to adequately mentor the candidate.
• Facilities and equipment: The school agrees to provide reasonable access to facilities and equipment to enable the candidate to carry out the tasks expected of their role.
• Resources: The school agrees to provide reasonable access to the resources used in the day-to-day operation of the classroom to enable the candidate to carry out the tasks expected of their role.
• Range of work: The school agrees to provide a variety of learning opportunities (where possible and reasonable to do so) to enable the candidate to expand their skills and knowledge. This may include spending time in multiple classrooms.
• Feedback: The school agrees to provide regular, honest, and constructive feedback to aid the candidate's professional development.
• Duration: The school agrees to provide these services for no less than 100 hours (subject to the reasonable performance and behaviour of the candidate).
• Site visits: The school agrees to allow an ITAC assessor to enter school grounds to observe the candidate facilitating a small group learning activity.

• Resources: ITAC will provide high-quality learning and assessment materials that reflect current industry best practices and expectations.
• Preparedness: ITAC will ensure that the candidate has completed sufficient learning tasks so they can carry out all tasks safely.
• Quality trainers and assessors: ITAC will employ experienced and qualified trainers with suitable demeanour and character.
• Professionalism: ITAC will constructively and professionally engage with school staff to foster a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship.
• Response: ITAC will respond quickly, decisively, and appropriately if any issues or concerns are identified.
• Advice: ITAC will provide advice and guidance to support the placement, such as by supplying fact sheets on vital instructional strategies.
• Minimal interruption: ITAC procedures and assessments will be designed to minimise interruptions, particularly to children's learning and the teacher's routine.
• Compliance: ITAC will comply with all relevant laws, regulations and policies, including confidentiality, privacy, security of records, and clearances.
• Insurance: ITAC will hold appropriate professional and public liability insurance for the entire period of the placement.
• Feedback: ITAC will collect and act on feedback from the school to improve its services, systems and courses.