Finding the right teacher for this program was critical. As this group initially started as an Introduction to Children's Services for Khmer women the teacher needed to have the required qualifications to deliver the childcare units. This required TAFE Outreach consultation with the Childcare section for quality assurance and planning purposes.
The teacher also needed to be a dynamic Outreach teacher, that is to have sound pedagogical approaches, to be responsive, flexible and have initiative. Cultural awareness, extensive knowledge of support networks, the ability to refer learners to appropriate services or bring in other specialist assistance and work in off campus were also important. Elizabeth met all requirements and has been a huge asset to the program.
The last two classes have had up to 30 students with good attendance and a high demand for learning English. Elizabeth is keen to take on further study in Literacy, Language and Numeracy but is not qualified in the area. Alice is a highly experienced Outreach English teacher. Currently they are team teaching which gives both teachers an opportunity for professional development as they learn from each other, and make the classroom even more dynamic.
