A collection of Flinders University teaching students recently took part in the first Positive Partnerships workshop offered to university students in Australia.

Positive Partnerships is an Australian Government-funded organisation designed to support educators’ understanding of autism and how to effectively include and support positive learning outcomes for autistic students in schools.

Traditionally this type of training is only offered to qualified teachers working in pre-schools or schools, but the Positive Partnerships workshop was recently chosen as the professional development program to support the South Australian Government initiative for every primary school in SA to have an Autism Inclusion Teacher.

The two-day workshop held during the university students’ mid-semester break was fully subscribed in only a few hours, indicating the strong interest that Flinders education students have in developing their knowledge and skills to successfully include autistic students in their classrooms.

The course was delivered by experienced educators Grant Russell and Rose Irving, along with Flinders alumni Leanne Friday and Amanda Porter, who are both autistic and willingly shared their lived experiences of life in schools and beyond.

The Flinders students received extensive resources to support their learning and are also able to access the Positive Partnerships website for ongoing online learning.

All the course participants reported that they had learnt a significant amount and gained increased confidence to effectively teach autistic students, which is such a valuable boost as they transition to their teaching careers.

Associate Professor Kerry Bissaker, who organised for the workshop to be delivered at Flinders University, acknowledged the value of this course to students’ knowledge, skills and CVs and is hopeful this may become an annual event for students in the final year of their teaching degree.