An Interview with Elizabeth Chadwick

Elizabeth Chadwick – MEd SEND

Elizabeth Chadwick is currently Head of the Educational Achievement Department/SENCO at the British school in Bogota, Colombia, working with both primary and secondary aged children. Her special interests within SEN include; Dyslexia and Dyscalculia.

Elizabeth is also interested in developing her skills further, stating – “I would like to do some professional training in autism spectrum disorder. I find working with students on the autism spectrum interesting, but feel I need better tools to teach them.”

After studying with our sister company Dyslexia Action Elizabeth then decided to join our SEND programme at Real Training. Here is how she found her time studying with us.

What made you choose the Real Training courses over other options? 

I had already completed my postgraduate diploma in Dyslexia and Literacy with Dyslexia Action and decided to complete the MEd Send with Real Training as the easy to access online learning element made it the best choice for my situation. I like that the Real Training courses are self-paced, but very well structured to support this way of learning. Real Training courses are diverse and the Enquiry Based SEND module allowed me to further develop my interests within my work setting. I like that I was able to choose my topic and be supported in my decision. My tutor was always available to guide me and help me talk through my ideas.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

Jane was always very supportive and answered my questions quickly. Our tutorials were to the point and useful – Jane often let me talk through ideas which really helped me to organise my thoughts. I felt that the way the tasks were built up was particularly helpful, resulting in the final written task coming together in a logical manner. I never felt overwhelmed by the amount of work. I liked comparing two pieces of literature before plunging into the complete literature review. I also liked that all the tasks could be used for the assessments. I loved being able to read the whole course before starting. It was useful to have an online journal to note my thoughts down in along the way and discussion forums to share ideas and see what other course members were doing. The progress bar really helped motivate me!

I have already recommended Real Training to colleagues and at least one is going to apply for the MEd SEND course. Thank you! It’s been a long journey and I’ve finally reached the end…I hope to take the International Award for SEN Coordination course next, but for now…rest!

How have the courses helped make an impact at school?

The course has resulted in the development of an on-going project to teach metacognitive skills to Year 7 students across core subjects. The current students will also benefit from the teaching of explicit maths specific metacognitive strategies. I am now a better-prepared teacher which will benefit my students and the school. Alongside this, I have also improved my relationships within the maths department and have gained the ability to speak with more knowledge-based information during meetings.

How have the courses helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

The courses have improved teaching standards and resulted in updated best practice. They have provided me with the ability to have discussions on best practice during discussions with colleagues in the maths department. I also now feel more confident giving advice to my colleagues on teaching methods that work well for students with Dyscalculia. Furthermore, I would now like to continue to study Dyscalculia and become a specialist teacher in this area in the future.

Overall, the courses have provided me with a renewed interest in teaching children who are struggling and improved my abilities as a maths teacher in general.