Giant Steps Melbourne

Enhanced Learning Environments for Autistic Students

Enhanced Learning Environments for Autistic Students

Giant Steps Melbourne (GSM) students and participants have complex and varying needs. Through our Enhanced Learning Environments project, we hope to install more Smart Boards in the classrooms to encourage more involvement and participation in lessons. Autistic people, especially those on the profound end of the spectrum like our cohort, can have difficulty leaning in ...

GOAL

$10,000

Australia > VIC > Metro
07/01/2024 > 07/01/2025

Field of Interest

  • Education/training and employment
  • Social inclusion and justice

Target Population

  • People with a disability, illness or disease
  • Young people (6-25)
Giant Steps Melbourne Giant Steps Melbourne

Giant Steps Melbourne is a Kew-based charity that operates a school, an adult services program, and an on-site mental health clinic for profoundly autistic individuals aged 5-25. Giant Steps seeks to develop intensive therapeutic and educational programs to ensure that each child and young adult has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Giant Steps also seeks to provide support to families, to improve understanding of autism in the wider community and to develop best practice among carers and professionals. Our vision is to continue to be recognised as a centre of excellence for the creation, implementation and dissemination of innovative and effective programs and services for children on the autism spectrum and their families.

Project Summary

Giant Steps Melbourne (GSM) students and participants have complex and varying needs. Through our Enhanced Learning Environments project, we hope to install more Smart Boards in the classrooms to encourage more involvement and participation in lessons.

Autistic people, especially those on the profound end of the spectrum like our cohort, can have difficulty leaning in environments catered towards neurotypical learners. Varying abilities and methods of communication, different sensory processing needs, levels of intellectual disability, and difficulties with social interaction. GSM seeks to provide students and participants with autism-friendly learning environments that cater to the complex needs of neurodiverse learners.

Installing SMART Boards in our classrooms, and training staff on how to effectively use them, will create a more versatile learning experience, that is more adaptable to each student and participant’s needs. Proper implementation of SMART Boards will increase engagement, communication, motor skills, confidence, and well-being.

Project Outcomes

Expected outcomes for students and participants include:
- Increased engagement
- Enhanced levels of communication, both in and out of the classroom
- Increased community access and participation
- Improved academic outcomes
- Enhanced use of technology within the classroom
- Improved general well-being
- Development of fine motor skills

Expected outcomes for staff include:
- Enhanced delivery of interactive lessons
- Increased professional competence
- Improved classroom management
- Stronger resource sharing and lesson collaboration

Expected outcomes for families include:
- Stronger communication
- Increased engagement in activities of daily living
- Improved confidence in the community
- Higher community engagement

These outcomes can be measured by:
- Student engagement data
- Student behavioural data
- Student learning outcomes
- Staff performance reviews
- Anecdotal evidence from staff, families, and members of the wider community

It is our intention to educate and support in a way that translates across varying contexts, not just within our programs. The comprehensive learning approach taken by Giant Steps Melbourne enriches the students’ experiences, as well as supporting the community to create a more inclusive and adaptive environment.

We also share our knowledge and expertise wherever possible, supporting mainstream schools and support workers.

Budget Breakdown

TOTAL BUDGET: $13,000
FUNDING
Funding source Amount
Giant Steps Melbourne (confirmed) $3,000
Funding gap (unconfirmed) $10,000
EXPENSES
Expense item Amount
SMART Board $7,000
SMART Board installation $2,000
Staff training $4,000

Support Giant Steps Melbourne

Got a question about this organisation or ready to contribute? Contact us.

Add your organisation to the Funding Platform

Is your not-for-profit organisation seeking funding? Add your organisation to the Funding Platform or upload your funding needs for a project.

Contact Us
Level 6, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants and Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Australian Communities Foundation is a proudly inclusive organisation and an ally of LGBTQIA+ communities and the movement toward equality.