Puggles Swim and Deaf Children Australia are offering online swim courses, developed in partnership with Swim Coaches & Teachers Australia (SCTA) and AUSTSWIM.
The aim of the course is to upskill swim teachers so they can teach deaf and hard of hearing children how to swim in a mainstream swim class, where they can learn how to be deaf aware and key Auslan signs.
Puggles Swim pilots have observed an immediate change in a child’s ability to learn when the instructor knows how to communicate with them using key Auslan signs. Feedback from teachers who have completed the course, showed it can also help nonverbal children learn to swim.
After completing the course swim teachers receive a certificate, earning them three professional development points, with access to a range of assets to promote their new skills.
A Puggles Swim Kit is available too, designed to complement the course. The kit comes with tactile and visual aids to enable learning through play. Auslan Flashcards, which have been a big hit among swim teachers who have become Puggles Skippers with all kids enjoying learning Auslan, are included in the kit.
Currently, only about 55 per cent of children in Australia are learning to swim. A special 50 per cent saving off the price of the course expires on November 30, 2022.
For details visit: www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au