Comments & Feedback from Professional Workshops
Early Childhood - 'Positive Behaviour Management Strategies in Under 5's - October 2017
"I learnt that the different stages of development can effect behaviour" "It was helpful to learn new strategies" "I learnt a lot about behaviour & how children's behaviour is appropriate to developmental stages" "I learnt how to prevent behaviour from escalating" "It was go to look at things with new eyes" "Found it very helpful" "It was good to learn about being a behaviour detective" "I learnt that behaviour is a form of communication" "It was all helpful! I learnt how to manage certain behaviours, esp. one that I was concerned about" "It was good to learn about how to deal with things in a positive way" "It was great. I learnt about the functions of behaviour and the behaviour escalation model was very helpful" "Provided different strategies to consider" |
Early Childhood - 'Managing Anxiety in Younger Children' - May 2016
"It was very helpful to learn how to distinguish between anxiety & bad behaviour."
"It was very helpful to learn to help a child face their fears rather than avoid them" "I learnt the importance of my role in the children's lives & how effective this can be" "Gave a great understanding of pre-schoolers" "Made me think of not only dealing with the child's behaviour but my own" "I learnt how to recognize the signs of anxiety" "I Learnt the difference between anxiety & fear" "It was helpful to hear the anxiety is normal" "It was very helpful to learn that toddlers may not understand emotions - yours or theirs" |
Educators workshop - 'Managing Anxieties in Children' - May 2015
"It was great having a refresher on the functions of behaviour. It was all very relevant and very cool! I liked the problems solving cues and the student self reflection tools".
"It was valuable as it verified what I know about children acting out when they are anxious" "It was great to get some strategies to help children and to assess if their behaviour is anxiety related." "It was all valuable and reinforced many techniques used in class" "It was a good reminder that teachers need to be accountable for their actions. Its not just about the kids!" "Informative, detailed and easy to understand!" "It was all very useful but enjoyed learning about strategies to develop emotional literacy." |
"It was a good reminder that we all have anxieties and that we need to touch base with all students not just the loud ones! It was all very useful."
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"It was good to hear about the importance of teaching emotional intelligence."
"I am working with a special needs child with no language who is developmentally delayed but it made me think of ways that I could assess for anxiety." "I enjoyed hearing about the brains readiness for learning." "Thank you for the suggestion of tools to help kids verbalise anxiety or getting their worries out!" "It was helpful to learn about students avoidance in certain learning situations." "It was really valuable to get tools to use when dealing with anxious learners. It was also helpful to hear about the strategy of validating feelings!" "The tools you shared to help gain the child's perspective of their anxiety was really helpful." |
Early Childhood Workshop - 'Positive Behaviour Strategies for Under 5's' - April 2015

"It was all valuable information. It was interesting learning about the functions of behaviour."
"It was helpful for general reflection on my practice especially practical teaching techniques."
"I really enjoyed the section on developing emotional literacy."
"It was helpful to hear about functional assessments and also the strategy of validating feelings."
"It was all good learning. It was helpful to learn about how to assess the function of the behaviour"
"All the information was relevant and very informative. It was really valuable to learn about the functions of behaviour and how to be a detective to find out what the functions of behaviour are!"
"It was helpful to be reminded of the developmental expectations - especially the under 2's."
"I was surprised to hear that avoidance is a more common reason for inappropriate behaviour than attention seeking!"
"It was helpful for general reflection on my practice especially practical teaching techniques."
"I really enjoyed the section on developing emotional literacy."
"It was helpful to hear about functional assessments and also the strategy of validating feelings."
"It was all good learning. It was helpful to learn about how to assess the function of the behaviour"
"All the information was relevant and very informative. It was really valuable to learn about the functions of behaviour and how to be a detective to find out what the functions of behaviour are!"
"It was helpful to be reminded of the developmental expectations - especially the under 2's."
"I was surprised to hear that avoidance is a more common reason for inappropriate behaviour than attention seeking!"
Teacher Aide/Support worker workshop - Managing Challenging Behaviour' - March 2015
"Thank you so much! It has given me much to think about and tools to use."
"It was helpful to touch on anxiety and information on setting limits." "I enjoyed hearing about brain readiness for learning." "It was all food for thought. It made me think about anxiety and the role it plays in negative interactions." "I feel that I now have the confidence from the role plays to try and limit setting strategy." |
"It was valuable learning about functional assessments and the behaviour escalation model."
"It reminded me that I should look at the reason for behaviour not just the behaviour." "The workshop today helped me to think about dealing with situations in a more positive way. This workshop was great!" "It was valuable for me to hear that there should be a plan in place for really difficult behaviour. It was all really valuable but I liked the ideas on how to motivate positively." |
Teacher only day (Intermediate School) - 'Development & Behaviour' - Hastings - January 2015.
"Brilliant workshop! I really enjoyed myself and the knowledge you shared. Awesome power point and super brainstorm discussions!" "You are both brilliant at what you do and I appreciate all your hard work and effort." " It was useful looking ways that we can change challenging behaviour in the classroom." |
"I found the practical tools for limit setting valuable"
"It was really helpful to be able to work in groups to practice the 'limit setting' strategy." "Magic day! I found the 'limit setting' session very helpful and the discussion around the school values and rules." "It was great as a new staff member to be apart of creating the rules and values for the school today." |
Primary School staff meeting - November 2014
"This professional development has reminded me to look at the triggers when modifying behaviour, i.e the function of behaviour. Thank you for bringing this to the front of my mind!"
"I was very surprised when you said the class rules should be changed as children master them." "It made you think about your own ways that you deal with a situation." "The information was great and it just reminds you of the different strategies to use. Thank you so much!" |
"Great reminder to 'teach' our kids positive behaviour. I like the suggestion to change the class rules as the students master them."
"Awesome presentation. Very positive and some good suggestions. Thank you!" "Great to remember to think about why the behaviour is happening and what we can change ourselves." "I am a 2nd year student teacher on my placement with new entrant children. I found this PD session helpful for me to reflect and try to change some of my behaviour towards understanding behaviour of children. I will be sure to recommend your PD session to others!" |

Can’t wait for the next session from Little Ninjas. Very thought provoking and really have learnt such a lot. Professional Development Workshop participant - 11/9/2014
Teacher Aide/Support worker workshop - 'Behaviour Management: Understanding Students in Context' - Napier - June 2014
"Excellent course!"
"I got heaps out of this workshop. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and knowledge. I appreciated the way you encourage audience participation, questions and interaction." "Great presentation thank you! Fantastic knowledge to be able to access." "Brilliant!" "Thanks for another awesome day. Very informative. Hope we are able to build on this in the future." "Great! Very thought provoking and extremely helpful." |
"It was very helpful and answered a lot of my questions and thoughts. It helped me to try and see things from the child's point of view rather than thinking about them as a problem." "The workshop made me feel valued as a teacher aide." "Everyone would benefit from attending these workshops!" "Really enjoyed the course, ideas and discussions" "Thank you again for another useful workshop with lots of strategies and things to work on. I enjoyed the topic on perception. Awesome quotes too!" |
Felt that this workshop has empowered me to empower children – Thank you so much Professional Development Workshop participant - 3/4/2014

Sarah and Anita presented to the "Fostering Security" support network for foster parents and caregivers of children with attachment and trauma problems in November 2013. Their presentation focused on strategies to assist in de-escalating children's heightened emotions and behaviours. The participants were unanimous in their positive feedback about how useful and practical the strategies and information was. We are very grateful to Anita and Sarah for giving their time and expertise.
Lisa Harrington - Practice Manager Child Youth & Family, Bernice Gabriel - Senior Psychologist - Child, Adolescent & Family Service - Nov 2013
Lisa Harrington - Practice Manager Child Youth & Family, Bernice Gabriel - Senior Psychologist - Child, Adolescent & Family Service - Nov 2013