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Moving countries is a massive life transition, but doing so while navigating a new career path and advocating for a child with learning differences takes incredible resilience. For Maduka De Lanerolle Dias, a former university lecturer and nutritionist from Sri Lanka, moving her family to Adelaide opened the door to an unexpected and deeply rewarding calling: studying the Certificate III in School Based Education Support online with Open Colleges.
A Personal Mission: Advocating for Dyslexia and Learning Support
Maduka's journey into education support didn't start in a lecture hall—it started at home. Back in 2018, when her eldest son was eight years old, he struggled with handwriting, letter reversals, and spelling. Despite being labelled "lazy" by some, Maduka realised through a routine quiz and subsequent professional evaluations that her son had a language-based learning difficulty.
Becoming her son's fierce advocate, Maduka learned the spelling rules, phonetics, and accommodations needed to help him thrive. Today, her son is an avid reader who loves drama and writing poetry.
"I feel that going through this with him – I understand what parents go through, and I know that not all parents are ready to accept that their child has a learning difficulty... I would like to be in a place someday where I can advocate for those parents and also be sort of like a comfort zone."
Why Open Colleges? Flexibility for a Fast-Tracked Goal
When Maduka and her family relocated to Adelaide on a skilled migration visa, she found that breaking into the local university lecturing sector was challenging. Inspired by a conversation with an academic acquaintance who recognised her advocacy experience, she looked into school-based education support.
She chose Open Colleges for its authenticity, flexibility, and comprehensive curriculum that included vital work placement hours.
- Self-paced Learning: While the course allows up to 18 months, Maduka has used her background in academia to fast-track her studies, aiming to complete the certificate in just six to seven months.
- Balancing Family Life: By utilising her mornings while her children are at school, she maintains a disciplined study routine, setting daily subsection targets to keep moving forward.
Maduka's AI-Powered Study Tips
Coming from a university lecturing background, Maduka developed a brilliant system for processing online learning materials:
- Structured Word Documents: She creates a master Word document for each module, copying main headings and subheadings.
- AI Summaries: For lengthy supplementary web pages and PDFs, she uses AI tools to generate bullet-point summaries and pastes them directly into her guide.
- Video Transcripts: When watching required YouTube videos, she copies the transcript, summarises it via AI, and adds it to her study reference notes, creating a comprehensive revision guide for assessments and future work.
Discovering the Broader Scope of Education Support
Initially entering the course with a focus strictly on learning difficulties like dyslexia, Maduka discovered through her modules that education support encompasses so much more.
"By doing the two modules that I've done so far, I've realised that when you say inclusion, there are lots of children who may act out in class because, A, they may be having emotional trauma... maybe they are gifted and the classroom is not challenging... or it could even be abuse."
She realised that every child's behaviour tells a story, whether they are struggling with a learning curve, dealing with personal trauma, or simply bored because they are gifted. Having an education support officer inside the classroom - rather than pulling children out into isolated units - creates an inclusive environment where every child feels smart, supported, and capable.
Advice for Career Changers
For anyone considering a career change or returning to study later in life, Maduka shares practical, encouraging advice:
- Find Your Passion: "You cannot do something that you are not passionate about. Write down what makes you happy, what your strengths are, and see where they align."
- Do Your Research: Explore different institutes, check for payment plans or discounts, and make sure the curriculum speaks to you.
- Take the Leap: Once everything clicks, trust your instincts and take a leap of faith.
