Module 5 – Looking Back and Planning Ahead

[Pat Brennan]

Consider how you will plan and prepare for a blended/hybrid learning approach post pandemic? Please refer to the School Development Planning section in the Inclusive Education Framework.
Post your response (150 words minimum) as a reply to this post .

[Catherine Terry]

We have learned alot from the two covid lockdowns about our readiness or lack of it for any type of remote learning.

Thankfully now we have a remote learning policy in place and a staff upskilled in the use of seesaw and google classroom. Families are also familiar with the interface.

I see many of the elements of this suitable for a blended learning approach and think there are advantages in terms of homework/assessment/parental involvement and accountability in using a blended learning approach.

I think many of the AT apps that have been introduced in this course could play a part  also in making blended learning more accessible to pupils with SEN and it is definitely something our SET team will discuss when we return to school.

As mentioned in the school development planning section of the NCSE Framework,  there must be ownership by the whole school of the blended learning policy, it must be cognisant of the SEN pupils in the school at any one time. This is an ongoing and dynamic process and teachers must be aware of CPD needs for their group of pupils at any one time.

The school should make use of the whole school development planning templates, provided by the framework document, to identify their strengths and needs of their current blended learning approaches and these should be examined, discussed and evaluated.

Finally, our ultimate goal should be providing opportunities for pupils through our blended learning policies to reach their individual potential  of each child and we must be cognisant that a “one size fits all” approach has no place in school life-hybrid or otherwise.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for your post and for your interaction throughout the course. You have made a good point around how the response to both Covid lockdowns has increased the use of various LMS that now allow for a ‘blended’ approach. It has also heightened awareness of the different ways in which children can respond to activities – allowing children to respond orally to tasks is a real bonus for children with literacy difficulties.

[kathleen O’Connell]

The concept of inclusion emphasises the need for change within the education system, and the school to accommodate the learner. Planning for a hybrid approach post pandemic is one of the ways we can more fully realise this. Hybrid learning is a mixture of face to face teaching in the classroom and online instruction.

One of the ways I would plan for this would be to flip my classroom. Pre pandemic, teachers generally taught a lesson during the day, and assigned some follow up homework on it for that evening. However in a flipped classroom the teacher might give the class a video to watch on a topic one night, and encourage them to take notes etc, and then in class the next day the children would complete some sort of work on the topic. I like this idea as it gives the children a better chance to work together during the school day, and I’m a firm believer in children learning from each other. It also provides the teacher with more time during the day to assess the learning, to differentiate and to assist.

Another tool I would enjoy using in a blended approach would be Kahoot. It works right across the curriculum.

As school self evaluation involves a collaborative approach, I would enjoy planning blended learning with my team teachers, and going on to gather information and evidence based on the new approach, and evaluating it to ensure that it does improve students’ learning.

 

 

 
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[Grace Ní Fhallúin]

In order to plan and prepare for a blended/ hybrid approach post pandemic there must be ownership by the whole school approach of the blended learning policy as the school development section of  the NCSE framework highlights. Accessibility for SEN pupils must be prioritiesed. It is our responsibility as teachers and as educators to ensure that all pupils are enabled to access the curriculum and this will most possibly incorporate the use of A.T.tools  for the students with SEN. The school can use the Whole School Development Planning Template which the is available on the Framework. This highlights the strengths and needs of the current blended learning practices. It allows for analysing, examining, discussion and then evaluation.

SETT Framework will be used when deciding on the appropriate tools to assist an individual child.

The concept of Flipped Learning is new for me but it seems to be of significant benefit to students. It allows the students to watch the video and take notes and then come to school prepared for learning and perhaps clarification in class with the teacher. It lends well to collaboration amongst the pupils in class with the scope for peer learning.

I have been keen to try Kahoot but after this course I will certainly be introducing it in our school. I can see the benefits of using it as an enjoyable alternative to structured class tests.

I have seen how children with literacy difficulties really struggle to participate in class and with homework. .T tools can allow these children to participate more with their peers by responing orally to tasks  that require written responses.

 

 

 

 

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Grace,

I think the key message you get across in your post is the importance of ‘ownership’ being taken as part of a whole-school approach. Strong leadership is essential for any school improvement plan and is key to effective SSE. I often feel that we can go ‘gung-ho’ when starting off with a new initiative but we lack the same intensity when we are reviewing the plans and making required amendments. Furthermore, we need to ensure there are regular meetings and review to keep everyone on task. This is of importance for all improvement plans, but particularly if you are looking to facilitate a blended or flipped approach.

[Clairemarie McGrath]

A hybrid approach to teaching in the classrooms takes an approach inclusive practitioners have been advocating for years and modifies it suit the 21st century technological world we live in. We as teacher must ask within each lesson “what is the learning objective of this lesson?” if the answer does not include “read without support” or “write answers into copy” then we should be looking at the amazing world of DEL and AT. The SETT Framework should be used at this point to help determine the appropriate tools to assist an individual child. Comprehension activities, story creation, poetry to name but a very few literacy topics can all be presented to children allowing them to respond to activities in different ways that take their ‘barriers’ away and let them use the creative minds in ways we know for e.g. children with dyslexia can do –oral responses to literacy tasks is a fantastic way of removing barriers for children with literacy difficulties. There are also fantastic advocators for inclusive education who have been stressing for years that these modification “for a few” would. In fact, providing an enriched learning activity for all – this is what was reiterated in this module. Children as a whole are more engaged when we encourage them to be creative and work together. The likes of edpuzzle, Kahoot and Flipgrid gave me a revitalised vision of what ‘group work’ and ‘collaboration’ can look like. I do not doubt that the time it will initially take to get DEL off the ground and become a whole school blended approach to teaching and learning will be time consuming and in a system that already demands a lot of time, I do envisage it being met with resistance, however there are always some who find technology easier and if they can come together (gather evidence) and demonstrate to others the excitement and ease at which a lot of these activities can be developed with practice for e.g. team teaching lessons or demonstration lessons, (followed by evaluation) while also offering support to less confident teachers, whole school blended learning initiatives could really take off (implementation).

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Clairemarie McGrath. Reason: Formatting

[Clairemarie McGrath]

A hybrid approach to teaching in the classrooms takes an approach inclusive practitioners have been advocating for years and modifies it to suit the 21st century technological world we live in. We as teacher must ask within each lesson “what is the learning objective of this lesson?” if the answer does not include “read without support” or “write answers into copy” then we should be looking at the amazing world of DEL and AT. The SETT Framework should be used at this point to help determine the appropriate tools to assist an individual child. Comprehension activities, story creation, poetry to name but a very few literacy topics can all be presented to children allowing them to respond to activities in different ways that take their ‘barriers’ away and let them use the creative minds in ways we know for e.g. children with dyslexia can do –oral responses to literacy tasks is a fantastic way of removing barriers for children with literacy difficulties. There are also fantastic advocators for inclusive education who have been stressing for years that these modification “for a few” would. In fact, providing an enriched learning activity for all – this is what was reiterated in this module. Children as a whole are more engaged when we encourage them to be creative and work together. The likes of edpuzzle, Kahoot and Flipgrid gave me a revitalised vision of what ‘group work’ and ‘collaboration’ can look like. I do not doubt that the time it will initially take to get DEL off the ground and become a whole school blended approach to teaching and learning will be time consuming and in a system that already demands a lot of time, I do envisage it being met with resistance, however there are always some who find technology easier and if they can come together (gather evidence) and demonstrate to others the excitement and ease at which a lot of these activities can be developed with practice for e.g. team teaching lessons or demonstration lessons, (followed by evaluation) while also offering support to less confident teachers, whole school blended learning initiatives could really take off (implementation).

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Clairemarie McGrath. Reason: formating

[Orla Blaney]

<p id=”docs-internal-guid-d046fd3b-7fff-87bb-0280-8063424d72fe” dir=”ltr” style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0.0pt; margin-bottom: 0.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Education and learning according to the IEF should be accessible to all students regardless of ability or circumstances.</span></p>
<p dir=”ltr” style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0.0pt; margin-bottom: 0.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>The Covid pandemic has catapulted technology into the classroom much quicker than otherwise would have been envisaged. There has to be a common approach to a model of hybrid learning through the whole school development plan.The various ATs discussed on this course would need to be tried out and evaluated to ascertain their value and effectiveness for the range of students needs within the school.</span></p>
<p dir=”ltr” style=”line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0.0pt; margin-bottom: 0.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;”>Our school’s use of seesaw and zoom throughout the lockdowns has introduced parents, children and indeed teachers to these technologies and has opened the door to hybrid and blended learning. The various courses available on CPD are allowing teachers to upskill and become more confident in using AT. Going forward the blended model of learning will become the norm in the classroom. The school and the Department of Education will need to be cognisant of the IT needs of the children and of the school, ie..proper broadband, access to laptops/ipads and continuous professional development for all. The use of a planned blended learning approach will benefit both students and teachers.</span></p>
 

[Diarmait Grogan]

I took over my autism class last year. I’m not sure what kind of distance learning was provided for the class during the pandemic. While the rest of the school used Seesaw, I think that pupils in the autism classes, many of whom have very high support needs, wouldn’t have realistically been able to engage with online content. I wonder if there are any guidelines for distance learning for pupils with this kind of profile? I know that one of the pupils in my class did not have any access to technology at home, as he had destroyed several devices in the past and his psychologist recommended that he be kept from using computers and tablets.

Since then, this pupil has been given a new tablet and he has been using a computer in school with some success. He is highly intelligent and extremely engaged when it comes to using computers. He is quite gifted at making and editing videos. This is his special interest, really, but unfortunately, he finds it very difficult to cope with any sort of frustration. Since computers can be very frustrating, this does cause issues at times. Nonetheless, I feel that the blended learning style would really suit him, particularly the flipped approach, where he would watch a video in advance of doing a hands-on activity in person. I could see myself using Edpuzzle, Flipgrid and Wakelet to engage him on a subject, especially as he is crazy for youtube.

Although I have a multigrade class with a wide range of abilities, I aslo think that it could be very helpful to use Edpuzzle to make a video lesson with inbuilt differentiation to introduce a topic at home. It could make group sessions in school much more productive, and alleviate anxiety for some of the pupils by giving them a preview of the content which they could engage with at home with their parents. Indeed, this flipped method could be used in collaboration with the mainstream teachers, which could make integration much more seamless, as my pupils could arrive in their mainstream class feeling confident that they know what to expect from a lesson. This would be in line with the statements of very effective practice as outlined in the SSE framework, and such a strategy could greatly enhance inclusion.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Diarmait Grogan.

[Aine Byrne]

As other course participants have said, we have learned a lot over the past few years on how to adapt our teaching and classroom practices to allow for blended learning. To be thrown in at the deep end wasn’t easy but it forced many to reflect on how they teach and to welcome new and different approaches. I think this attitude will stand to us for being able to teach under many different circumstances.  I really like the idea of the flipped classroom to change approach but am not so sure how it would work in my special class situation.

I think even simple preparation is very important, both to have pupils used to learning through various formats as well as including diversity in our planning. The importance of catering for diversity is well dealt with under the inclusive education framework and one which I find particularly important for my school setting throughout its recent changes.  Our whole school planning is continuous but the framework will be important to underpin our inclusion of special classes.

 

[Shane Forde]

<p class=”MsoNormal”>Schools planning for a blended learning approach must take cognisance of the inclusive education framework where the journey begins for all schools to embed good practice for including pupils with special educational needs. This framework assists schools in facilitating “reflection on inclusive practices, promote collaborative approach to the implementation on inclusion in schools”.  This framework will guide schools and each school can deduce what would best work for their own school. In order to plan for my classroom, I will use the SETT framework to guide me in choosing the most appropriate AT for my pupils. I will also make use of the various apps and recommendations from this module. Kahoot, Flipfrid, Edpuzzle will provide fun and creative ways for me to engage pupils in my lessons and help to engage pupils for individual learning and group work. Flipped learning is a new concept for me and I think it would prove an excellent method of teaching and benefit some pupils. I do believe that it would prove a challenge for certain pupils in accessing devices at home. During lockdown we had some pupils who were unfortunately unable to access Seesaw and as a result depended on their books to complete lessons.</p>
 

 

[Lauren Newman]

There have been plenty of new online tools that I have learned about in this course that have been introduced since I have been out of the classroom since 2015. I am excited and hopeful that I will be able to incorporate a blended/hybrid learning approach this school year as an SET teacher.

I know from experience that it can be overwhelming being presented many options for incorporating new ideas into your teaching so I will make sure to take a few and give it a good effort in enhancing student learning.

Since my primary role as an SET is to support literacy and numeracy, I will put my focus on applications and computer programs that can achieve this. Literacy lift off and station teaching are the gateway to the main classroom for me. I can enhance students’ experiences with apps for phonics like ABC tracing and phonics and Starfall. In 1st and 2nd class, I would like to incorporate the Write about this app to provide inspiration for generating ideas for writing.

Out of Module 5, I liked the mission of Flip Grid the most. I loved the idea of collaboration and feedback from the teacher and their peers. I see this being used more as a mainstream teacher but I am welcome to ideas in how to use it as an SET teacher.

I agree with Aine above when she stated that we need to include various ways of presenting information and including diversity in our planning. I only used technology about 15% of the time. I would like to increase this to at least 25% this year.

The Inclusion Education Framework is something I will study further in depth as a new teacher to the country. This school year I will make myself familiar with my school’s development. It is necessary to promote inclusion of all students. It highlights the needs that the school is not meeting in regards to inclusion so the school and staff can seek additional training and professional development if needed.

I hope I have answered the questions enough. Please let me know if you would like me to elaborate on my ideas more.

Thank you.

 

[Kate Brennan]

In order to create a blended or hybrid learning environment or approach to learning it is vital that it is made a whole school approach and policy according to the NCSE Framework. Considerations must also be taken for children with SEN before implementation. The pandemic taught us and showed the education sector the possibilities that come with hybrid learning and the potential it has in schools toady. Blended learning and flipping a classroom allows for student autonomy, enhanced ownership over their work and also aids in the general interest, engagement and enjoyment of lessons. Teachers could prepare for this approach using SSE and organizing a whole school approach to this. both mainstream and set teams would work together to ensure success of any implemented strategies. Hybrid learning can be introduced with homework, assessment and also aid in parental involvement. The SETT framework could be utilized in this scenario also to figure out resources appropriate for the demographic or students involved.

[Orla Comerford]

As a result of covid we have been given then opportunity to experience blended and hybrid learning which of course came with challenges given the lack of ability to plan for. Many teachers in my school had been using Class Dojo as a behaviour and messaging app with our classes and their families pre pandemic and we adapted our use of the app to include uploading lessons and activities and using the portfolio option, we also had several zoom classes weekly with our classes. I think by the second lock down we had found more ways to adapt our online content and delivery to insure we were teaching using the IEF as core guide to our lessons. Individual zoom and loom lessons were delivered, and content was tailored to suit individual children and indeed their families.

Having completed this course I would now employ the SETT method to allow me to chose specific AT that matched the child and their environments. I think through this course I have been given a lot of really beneficial tools and apps that I would have loved to use when teaching during lock down. Immersive reader would have been great for many of our EAL students and indeed their families.

I had not come across the flipped classroom idea but I can see how it would be a great way to encourage children to be excited about their learning, allow their families to have a sneak peak into the lessons. As others mentioned blended and hybrid learning has its pitfalls. We had to consider lack of technology in the home and also family life at home and indeed the home itself may not cater to a good working environment for some of our students. It is important that we consider this in line with the IEF to allow all children to access their education.

 

[Sue Earls]

<span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Consider how you will plan and prepare for a blended/hybrid learning approach post pandemic? Please refer to the School Development Planning section in the Inclusive Education Framework.</span>

As Deputy Principal and SEN Coordinator I feel double the burden in ensuring that teachers, SETs and SNAs are prepared for a hybrid learning approach. We learned a lot about ourselves and how unprepared we were during school lockdowns. We personally found that a large number of pupils’ parents within certain socio economic backgrounds had neither the IT skills nor the time nor motivation to get Teams set up. It took so much time and effort just to get them to log in only for them to not to bother in the days afterward. For this reason, I feel the ‘flipped’ approach could be great for many but would hinder the learning of some. Efforts would need to be made to help parents to see the benefits of doing homework at all before we can expect any learning to take place in the home.

As a result, in my school, which is not categorised as DEIS, I feel the emphasis would need to be put on using the framework to see where we, in school, as teachers, can improve and upskill. What different strategies can we use in class? In SEN? With pupils with mobility needs within the classroom? Can I help teachers see the benefits of using the SETT and understanding the importance of using assistive technology of varying tech levels to support all learners. Time will need to be set aside to do this.

[Suzann Byrne]

As IT post holder in the school I feel its important to look at the document Looking at Our Schools 2016 and seeing where we are  as a school in relation to Assistive Technologies. Then working with the ISM team on a clearer SSE  and creating a common goal for going forward in the school year.

I work in a special school, we rely to a certain degree on Assistive Technology whether it be communication devices ,eye gazes and  switches. We also use a very valuable piece of software called Clicker 8.

Going forward into September  I feel that I will use the SETT to assess students in the class to see what assistive Technology is appropriate for the students to use. As well as liaising with the ATSS department and student’s OT.

I also feel training class teachers and SNAs on how to use the various Technologies  is essential for the student to be successful in their learning using assistive technology.

During Covid  19 it was very obvious that technology and the use of technology wasn’t  set up as good as it could have been for more of the students and teachers to access the curriculum.. In the schools defense a of our students rely on switches to access their work as they have poor hand function and don’t have their own devices unless recommended by and OT.

[Katherine Dee]

<span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Consider how you will plan and prepare for a blended/hybrid learning approach post pandemic? Please refer to the School Development Planning section in the Inclusive Education Framework.</span><br style=”box-sizing: inherit; color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;” /><span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Post your response (150 words minimum) as a reply to this post .</span>

The knowledge that I have gained over this past week on AT has really brought home the importance of a hybrid approach to education in order to better meet the needs of individual students – a hybrid approach better facilitates supporting each child where they are at so that their individual learning needs are targeted and met.

I was very much struck by the idea of the Flipped Classroom – a concept which I had not been aware of previous to this course. Watching the 60 minute programme on The Khan Academy gave a great insight into this model and how effective it can be – it really seems like a new and dynamic approach to teaching in the 21st century and one can see how valuable it might be as a teaching tool; it really allows the teacher to work with the student on a more targeted individual basis. I also think it makes so much sense that more of the hands on, problem solving aspect of teaching happens in school while the provision of information on topic by the teacher is read/worked on by the student at home giving them the opportunity to read back and pick up information at their own pace.

As SET teacher to 1st class this year, taking one specific example, I could see benefit in sending videos home on Seesaw where I explain how to break up words into syllables (starting with two syllable closed vowel words); I would give outline on how to approach, and examples on the home video and then the focus in school on Word Study would be on hands on – breaking up different words and seeing if children have understanding of how to do this.

One of the big advantages of this hybrid approach is that it also gives parents an insight into how to help their child. In our current model we teach in school and really give exercises to test understanding at home; if child lacks understanding the parent may be at sea as to how to help with homeword as they have not seen how we have taught, in this example, how to read closed syllable words. With this hybrid approach they would see the teaching and so can better help the child and have a better sense of how their child is getting on with their learning. During the Pandemic, we made a start on this approach with Seesaw and I think in many ways it helped me to better connect with parents of my SET children and definitely my videos meant that parents had a better sense of what I am doing in school with their children – the pace of work and how I approached my work.

This is just one example of how hybrid learning might work in my SET room next year; I would encourage the class teacher to adopt similar approach to Word Study as we would work on this in our Station Teaching so my videos could be shared with the whole class and the real hands on problem solving around words would happen in-class.

As I have mentioned throughout I am very taken with the benefits of Immersive Reader and Dictate and see these as part of my approach to teaching and learning next year also.

The flipped Classroom and Immersive Reader/Dictate will be my starting points for AT as a tool for hybrid learning; bit by bit I will hope to use more and more of my learning from this course over the coming year and years.

It is important that this hybrid learning approach becomes part of the School Development Plan. I would definitely recommend this course to my principal and colleagues so that there is a whole school approach to same. The Framework emphasizes the importance of addressing the individual needs of pupils and not adopting a ‘one size fits all’. I hope what I’ve outlined above gives a sense of how I will start to change my approach next year and look at meeting needs of each child individually so that their potential is best met. I will work closely with my 1st class mainstream teachers and hopefully if they see the benefits also it will be a good way to encourage this approach throughout the school so that it becomes part of our policy framework.

 

[Shona Muldowney]

This module has been very informative and interesting. A blended/hybrid approach to teaching in the classrooms takes an approach that will suit the 21st century technological world we live in. It makes the learning fun and innovative for the pupils and teachers. The SETT Framework should be used to help determine the appropriate tools to assist an individual child. I will be using this approach in my lessons this year.

Literacy activities and topics can all be presented to children allowing them to respond to activities in different ways that take their ‘barriers’ away. Group work can be very effective here. Children as a whole are more engaged when we encourage them to be creative and work together. The lessons are more fun and interesting to the pupils. The School Development Plan should reflect this and should be inclusive of all children.

Thank you for this interesting module, Shona Muldowney.

 

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