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I too am really interested to see how Duolingo could work to support not only my EAL pupils but also those struggling with language development both expressive and receptive.
I have been working in SET with Senior Infants for the past number of years. For pupils who struggle with literacy or numeracy technology can make a big difference in how they access learning. The Inclusive Education Framework encourages schools to plan in a way that includes all students, and using the right technology is an important part of that. By thinking ahead and choosing tools that meet pupils needs, schools can help make learning more equal and inclusive for everyone.
Whilst for the purpose of this assignment I will focus on literacy, I also hadn’t thought of using Duolingo with my EAL groups but it is definitely something I will look into for next year. I also really liked the Math Dual App and think it is something we could include as one of our maths stations.
For literacy in Senior Infants I don’t think I can look past the Immersive Reader. The tools it offers such as changing the background colour, the amount of text visible, the picture dictionary and the breaking of words into syllables are all excellent supports to build confidence and fluency in reading. Towards the end of this year I started using AI tools to create stories which included the children’s names and whatever sight words or CVC’s we were working on. On other occasions I would use it to create stories about topics they children were interested in. I now also intend to use the dictate function to allow children to create their own stories and then read or listen to them back.
I also liked the ABC phonics and Starfall to reinforce learning and create fun elements in my lessons.I really liked Cogi and Balabolka too and I hadn’t heard of them before. I will be working with Senior Infant again next year and look forward to trying them out along with the ABC Kids Tracing and Phonics, Sensory Speak Up for those with language needs and Write about This. All great resources.
SETT is a tool which helps to gather and organise information which can be used to make collaborative decisions about services that foster the educational success of pupils with disabilities SETT framework takes into consideration the student, their environment, the tasks required for active participation, and the tools needed for the pupils to address the task. It provides a framework for where to from here when in comes to assistive technology.
It suggests that we should always start with the pupil, focus on their strengths and abilities whilst also being mindful of their limitations. For the environment, we need to look at whether their setting is going to be fixed or mobile, do we need to look at both school and home? For tasks we need to be cognisant of what we want the pupils to achieve. Finally, we need to look at the tools themselves, these can be devices or services anything that is needed to help and support the pupil in accessing the curriculum and participating fully in class. There are also additional factors which need to be kept in mind such as ease of use and cost. Trials and evaluations/ assessments.
There are two parts to the SETT tool, the first part is gathering the data and making decisions whilst the second part is the implementation of the SETT plan. This is very similar to how we would look at setting up a student support file. We would always begin by gathering the data, including the parents and the pupil themselves, if appropriate in the planning process. We would use observations, conferencing and teacher designed tasks and tests to help with the decision-making process.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a6yNodAPKnsaK8yDGpK5LKnIRH-oMSxQ0gTZKGrQjNw/edit?usp=sharing
Reflection:
I really like the SETT approach because it fits well with the Student Support Plan (SSP) and keeps the pupil at the heart of everything we do. It helps us focus on what each pupil needs to succeed and reminds us to consider their strengths, interests, and challenges. The new Relate programme has some great tools and templates for finding out what a pupil enjoys and what they’re good at. When we build on their interests, learning becomes much more fun and engaging for them. One feature I find really helpful is the dictate function—it’s great for boosting confidence in literacy and gives pupils a real sense of pride in their work. Just like with the SSP, the SETT plan isn’t something we do once and forget about. It needs to be checked regularly and updated to make sure it’s still working and meeting the pupil’s needs as they grow and change.Thanks for sharing that link to the template. Whilst I have heard about handwriting without tears, and some of my colleagues have completed the training, it is not something I have used myself, but am interested in exploring further this year.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Uf7Us2kQk8VUQyOcxeA3LsK-Ri9zUgY5urbuoWPgxKQ/edit?usp=sharing
Part 1
I have designed a targeted reading lesson for a SET (Special Education Teaching) setting, aimed at supporting a Senior Infant or 1st Class pupil. The main focus of the lesson is on the “ai” digraph, with opportunities to revise tricky words/sight words and practice basic comprehension skills toward the end of the session. To make the lesson accessible and supportive, I would use Microsoft’s Immersive Reader tool. This allows me to change the background colour to reduce visual stress and use the line focus feature, which highlights one sentence at a time to prevent the pupil from feeling overwhelmed by too much text on the screen.
Additionally, I would use the syllables function to help break down longer words like “wagging,” which supports decoding and reading fluency. The picture dictionary tool would also help build vocabulary and boost confidence. Finally, I would use the read-aloud function for the comprehension questions, allowing the pupil to demonstrate understanding without the added challenge of reading additional text independently.
Part 2
Teachers are, without doubt, lifelong learners. Reflecting on my own career over the past twenty years, I can clearly see how much has changed. I began teaching with a blackboard and chalk—there were no laptops, interactive whiteboards, or widespread access to assistive technology. Over time, I’ve had to continually evolve and upskill in response to the changing needs of my pupils, advances in educational research, curriculum updates, policy developments, and rapid technological progress. This ongoing professional development has not only increased my confidence and adaptability as a teacher but has also had a direct, positive impact on the learning experiences of the pupils in my care.
Using immersive reader translation feature for EAL learners is a great idea. There are so many fantastic uses for AT which can make the school experience easier for all pupils.
Exploring Immersive Reader in Microsoft Teams, the Edge browser, and other Microsoft 365 tools really opened my eyes to how much support is available for literacy in the SET classroom. I had already used Immersive Reader this year with a Fourth Class pupil to help them with reading, but I hadn’t realised just how many features it actually offers. Being able to change the background colour, adjust the spacing of the text, highlight one line or sentence at a time, and even change the font can make a big difference. I especially like the option to break words into syllables and the picture dictionary, these will be really helpful for younger pupils, and I’m looking forward to trying them out with my Senior Infants next year.
Another tool I found really useful this year was the Dictate option in Word. It made a huge difference for pupils who found spelling and writing difficult. Being able to speak their ideas out loud without worrying about spelling or handwriting meant they were more confident and produced much better work. It works very well in Irish also.
I also learned a lot about different input devices that can support pupils with physical needs, like trackball or joystick mice, foot mice, and head-controlled devices. I wasn’t aware of adaptive switches before, so that’s definitely something I want to look into further. It’s made me think more about how we can better match technology to individual pupils’ needs.
I agree Rebecca, this first module has really given me food for thought about how I can plan and put AT to better use not only in my SET room but across the school by incorporating it further through our School Self-Evaluation process.
After going through this module, I’ve been thinking a lot about how assistive technology (AT) can really make a difference—not just for the pupils who need it, but for the whole school. One standard from the Digital Learning Framework that I think we could focus on is “Fostering teacher professional development that enriches teachers’ and pupils’ learning.” We’re a large school spread across several buildings, and while there’s definitely a lot of expertise among staff when it comes to AT, I think we could do more to share and build on that knowledge. It’s important that both teachers and pupils feel confident using these tools.
I found the case study using the SETT framework really helpful. Looking at a pupil’s strengths and needs first, then thinking about their environment and what tools might help, just makes sense. Even something as simple as where plug sockets are located can become a barrier especially in an old building like ours if a pupil needs to use a laptop throughout the day.
I also liked how AT was broken down into no/low, mid, and high-tech options. It made me realise that we’re already using a lot of low-tech tools in our classrooms without even thinking of them as AT. Things like visual schedules or sloped writing boards are small changes that can make a big difference. I want to look more into the HWT adaptive paper that was mentioned, as it could be another simple but effective support for some of our pupils.Module 5
Research Question: How can we reduce our carbon footprint as a school community.
As a school community we have started to look at this research question over the last few months. The question was fuelled by our Green Schools Committee. Our committee is made up of class representatives from 1st to 6th class.
We researched how many bins the school filled every week with waste from our used paper hand towels. We were shocked to discover how much refuse we were creating and how much the school was spending on both the hand towels and the refuse collections.
We researched and problem solved alternatives to using the paper hand towels. We investigated other options such as hand dryers and the impact they have on the environment. We decided to trial the idea of pupils bringing in their own hand towels in two different class levels as this would have a more positive impact on our carbon footprint. We surveyed the children and teachers in those classes to get their feedback.
The feedback was very positive and it was decided to trial the use of hand towels across the whole school for the month of June. The amount of refuse was monitored by the caretaker for the month of June as was the reduced cost of the paper towels.
Our plan in September is to review the impact this change has had on our carbon footprint, the impact it has made on our refuse and the cost savings to our school. We will then survey the whole school community to get their feedback with the view of making this a permanent change in our school.
It is great that the children have been the ones who have started the process and they will take great pride in seeing the impact they have made.The satellite tracker app is a fantastic app. I’ve used it myself with my own children when out camping in the summer. It would be a great resource to use in the older classes also.
Module 4
I chose to download from the ground and from the sky, analysing and understanding images of planet Earth taken from space.
Activity 1: The Earth seen from the ISS
To start this lesson, we would discuss what the children think Earth looks like from space, what they would expect to see, how it would differ at different times of the day and night and through different seasons. We would then explore the astronauts’ images to discover if our thoughts are correct. I would finish this lesson with the Junior classes by going onto the story time from space website so the can get to experience what the inside of the international space station and the astronauts themselves look like.Activity 2: Matching the Photos
This is a lovely lesson, the photos are a fantastic resource. I think I would print them off and laminate them as it is something you could use every year. It would be a great opportunity for group work so I would split the class into groups and let them discuss the photos themselves and then feedback to the rest of the class at the end of the lesson.Activity 3: Higher Up!
This is a fantastic lesson for discussion and language/vocabulary in the younger classes. The teacher can use questioning to start the discussion, What is the same? What is different? Again I would laminate the photographs and let the class work in groups to complete the activity sheet.