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I would focus on SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, as it is a topic that children can relate to through their everyday choices. Globally, unsustainable consumption contributes to pollution, climate change, and the depletion of natural resources, while many children in low-income countries are affected by unsafe waste disposal and limited access to clean resources. In Ireland, children are also affected through issues such as plastic pollution, food waste, and the long-term impacts of climate change on their communities.
To encourage students to take action, I would use inquiry-based and project-based learning to help them investigate waste within their school and local community. Students could complete a waste audit, create posters promoting recycling and reducing single-use plastics, organise a clothes swap or book exchange, and develop a campaign to reduce food waste in the school. These activities empower children to see that their actions can contribute to positive environmental change while developing critical thinking, collaboration, and citizenship skills.
Specifically for my school, based in Cork, students could extend their learning beyond the classroom by working with local community groups, participating in beach or park clean-ups. By seeing the direct impact of their efforts in places they know and value, children are more likely to develop a lasting sense of environmental responsibility.
I really like your example because it shows how early children can begin to adopt gender stereotypes through everyday interactions. I agree that using development education methods such as cooperative learning and diverse role models can help challenge these assumptions.
Even at a young age, gender stereotypes can strongly influence how children see themselves and others. In one classroom scenario, I noticed that during free play, boys would almost always choose building blocks and toy cars, while girls were encouraged by their peers to play with dolls or in the pretend kitchen. When a boy showed interest in playing with the dolls, some classmates laughed and told him that “dolls are for girls.” Although these comments may seem harmless, they reinforce limiting beliefs about what boys and girls are expected to enjoy or achieve.
Development education methodologies can help challenge these stereotypes by encouraging critical thinking, inclusion, and active participation. For example, teachers can use storytelling, role-play, and group discussions to introduce children to diverse role models who break traditional gender expectations, such as female engineers or male nurses. Cooperative activities where students work together on mixed-gender teams also help reduce stereotypes by allowing children to appreciate each other’s abilities rather than judging based on gender.
Addressing gender stereotypes from an early age helps create a more equitable learning environment where every child feels valued and empowered to reach their full potential.
Development Education is important because it helps children understand that they are part of a wider global community and that their actions can have an impact on others. In The Role of Global Citizens in Today’s World, Eric Ehigie highlights that education is essential in helping young people become informed, compassionate and active global citizens who are willing to contribute positively to society.
As a teacher, I would embed Development Education across the curriculum rather than treating it as a separate topic. Through subjects such as SPHE, Geography, History and English, I would encourage pupils to explore issues including diversity, fairness, sustainability and human rights using age-appropriate discussions, stories, project work and cooperative learning activities. I would also create opportunities for children to take meaningful action within the school and local community, helping them see that even small actions can make a difference.
I would encourage my colleagues to include Development Education in their planning by sharing useful resources on the school drive and working together to implement whole-school initiatives. Last year we celebrated multi cultural day, which could be linked to developlent education. Working together would help create a school culture where global citizenship is valued and where pupils are encouraged to think critically, show empathy and become active participants in creating a more just and sustainable world.
In line with the Inclusive Education Framework’s focus on School Development Planning, particularly in promoting inclusive, individualised, and evidence-informed practice, I reflect on my work in the UAE with a diverse class of learners, many of whom were EAL students. I also supported a young girl with dyscalculia, who struggled with core number concepts and sequencing.
1. Literacy – Immersive Reader (in Word, OneNote, and Teams) enabled students to hear English texts read aloud while words were highlighted, aiding vocabulary and pronunciation. Dictation Tools helped students express their ideas orally when writing in English was too challenging.
2. Numeracy – Number Lines and Visual Manipulatives in OneNote to reinforce number sense, basic operations, and sequencing. Interactive PowerPoint slides with color-coded steps helped her understand multi-step problems.
By integrating these tools into daily lessons, I was able to personalise instruction and remove barriers to learning. This aligns with the Inclusive Education Framework’s principles of inclusive curriculum access, learner-centred planning, and collaboration across the whole school community. For both EAL students and learners with specific learning difficulties, assistive technology was key to supporting confidence and progress in literacy and numeracy.
Part 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cmFEImomE4BbjK-iJnOGBmtJEE-mX1x3fHeALNGGb04/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.dhu14zy40iy7 For this activity, I designed a reading comprehension task tailored to a first class student who experiences difficulties with decoding words and maintaining attention during reading. The activity is created using Microsoft Sway, a tool available in Office 365 that allows interactive and visually engaging presentations. Sway supports multimedia content (images, audio, text-to-speech), which is especially beneficial for students with reading difficulties.
In this activity, the student is presented with a short story titled “Max the Brave Cat”. The story is broken into short sentences and paired with images to support word recognition. The student listens to the story using Immersive Reader. This helps by reading text aloud, highlighting words as they are spoken, and offering picture dictionaries and translation features.
After reading, the student completes comprehension questions embedded in the Sway. These include multiple choice, matching pictures to events, and sequencing activities. This multimodal approach ensures the student engages with the content both visually and aurally.
Part 2: Cosán, the National Framework for Teachers’ Learning, highlights the importance of continuous, self-directed professional growth. It recognises that teachers are lifelong learners who must adapt to ever-changing educational needs, technologies, and diverse student populations. Lifelong learning ensures that teaching remains relevant, reflective, and responsive. CPD is essential because it empowers teachers to improve their practice, stay updated with curriculum and policy changes, and meet the needs of all learners. CPD fosters collaboration, innovation, and reflective thinking, helping teachers to grow professionally and personally throughout their careers.
I agree with you Rebecca that the SETT model is a fantastic tool that allows us to offer supports in a practical, student focussed way, allowing us to provide a structured approach.
Hi Deirdre, you made a great point that it’s important for both students and teachers to feel comfortable using AT.
Part 1
The SETT model provides a structured and collaborative approach to identifying and supporting the needs of students, particularly when assistive technology or tailored learning strategies are being considered. When used alongside a student’s School Support File, it ensures a holistic and personalised plan is developed based on clear evidence and student-centered thinking.
The first step is to gather a deep understanding of the learner—this includes their strengths, challenges, learning preferences, and goals. The School Support File already contains valuable information such as teacher observations, parental input, and details from previous assessments. The SETT framework prompts us to look closely at where learning is happening. This includes physical settings (classroom, support rooms), social contexts (peers, teacher supports), and available resources. The School Support File helps here by documenting existing classroom accommodations and learning routines. Reviewing this allows us to identify any environmental barriers or supports already in place. We then identify the specific learning tasks the student is expected to complete, especially those that are currently difficult or inaccessible. The learning targets in the student’s support plan guide us in prioritising these. For example, if a student struggles with writing but is expected to complete written responses across subjects, this becomes a focus for support planning. Only after understanding the student, environment, and tasks do we consider what tools—whether they are strategies, accommodations, or assistive technologies—might support meaningful access and participation. These may include low-tech tools like graphic organisers or high-tech supports like text-to-speech software. To ensure the SETT model and School Support Plan are responsive to student needs, a range of assessment approaches should be used: Ongoing teacher observation, Curriculum-based assessments, Input from parents and support staff,etc.
Creating a SETT plan for phonics support allowed me to take a structured, student-centred approach to planning meaningful interventions. By breaking down the student’s needs through the four areas—Student, Environment, Tasks, and Tools—I was able to gain a clearer picture of how best to support their literacy development in a holistic way. It was particularly useful to focus on the student’s strengths and interests, such as their enthusiasm for digital tools, as this helped guide the selection of appropriate high- and low-tech supports.
Including tools like Cogi, Balabolka, and Immersive Reader highlighted the potential of assistive technology to increase accessibility and engagement, especially for students who may lack confidence when reading aloud. I also found that linking the SETT framework with assessment approaches and an implementation timeline helped ensure the plan was realistic and measurable. Overall, this process reminded me of the importance of collaboration, flexibility, and regular review when supporting learners with literacy needs. The SETT model is an invaluable tool for tailoring supports in a practical, student-focused way.
Exploring immersive reader in microsoft teams and other microsoft tools has highlighted how valuable built-in accessibilty features can be in supporting literacy development for SEN. Immersive reader offers a range of customizable tools such as text-to-text speech , picture dictionaries, etc, which can greatly benefit students with dyslexia, visual processing difficulties or attention challenges. Using these features can help students access content independently at their own pace. I also reflected on how existing classroom equipment can be better adapted to suit individual pupil needs, Simple adjustments like changing screen contrast or noise cancelling headphones, etc can improve focus and engagement. Alternative input devices such as adaptive keyboards, trackballs or voice recnognition software opens up more inclusive pathways for pupils with physical or motor challenges. This exercise reinforced the importance of a proactive, student-centred approach to technology in the classroom. By making small but meaningful changes and embracing accessible tooks, we can create a more inclusive learning environment that empowers every student to engage with literacy in ways that suit their strengths and needs.