[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Thank you for sharing some of your thoughts around adapting the content and presentation of the 3rd class lesson for your selected pupil. Assistive technology can be so powerful in making learning more accessible and allowing children the opportunity to show what they know through a different medium. We can often speak about the ‘class level’ a certain child is operating at, but truth be told our curriculum is so broad that there are aspects that all children are performing above/below the class level on. For instance, this child might have strong listening comprehension skills but poor decoding which inhibits them accessing reading comprehension. The use of a tool like Immersive Reader can be so beneficial for children in similar instances.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for your participation throughout the course and for your contribution here. The phrase around ‘all politics being local’ has applications here too – getting the children to see the impact of important global issues at a local level is so important in getting them to understand the magnitude of this. Our rivers, estuaries and reservoirs are a perfect example of this over the past year, as we have seen extremes from flooding to drought in the space of 4-5 months.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Susan,

Thank you for your post here. It is heartening to read that the content of the module prompted you to question your own understanding of the definition of development education. As you have mentioned, its core tenets focus on getting children to be curious about inequalities, stereotypes and global issues, whilst also instilling that sense of moral justice in children to feel like their small actions can make a difference. Seeing the links between the local and the global is so important for developing a sense of interconnectedness which underpins some of the key themes of development education.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Rose,

Thanks for this post and for your engagement throughout the course. Collaboration is such an important skill for our children, but it is so important to ensure that we have clear expectations around what success might look like. In a special class setting, you will have individual targets for each of the children which allows for tracking and monitoring and incremental improvement over longer periods of time. Children all have learning preferences, and being able to provide diverse learning experiences allows all children greater opportunity to thrive and demonstrate their learning in different ways, as you have alluded to.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for this post and for sharing this activity. I think it shows a really sensible and practical use of AI tools to give us ideas towards making a task more accessible for children learning English as an additional language. This is something that might be tricky for many of us. and having such valuable suggestions from an AI tool can really enrich the learning of all children in the class. Your interpretation of how AI can help us is also very refreshing – understanding that a lot of the ideas may not be suitable is so important, as we use the knowledge we have of the children we teach and of teaching itself to tailor this to enhance the learning experiences of all is how we should all view the use of AI for teachers.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for this post and for sharing this activity. I think it shows a really sensible and practical use of AI tools to give us ideas towards making a task more accessible for children learning English as an additional language. This is something that might be tricky for many of us. and having such valuable suggestions from an AI tool can really enrich the learning of all children in the class. Your interpretation of how AI can help us is also very refreshing – understanding that a lot of the ideas may not be suitable is so important, as we use the knowledge we have of the children we teach and of teaching itself to tailor this to enhance the learning experiences of all is how we should all view the use of AI for teachers.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Aisling,

Thank you for this post and for highlighting the importance of all children receiving basic respect in our schools – having this as a non-negotiable is a sign of a strong classroom and school culture that places kindness, empathy and respect at the heart of all they do. The buddy system you have spoken about is a great initiative that allows a relationship to form between children, whilst also entrusting responsibility and leadership among your pupil population. This, coupled with the practical side of ensuring all children have the required classroom resources is a great start towards ensuring this ideal is achieved.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Mallorie,

Thanks for this post and for sharing some of the local actions that can be taken in this regard. I think we are all guilty to some degree around waste and responsible consumption – some of the areas you have mentioned are the greatest culprits, but also the easiest to make small changes in to improve the situation. Even in the news at present, the hot weather is lacing a significant strain on our water system which requires more frugal consumption. The ‘hose-pipe’ ban is a seasonal example of this but again we could also consider whether we could conserve more water inside homes. in idustries, etc.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Thank you for your post here and welcome to the course. I agree that technology, and assistive technology in particular, can be hugely useful for ensuring learning becomes more accessible in a special class setting. I hope that you will find some useful resources and approaches in the course that you can take back to your classroom in September. I agree with you in terms of the SETT Framework – this is such a valuable way to think about out use of technology in the classroom and the impact it is having/we wish for it to have and the actions we need to take in this regard.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Elaine,

Thanks for this post. Stories and picturebooks are such an excellent way to explore all of the development education themes. They are particular useful for some sensitive issues, potentially around children in classes that may be at risk of poverty, social deprivation or discrimination as it allows the class to discuss this through the neutral context of the story and can often present issues in a light that allows children to empathise with different situations.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for this post and for your engagement throughout the course. The point you have made around pupil voice and development education is so important and ensuring these huge themes are reflected in classroom practice allows children to see themselves as members of an interconnected world, where small actions taken at scale can have huge impacts (in both positive and negative senses). Incorporating the SSE cycle into a school’s work in this area allows opportunities for reflection and adaption based on feedback from pupils and other members of the wider school community.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Amy,

Thank you for your post and for sharing some of the excellent work being carried out in Gorey in this regard. I really like the cultural celebration that you mentioned in December, which allows us to compare and contrast the ways in which different cultures celebrate similar events. Having the HSCL position attached to your school gives you a great link with the community and allows relationships to be formed between the school, its community and local organisations. Linking in with this family resource centre allows the school and community to support the excellent work each is doing.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Susan,

Thank you for sharing such thought-provoking comments around the SDG of reducing inequality. You have touches on such an important message around the importance of ‘community first’ and instilling values such as respect and active citizenship, which will be carried by these children throughout their lives, and are far more likely to trickle out into the ‘everyday’. This is likely to have further reaching impacts that some potential short-term actions which may focus on aspects such as fundraising for immediate needs (which are also understandably very valuable and important)

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Christine,

Thank you for your post and for sharing the impact of flooding in your school’s community. It is heart-breaking to hear of the damage extreme weather can cause to community projects such as those organised by the local Tidy Towns. However, I have mentioned previously that seeing the impacts of this in their own community makes the impact all the more ‘real’ and can instil a sense of justice in children to ensure we all act collectively to ensure this does not become the norm.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

HI Caoimhe,

Thank you for engaging with the module and sharing this here. One of the main points I have taken from your post is the ability of these Microsoft AI tools to make the learning experience more personalised for children in your classroom. Children thrive on feedback and interactive learning experiences – it is so hard to achieve this for every child every day due to the size of many of our classes. Having tools that can break down some of these barriers is so important and can be hugely effective in spreading ourselves that bit wider.

[Author]

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