[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Colin,

Thank you for your post in which you have raised many pertinent issues. I like the way you have taken an approach which would place the children at the centre, with a focus on both local and global issues. Very often, seeing and witnessing inequalities locally can stir an awareness in children that will eventually progress to campaigning against global inequalities.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Enda,

Thank you for your post. It is interesting that you have chosen the topic of ‘construction’ within play in your post. Irish female students typically perform worse than their male counterparts in ‘shape and space’ testing across PISA, TIMMS, NAMER, etc. This trend is common internationally and Douglas Clements points to the fact that traditionally boys will be concerned with the construction of the object, whereas girls will be considering areas for them to engage in imaginative play within the structure.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Orla,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your insightful post. NCCA research from 2016 points out to how upskilling ourselves as teachers can allow children experience different learning opportunities in school. I feel the tone of your post really speaks to this – it is so important that we ourselves become education on these global development issues. You have correctly identified ongoing CPD as a significant factor in enhancing our knowledge around this. I also like the way you have incorporated ideas around getting the whole school community involved, such as the Global Citizenship Days.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Laura,

Thank you for our post here. It’s fair to say that there really are a plethora of apps that are available for tablet devices that can make the learning process that bit more engaging. The ability for children to respond to tasks through the creation of videos and presentations supports a UDL approach to teaching and learning. This approach is well suited to our classrooms, and promotes more inclusivity through the availability of choice.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Amy,

Thank you for your contribution here. It is heartening to read your opinions on the use of digital technologies and how your use of them has led to improvements for the pupils across the school. Whatever your focus is, this should always be what you set out to achieve with SSE.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Claire,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your contribution here. I am fully in agreement with you in regards to the assistive technologies that are often recommended on psychologists reports – in some cases, a plethora of assistive technologies are listed on the assumption that one may be useful. However, as teachers, it is us who must go through the trial and error stage with the children. If more knowledge was freely available in this area, it may be possible to narrow down the list of assistive tools that may be useful for a child based on his/her needs. Perhaps, schools could benefit from assigning responsibility for assistive technologies to a member of the management team.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ciara,

Welcome to the online part of this course. Thank you for your contribution here. The ease at which digital tools allow students to access content at their own pace and own level make them very useful in schools and classrooms. It is great to hear that your school has been in a position to invest in its digital infrastructure in recent years. It is very challenging to implement a Digital Learning Plan with poor access to devices for students – once the infrastructure is in place, you can work as a team to ensure that a plan is being put in place to ensure the full benefit is being reaped from their use.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi James,

Thank your for your contribution here. You have raised a central point that is really at the core of what SSE should be, when you point out that staff, students and the wider school community are all at the core of SSE. It is a whole-school effort to enact the improvement plan, and all parties should be consulted at different stages. With regard to the incorporation of digital technology use within SSE, we must ask students (as well as staff) how they found the new initiative when you are monitoring and evaluating the actions within the improvement plan.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ruth,

Thank you for your post here and for sharing your lesson outline with us. I have often completed a similar lesson that involves children creating the strongest and tallest structure possible with the materials you have listed. However, I love how you have incorporated a strong maths focus into this. There is plenty of room for differentiation and you will see higher achievers attempting to manipulate materials to create new shapes – indeed, there’s also the possibility of introducing the children to the concept of tessellation.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for you post here and you are very welcome to this part of the course. Like one of the earlier  posters, you have mentioned how the use of technology can promote inclusion within classrooms. I fully agree with this – children are working with the same device and ‘everyone is the same’ visually. However, there is scope to provide alternative media types to some children, allow them to respond orally to certain actions or to use an assistive tool such as the Immersive Reader. The scope it offers certainly allows pupils to maintain pace with their peers, which may not be possible through ‘traditional’ means.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Dee,

Thank you for your post and for sharing this lesson outline with us. The lesson you have provided has been a staple in our school with our junior infant classes. There is so much scope for development across the curriculum with this activity. Indeed, we have tried to incorporate some concept cartoons for this investigation to tie in with disciplinary literacy (within the PLC). This allows children to read and analyse like scientists.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Dee,

Welcome to the online element of this course and thank you for sharing our thoughts with us here. The child-led approach to education that can be facilitated through digital integration is certainly an important factor in prioritising their increased use. In schools, very often the use of digital technologies (or any other subject/methodology) can vary widely from teacher to teacher. The SSE process is a great way of streamlining the integration across the school, and ensuring that all members of the school community are working towards this improvement initiative. Monitoring the progress of the plan is so important – some staff members may be encountering issues and there may need to be revisions made to ensure its success.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ruth,

Welcome to the course and thank you for your post. It is certainly fair to say that there are a number of options out there when it comes to assistive technologies. In some ways, there are too many and there is limited expertise in this area. Children who are granted AT use often have very specific needs, and a tool that works for one child may not be as effective for another. The SETT model is such a useful framework for you to use and think about the different AT’s that may be useful for the child.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Deirdre,

Thank you for your post. You have provided us with a comprehensive overview of the features that Immersive Reader offers. The breadth of its use can really be seen in your post, which encapsulates just how powerful an assistive tool it is. The ‘visual crowding’ is a feature that I wouldn’t often highlight. However, now that I see it mentioned I can tell you that a number of students have found this to be hugely effective. Being able to isolate 1 or 3 lines of text can be huge in minimising distractions – changing the background colour and font are other small changes that have worked for some children I’ve taught.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Ríona,

I love how you have taken such a STEM-themed approach to a classic children’s book. I always loved using The Very Hungry Caterpillar with younger classes, and there are a number of messages that can be taken and teased out from the story. There is a clear progression and sequential order to the lesson, e.g. oral recount, picture steps, creating symbols as representations, etc.

[Author]

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