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My teaching journey, spanning mainstream and support roles in both Ireland and Qatar, has given me a real appreciation for what makes an education truly inclusive. Thinking back to my time in Qatar, I often reflect on my diverse class, particularly my EAL students and one young student with dyscalculia and dyslexia. My experiences there have fundamentally shaped how I view the Inclusive Education Framework’s principles of individualised and evidence-informed practice.
1. The EAL Experience & Literacy Tools 💬
Working with my EAL students, I saw firsthand how critical it was to make English texts accessible. I used Immersive Reader extensively in Microsoft Word and Teams, which was a lifesaver. It allowed my students to hear English texts read aloud while the words were highlighted, which was a huge boost for their vocabulary and pronunciation. I also relied on Dictation Tools to help them get their ideas out without the struggle of writing, which was often a major barrier, especially for my student with dyslexia. These tools were simple, but they made a world of difference for their confidence and participation.
2. Supporting Dyscalculia & Numeracy Tools 🔢
With the young student I supported who had dyscalculia, my focus shifted to making abstract maths concepts concrete. I turned to OneNote and PowerPoint to create tailored resources for them. I designed a series of visual aids using digital number lines and other manipulatives in OneNote to help them grasp core number concepts and sequencing. For multi-step problems, I used interactive PowerPoint slides with colour-coded steps to break down the process into manageable parts. This direct, visual approach helped them to see and understand the logic behind the numbers.
By integrating these tools into my daily lessons, I wasn’t just using technology; I was actively personalising instruction and removing very real barriers to learning. This really aligns with the Inclusive Education Framework’s push for inclusive curriculum access and learner-centred planning. My time abroad taught me that for both EAL students and learners with specific learning difficulties, assistive technology is a powerful key to unlocking their confidence and progress. It’s all about collaboration and finding what works best for each individual learner.
Part 1.
The SETT framework is very helpful for sure.
The breakdown ensures a thorough and detailed look at the student first. By starting with the student it ensures that the teacher realises the strengths, needs and weakness of the student.
The environment can change not only school to school but year group to year group. Being sensitive of the environment is crucial to successfully implementint the technology.
The tasks ensure that there is a match up of objectives based on the previous two steps and an acknowledgement of the ability of the student in the environment and time of day.
Again, the tools used depends on the school, the knowhow of the teacher and the ability of the children. It can be reviewed constantly, both in written plans and in oral feedback with other staff and the child/children.
This framework also helps the teacher to stay close to curriculum objectives and ensure that progress can be tracked and utilised for the students long term development.
Part 2.
Using this with a sample student, Alex, made me realise that plans need to begin with the student and not the technology. Having a phased approach means does the teacher not only make informed decisions, but the student doesn’t feel overwhelmed from the start. Onenote can teach the student in various ways, like the text to speech, highlighter and vocabulary organiser showing that plans can be very student specific, making technology work for both the student and the teacher.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L6k42MYcqXuIM8HphHcNUOh2VUiM0Ke3wTE5VV0k-HM/edit?usp=drivesdk
Part 1.
For this task, I designed an activity for a student, who struggles with reading fluency and sequencing information due to dyslexia. He often finds it difficult to organise his thoughts for written work and gets overwhelmed by large blocks of text.
My chosen tool is OneNote, something I have used in the past for various lessons. For a history project on the Vikings, I created a digital notebook for him. The first page contains a short, simplified text about Viking life, which he can listen to using Immersive Reader. Underneath, I’ve created a series of boxes or “containers” in the correct order: ‘Daily Life,’ ‘Ships,’ and ‘Exploration.’ There’s also an option to populate each box with relevant images and audio clips.
The activity is for the student to read and listen to the text, and then use the snipping tool or drag-and-drop to place relevant information he finds on a curated class website into the correct OneNote container. This reduces the pressure of writing from scratch and lets him focus on identifying key information and organizing it. The use of visuals and audio bypasses his reading difficulties, and the pre-structured format helps him develop his sequencing skills in a manageable way.
Part 2.
Ireland’s national framework for teachers, Cosán, really highlights the idea that CPD is lifelong learning. It’s built on a few core principles that show why professional development (CPD) is so much more than just ticking a box. It’s about taking charge of your own learning, which the framework calls being self-directed. It also pushes us to learn with and from our colleagues, recognising that we’re all stronger when we’re collaborative. Most importantly, it insists that any learning we do must be relevant—it has to directly help us in the classroom. This whole approach encourages us to be reflective practitioners who are always asking how we can get better.
The Importance of CPD
CPD is essential for a few key reasons:
Staying Current: The world moves fast, and education moves with it. New technologies, updated curricula, and fresh research on how students learn mean we can’t just rely on what we learned years ago. CPD helps us keep our skills and knowledge up to date.
Improving Student Outcomes: Simply put, when teachers learn, students win. Good CPD gives us new tools and strategies to make our lessons more engaging and our assessments more effective, which directly helps our pupils succeed.
Personal and Professional Growth: It’s not just about the students. Engaging in CPD helps us develop new skills and can even open up new opportunities, like taking on a leadership role. It keeps the job interesting and can reignite our passion for teaching.
Boosting Confidence: Learning and mastering new things is a powerful confidence booster. It reminds us that we are part of a vibrant, evolving profession and helps protect against that feeling of burnout.
This module on Immersive Reader has been a real eye-opener for me. It’s so much more than a simple read-aloud tool. I’m especially keen to start using the picture dictionary and parts of speech features in the SET classroom. Being able to break down a difficult text and highlight things like verbs or nouns could be a fantastic way to scaffold reading comprehension for students with literacy difficulties. I can easily see myself using it in MS Teams for assignments and even just for quick feedback in chat. The fact that it’s built into so many Microsoft 365 tools means it’s always right there, ready to go, which is a big plus and I’ve been using it in various scenarios for approximately 4 years now.
In terms of adapting existing equipment, it made me think creatively. For a student with fine motor challenges, a simple pencil grip on their stylus could make using a tablet a lot easier. I also have to consider the input devices I use. While a standard keyboard and mouse work for most, for some pupils, a switch or a trackball mouse could be what unlocks their ability to engage with technology. It’s not about expensive, brand new gear, but about making small, strategic adaptations that give a student independence.
Part 1.
Hey everyone,
Having spent 13 years in the classroom, I’ve seen firsthand how technology has evolved from a novel tool to an essential part of our teaching toolkit. This module on assistive technologies (AT) has been a real eye-opener, pushing me to think beyond the usual suspects like smartboards and laptops. It’s not just about what’s shiny and new; it’s about what genuinely removes barriers for our students.
Thinking about the practical options, I’m particularly interested in low-tech solutions that are easily integrated without needing a massive budget or a tech wizard. Things like graphic organizers, visual timetables, and even simple text-to-speech apps on school-provided tablets can make a huge difference. These are the tools that empower students with diverse learning needs to access the curriculum on their own terms. It’s about creating a more inclusive learning environment for everyone, not just those with a diagnosed need.
This focus on inclusion has direct implications for our school’s self-evaluation process. In particular, I think we can directly address several standards in the Digital Learning Framework. The most obvious one is Teaching, Learning and Assessment, where we’re asked to integrate digital technologies to provide engaging learning experiences. By systematically using AT, we’re not just engaging students; we’re ensuring they can participate at all. I also see a link to School Leadership and Management, by fostering a culture where AT is seen as a core part of our practice, not an afterthought.
Looking ahead, I believe a great starting point for us would be to do an audit of our current AT practices and resources, maybe even creating a shared bank of practical, low-cost solutions. This would give us a tangible way to showcase our commitment to inclusive education in our next self-evaluation report.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
Part 2.
Working with a student’s support file can sometimes feel a bit lacking in technology assistance descriptions, but learning about the SETT model has really made me rethink how I approach it. Instead of just listing a student’s needs and jumping straight to technology, this model gives me a clear, logical way to plan.
I’d start with the S – Student and the E – Environment, which is where the support file is so useful. I’d pull all the info from their file—what they’re great at, what they find tricky, and what their classroom environment is like. Then, I’d move to the T – Tasks. The support file has all our learning targets, so I’d use the SETT model to break those down into concrete tasks the student needs to be able to do.
Finally, I’d look at the T – Tools. This is the part that feels different now. I’d brainstorm a few different options, from low-tech to high-tech, and trial them with the student. It’s not about finding the fanciest tool, but the one that truly helps them with the task. This process makes the support file a living document, ensuring we’re always focused on what’s best for the student.