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I like how you identified developing your use of assistive and accessibility technologies as an area for growth. It shows a clear commitment to creating an inclusive classroom where all pupils can access and participate in learning.
Your action of incorporating one accessibility feature into a literacy lesson each week feels realistic because it is specific, manageable and easy to monitor over time. Introducing one new strategy at a time should help you build confidence while allowing you to see which tools have the greatest impact on pupils’ learning.
I would be interested to know how you might review the impact of these accessibility features on pupil engagement and learning. One way you could gather evidence of progress might be through pupil voice, observations, or samples of pupils’ work before and after introducing the tools.
One of my strengths is that I embrace new technologies and enjoy exploring innovative ways to enhance teaching and learning. I have previously taken part in the FÍS Film Competition with my classes, which provided pupils with meaningful opportunities to collaborate, solve problems, think creatively and communicate their ideas through digital media. Alongside this, we regularly engage in hands-on STEM learning through engineering challenges such as tower and bridge building, encouraging pupils to investigate, design, test and improve their ideas.
This year, I would like to refine my STEM practice by embedding a more consistent engineering design process and using assessment to better support the development of pupils’ computational thinking skills. My aim is to help pupils apply their digital competence and problem-solving skills in increasingly creative and innovative ways.
Design and implement one STEM challenge each half-term using clearly defined design constraints (e.g. a limited number of materials or a set budget) to encourage creative problem-solving and innovation.
Consistently embed the Plan–Do–Review process in every STEM project, enabling pupils to plan their approach, evaluate their solutions and identify improvements through structured reflection.
During each STEM project, focus observations on one computational thinking concept (e.g. decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction or algorithms) and use these observations to identify pupils who require additional support and those who are ready for further challenge.
