[Eoin o’briain]

 

There are an abundance of AT resources that could help those in a special needs class. I will select a group of students with an ASD diagnosis along with a moderate intellectual disability. By referring to the school development planning section in the inclusive education framework, I am ensuring that I plan activities that are differentiated and promote inclusion. By referencing the framework, I may be able to highlight areas where staff and the school may need to improve or up-skill.

As many of these students have sensory or stimming issues, simple accessibility features such as toggles keys, sticky keys or mouse keys would be useful. For hardware support, individuals could use switches, adapted or joysticks.

Getting the attention of ASD students can be hard so the use of fun interactive games to introduce new topics in numeracy are always of use. These can include websites such as topmarks or Education.com or Apps that I have learned about here such as ABC mouse or homer for literacy.

Immersive reader along with Microsoft lens give children the opportunity to read and experience stories somewhat independently. The text to picture tool is also very useful for those in my class who struggle with literacy.

High tech tools such as an interactive touchscreen gives children the opportunity to experience lessons in more ways than just listening and watching. Sensory learning through videos, sounds and physical input is of great use to children with ASD.

[Eoin o’briain]

<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif;”><span style=”box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;”>Part 1:</span> Participants will review the SETT model and outline how they would use it for in conjunction with a student’s School Support File, including identification of appropriate assessment approaches.</p>
The SETT model can be an invaluable tool in order to ensure the appropriate match of supportive technology to the needs of the individual learner. The SETT model stands for Student, Environment, Tasks and tools. The best thing about this model is that it simplifies a complex question i.e. what is the type of support that we can give this child. I would use this framework in conjunction with a child’s IEP which will contain much of the important information needed.

Step 1 – Student:Outline the strengths and weaknesses of the child.

Step 2 – Environment : Analyse the environment in which the AT needs to be used. Will it be appropriate for school? or home? Could it be a distraction for other students? Is there a physical access or cost issue? and  so on.

Step 3 – Tasks : What exactly does the student need to be able to do and does the proposed AT meet this need?

Step 4 – Tools : What tool are already being used to help the child and what new tool are being considered.  These include low, mid and high tech options. Here the team could decide what combination of tech could be used and a final decision can be made with the use of all relevant information.
<p style=”box-sizing: inherit; border: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 1.6em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif;”><span style=”box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold;”>Part 2:</span> Create a SETT plan in MS Word or Google Docs for a sample student and post a link to it and reflection here (min 150 words) as a reply to this post.</p>
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11-2_18Ms2ZG2PXvWOxLX87W5fh8VRWAJi3rbHL8QvFA/edit?usp=sharing

[Eoin o’briain]

As the majority of my students are visual learners and like to interact, Powerpoint is often my tool of choice. As one of students was struggling with the concept of strangers, there was a need to make it very clear for him. I created a presentation using pictures of his family and strangers; The child then had to find people who were not strangers i.e.  their family members which came quite easily and engaged their attention. Then they came up and pointed at the strangers. This helped this student immensely and he was also able to use a interactive pen to pick his answers by drawing a circle. This lesson also lead to a lesson on safe strangers such as police; firemen etc.

<span style=”box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold; color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”>Part 2:</span><span style=”color: #163c42; font-family: ‘Hind Madurai’, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;”> Reflect on the principles of Cosan the National Framework for teachers Learning. Are teachers’ lifelong learners? Why is CPD so important?</span>

There is a necessity for teacher’s to be lifelong learners as each year we receive a new class with new students with their own unique personalities along with strengths and weaknesses; Yes, teacher’s are lifelong learners, as every year we need to adapt to the changing needs of our class and the fast paced environment that they live in.

The Cosan framework is an excellent document as it displays the teaching council’s commitment to education while giving teacher’s a framework for pursuing this devlopment.

 

CPD is important as its ensures that teacher’s maintain high standards and deliver the best possible education to the adults of tomorrow. It ensures that we meet the educational needs of our students in a efficient and effective way.

[Eoin o’briain]

This is the first time I have come across immersive reader and it is great. As a teacher of a class of student’s with moderate intellectual disabilities, this could be of great use. The level of literacy is quite low. A lot of students will rote learn words rather than learning phonics. This seems to suit their needs. The focus tool on this tool could help them practice their sight words independently while minimising distraction. The read aloud function also gives them the chance to engage with stories and learn new words while keeping frustration low. The child in turn will learn or take note of new sight words for their word bank. The picture dictionary on top of this further helps comprehension and learning.

I often use MS word and MS powerpoint to construct lessons of all types including literacy in my classroom. These tool allow me to construct highly individualised lessons and worksheets which speak to the interests of my students.

Other tools I found useful were the keyboard accessibility options and the different “mouses” which could help the children in my class who have a physical disability.

[Eoin o’briain]

I am currently working in a special needs school for students with moderate intellectual disabilities as well as ASD, Down syndrome or other complex intellectual disabilities. As you can imagine, the range of abilities in a classroom of 6-8 students is vast. Assistive technology has been priceless in engaging the students at their levels. As my students often have other issues such as challenging behaviour, my biggest issue is finding something which they will be intrinsically attracted to, something which will motivate them to engage with school work. Anyone who has worked in a special needs school will tell you, our students won’t always do something because you ask nicely. It needs to be attractive to them. In this modern world with technology around every corner, it seems all students are attracted to technology. Assistive technology straight from the get go meets the standard “students enjoy their learning, are motivated to learn and expect to achieve as learners”. This is especially true in my school. Some examples I use everyday are

Youtube/ Google: Having unlimited access to millions of songs, games, demonstrations, teaching aids in invaluable. Having a song or visual image to accompany your lesson can help the students grasp an idea more thoroughly and holds their attention for longer.

Websites such as Education.com or Topmarks can introduce students to maths and literacy topics in a such a fun way that they dont even know they’re learning. Also, it is easily adaptable to the level of the student.

The use of an interactive touchscreen in group lessons brings these games to a new level and also offers the teacher apps to make individualised lessons for my students. I often use the favourite cartoon characters or family members in my lessons to engage my students.

 

Part 2. As you can imagine, our students need a lot of support for their needs. I have used the SETT model before and have found it to be very informative and useful. It assisted me in narrowing my focus to what exactly the child needed and other considerations I should take into account. E.g. IPads are generally not a good idea in my school as the children generally get fixated on playing a certain game etc. I would use the SETT model in conjunction with the child’s IEP, assessments from OT, SLT and parental input. Along with school observation and testing, the SETT model ensures that we would find the most appropriate AT.

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