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Hi Karen, I really agree with what you said about boosting confidence and keeping learning fun and engaging- it’s so important! like you, I’m also really looking forward to using immersive reader- it’s such a great resource.
As a new teacher to Ireland who will be working in a SET role (4th class) next year, I am super excited to try out so many of the AT outlined in this course with my groups/students in the upcoming academic year. As I mentioned in a previous post, most of these ATs were unknown to me prior to this course and I have already compiled a list of things that I personally feel I will find useful. I feel so much more confident starting this role with so many more tools up my sleeve. One of the standout ATs for me has to be Immersive reader. The features it offers such as the coloured backgrounds, picture dictionary and adaptable texts would be so effective when supporting struggling readers and I am really looking forward to using it with my students. I also like the look of the ABC kids app which I think will be a fantastic tool for supporting in phonics. In numeracy, I found the Microsoft maths assistant, Maths duel and Khan academy resources to be really good at providing visual representations of number which would be a fantastic support for any students with number difficulties or dyscalculia.
I think when thinking about the school development plan, AT should be incorporated in school wide planning and it’s effectiveness assessed regularly to inform future planning. Successful implementation on a whole school level as opposed to just one teacher using AT really effectively will benefit many more children and make these technologies the norm, not a novelty used every once in a while.Hi Mary, i also agree that the Sett planning approach encourages you to use a wider range of resources you wouldn’t have considered before. Super helpful!
The SETT Framework offers a practical and structured way to bring AT into a student’s educational plan, working with the School Support File process. By looking carefully at each part of the framework, teachers can make sure that any AT used, whether it’s a simple tool or something like an iPad—is chosen for the right reasons and suits the individual student, rather than being handed out without much thought or planning.
The Student part focuses on getting a full picture of the learner, their strengths, challenges, preferences, and how they take in and process information. This helps teachers make informed decisions about what kind of support would be most effective.
The Environment section looks at where the student is learning. This includes both the physical space and the social setting. Taking the time to understand the learning environment helps spot any barriers that might make things harder for the student.
Tasks involve figuring out what the student actually needs to do in their daily school life, both academically and functionally. It’s about breaking down these tasks into steps, identifying where difficulties come up, and using that information to guide what kind of AT could help.
Based on what’s been learned about the student, their environment, and the tasks they need to do, suitable AT options can be identified and trialed. These could range from low-tech solutions like visual aids to high-tech tools like speech-to-text apps or communication devices. The key is making sure the tools are a good fit and actually work in the student’s specific context.
Using the SETT Framework alongside the School Support File also supports fair and inclusive assessment. It helps give all students the chance to show what they know and can do without being held back by challenges that aren’t directly related to the content being assessed.
Part 2:
I created a sett plan for a sample student in 6th class who is expected to read an article about sustainability and participate in a class discussion. I identified he had issues with decoding and organising his ideas but had good oral language skills and comprehension. Because of this, I chose to use a text to speech app to help him to read the article and suggested he uses a recording device/app to orally make note of his thoughts and ideas as he reads. I would also allow him to pre-record a response in an audio/video clip to help take the stress away from him having to verbalise his ideas since he struggles to organise his thoughts. I found this task useful in beginning to think about how I will use the SETT framework to support my students this year.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xbrGaTq03BKFr7xMVlJa24XRhAV2-oC9JD6EZLy9Qbs/edit?usp=sharing
I agree Jack, certain courses such as this one also help to build my confidence and discourage old habits and sticking to the same old activities. Also agree on your point about collaborating with colleagues.
My activity is designed with a 7 year old student with dyslexia in mind with a focus on supporting reading. The aim is to make reading more fun, engaging and accessible as well as boost the child’s confidence. The activity helps the child to improve reading fluency and comprehension using text-to-speech, colored overlays, and speech-to-text tools. The activity involves choosing a short, exciting story based on the child’s specific interest at the child’s reading level. The story should be in digital format and on an online reader that supports Immersive Reader or another text-to-speech tool. The child’s reading view can be customized including font, sizing and coloured overlay if needed. The child can use the text to speech function to help with reading as well as record themselves reading. If the sentence is read correctly, they “unlock” a hidden picture (e.g drag a star over a box in a Google Slide to reveal part of a surprise image or sticker). Repeat for each sentence or paragraph. Instead of the adult asking questions, the child can use speech-to-text to record their own questions about the story (e.g., “Why was the dragon sad?”), then read or discuss the answers together. To conclude the activity, use a simple tool like WordArt.com or a whiteboard to create a word cloud of all the words they read or learned during the lesson which can also be decorated.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RChQ3Z0PhIu9MrMwnDiDqFw79_oew835k-mEtLwvk5U/edit?usp=sharing
Part 2: I strongly agree with the Cosan principles of lifelong learning for teachers and think it is a very valuable framework supporting teachers in Ireland. As teachers, we are continuously evolving in our practice through adapting to curriculum changes, policy updates, technological advancements such as the AT discussed in this course as well as learning about all of the different learning styles and individual needs of each of our students. CPD is crucial in keeping up do date with the latest in educational theory and research but I do believe it should be presented in interactive and engaging ways as expected of us when teaching our students. I have sat through reams of slides and essentially been fed information in the most mundane form and those types of CPD have been wasted on me as I struggle to engage. I am far more likely to implement the methods/practices taught when I am engaged and excited about the course material. CPD is a good way to encourage consistency in teacher learning across schools and ensure staff are trained and confident to implement new strategies in the classroom.
I agree Fiona! I also had no idea about so many of these features and was amazed trying it all out. It’s great to have these tools at our fingertips- so many benefits for the children if we use them effectively.
I have to admit, I found module 2 extremely enlightening and am embarrassed to say I hadn’t heard of many of the high-tech resources mentioned. I also had no idea so many were already embedded into programs such as Microsoft 365, Teams and Edge. After exploring some of the features myself, it’s great to see so many simple ways we can be using these features to support in the classroom. I particularly like the use of the dictate feature in word which would be very helpful for students who find organising their ideas on paper challenging. I had some limited experience with immersive reader prior to this module but found some of the features I wasn’t aware of such as the translate option and picture dictionary would be particularly helpful when working with EAL learners. I’m really looking forward to trying out some of these AT resources next year and am really happy to have gained so much knowledge about what is available so I can continue to gain a better understanding of how best to utilise them with my students.
Hi Saoirse, I agree with your reply- particularly about student engagement and motivation. I think that if AT is used consistently in schools and is embedded as part of daily routines, this helps to maintain engagement. This alongside making sure that high quality AT resources are available to the students. I’m reflecting on a particular student who was given time out for touch typing. The device we used was very slow and she would get very frustrated during the activity therefore her engagement and motivation was understandably low. She was actually getting very little in terms of meaningful learning out of the activity which may not have been the case had she been provided with a good quality resource. My point is- we shouldn’t just be ticking boxes that we are using AT but making sure the AT is actually enhancing the students learning experience!
Part 1: As a teacher new to Ireland, having taught previously in the UK and the UAE, I found this module very informative. Although I was familiar with many of the AT resources discussed in the module, I like many others in the forum, was unaware that some of the Low/no tech resources are classified as AT. The classification is really useful and highlights the vast range of AT that can be used to specifically target a students needs. It is also a reminder that even simple adaptations can make a huge difference to a students ability to access learning effectively. In terms of school self evaluation, I feel there is a big need for collaborative practice as outlined in Domain 4. I have seen classrooms jam packed with AT resources and others with hardly anything despite the need for them. I think having a lead teacher who is confident in using AT resources open to peer observation and sharing good practice would be great to increase confidence in those teaches less familiar with AT. I also think it is important for schools to ensure they budget for the best possible resources that could benefit their students. I have too often come across IPADS which are too old to support up to date apps or other resources with pieces missing/not enough to go around between the students. This feeds into Domain 2: Learner experiences and Pupils engaging purposefully in meaningful learning activities- in order to do this effectively, students should have access to high quality resources.
Part 2: I had never come across the SETT framework before and think its a great tool to help teachers pinpoint the exact areas of need and allocate resources accordingly. It can often feel overwhelming, particularly with new students, working out how best to support them and I feel the SETT framework is helpful in simplifying this process. The framework is structured very clearly and helps to get a full picture of the students needs as well as what resources would be available/suitable to them. It would be extremely useful to use in conjunction with a student’s support file as it would serve well as a working document. You could use it to evaluate which resources worked well for the student following assessment, as well as trial alternatives to those that weren’t as suited. It would also be very handy for the students future teachers to see what AT resources they have used before and whether they should continue with those or offer alternatives.