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For the purpose of this assignment I am looking at a group of pupils beginning 4th class in September, who have Dyslexia. These are the tools I already have been using and those that I plan to use in the coming school year that I have picked up throughout this course.
Nessy – the group use Nessy Reading and Spelling for 20 mins each day (usually during Irish written work time).
TTRS – the pupils can work on TTRS when they have time in the classroom
Immersive Reader – this tool will be so useful for pupils to use while online or in Word etc.
Office Lens – I think this will be the most useful addition to these pupils. The class have 5 tablets in the classroom at all times so I plan to install Office Lens on the tablets. The pupils will then be able to use it when needed, using the built in Immersive Reader and picture dictionary to help with text they are struggling with.
Dictation – some of the pupils in this group, one in particular, really struggles with getting thoughts down on paper, despite being very confident and capable orally. The dictation function will be hugely beneficial here and will be a great boost of confidence as it will increase productivity for this pupil massively.
I am looking forward to introducing some of the new tools I have come across in this course, I know they are going to make such a difference.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_E7AbT8-Xh3GV9lUwXexUHpa2oojCbQv6yU7fgJko0o/edit?usp=sharing
I have created this SETT plan for a pupil with Borderline Mild General Learning Disability in 4th Class.
The SETT model is very useful for identifying needs and selecting tools to help pupils with additional needs to participate as fully as possible in the mainstream class.
I plan on using the SETT model with all my pupils in September in conjunction with their Student Support File. I will attach the SETT plan to all SSF’s on Aladdin. Having everything in the one place will be very useful for all.
I have been working on using the class English skills book and have used Immersive Reader in Office Lens to take a picture of the text and it can be read out to the pupil. The pupils I am thinking of is a struggling reader so this is going to make such a huge difference to them. The picture dictionary is fantastic for any words they come across that they don’t understand. It further broadens the independence the pupil will have. At the moment, the skills book comprehension texts are beyond them from a reading point of view, but if done orally, they can answer the questions. Using Immersive Reader, means they can work alongside the class on the same piece of text, and can use the dictation tool to answer the questions. They will be fully included in the lesson as opposed to completing differentiated work previously. This will have a huge effect not only on their education but also on their confidence and self esteem.
I absolutely agree that teachers need to be lifelong learners. There is no way a teacher can teach effectively without continuing professional development throughout their career. Some teachers are now heading into the 3rd curriculum of their teaching career so how could they teach effectively without upskilling through all those changes. I think that the area of technology is the most fast moving and changing area that teachers really need to keep up to date with as it can make such a huge difference to pupils education as we have seen throughout this course. This doesn’t mean that all teachers need to complete all the courses but I think it’s important that one staff member has responsibility for ICT and then they can pass on the information and upskill other staff members during Croke Park hours training and staff meetings.
I hadn’t come across Immersive Reader prior to this course, and having spent some time exploring it, it is just fantastic. The possibilities are endless with this tool and the fact that it is so widely available and free to use is just amazing.
Previously, I have used a C-pen with pupils with additional needs which is brilliant but very expensive. Immersive reader will take its place and have much wider uses within the classroom, being so much more accessible to many more pupils.
One of the first jobs on my list on return to school is to download Office Lens to all the iPads and tablets. This is going to be a game changer. I think this will work best if pupils are shown how to use it and gain experience in using it in the SET room so that they can use it independently in the mainstream classroom. It can be used to read out text to the pupil using headphones that previously would not have been accessible to them. This will open up a whole new world for pupils with additional needs and will mean for some that they will be much more included, and more importantly feel more included in every lesson. Struggling readers will no longer have an obstacle in front of them every time they meet a piece of text.
I cannot wait to get started with using Immersive Reader in the new school year.
Using AT can be a game changer for pupils with additional needs. I think its important to move away from the idea that AT is something that needs to be granted by the SENO in order to make a difference to a child’s experience in the classroom. There is a huge range of tools that can be used on a daily basis to help pupils with additional needs, many of which we may use without thinking of them as AT.
A good example is using Digital Story to create a project in class rather than traditional methods. The range of tools available with an online programme such as Adobe Spark or Book Creator means pupils have the autonomy to decide how to present their project. A pupil who finds spelling difficult can choose to add narration to the piece instead of text, for example. The availability of wide range of tools, many of which are free to use can make a huge difference to our pupils. The increase in grants to technology in schools has meant a great improvement in the availability of devices in schools, though unfortunately that seems to be taking a hit this year in favour of free books, which is frustrating.
The SETT model is an excellent resource to use as part of the Student Support File. The class teacher and SET can look at the pupils areas of strengths and where they need support and choose suitable tools for them to reach their full potential.
With regard to the Digital Learning Framework, I believe the Standard from Domain 1, ‘Pupils achieve the stated learning objectives for the term and year’ is hugely important. It is vital that all pupils learn and whatever tools we need to put in place in order for that to happen should be done.
