Special Education and Inclusive Learning
Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
How can we maximise Learning for pupils in our classrooms? Research shows that learning is most effective when done in an active, engaging manner that combines behaviour, cognition, and emotion (Immordino-Yang & Damasio, 2007). Recent neuroscience advances explore the links between emotion, social functioning, and decision making, providing new insights into the role of affect… Continue reading Maximise Learning: The Three Essential Ingredients
This is a record of an #SENexchange online discussion on Making Schools Listen: Amplifying Parent Voice in Education. This aligns with value 5 of the School of Joy Approach - community and coproduction. A few years ago I co-wrote a post with Claire Ryan on school/parent partnership. I wrote it from the perspective of the… Continue reading Making Schools Listen: Amplifying Parent Voice In Education
A collection of resources to support the transition of children back to school during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. As with all inclusiveteach resources these are free to use and designed for pupils with SEN. I primarily work with autistic pupils and need engaging, simple visuals to aid their understanding. This will be added to over… Continue reading Covid-19: Back To School Resources
The Mr Potato Head scavenger hunt is a great accessible activity that can be set up for AAC (Augmentative and assertive communication). There are many other activities you can use Mr Potato Head for: Following InstructionsDeveloping Fine Motor SkillsTeam work and interactionEmotionsPlaying with foodProblem SolvingSequencingSenses (Worksheet available below)Positional Language The scavenger hunt activities were developed… Continue reading Mr Potato Head Scavenger Hunt
Year Six into Year Seven Every secondary school runs a year 6 to year 7 transition programme of some sort, comprising a few visits, summer holiday events and open evenings. Children with EHCPs and on the SEN register generally get something extra. Fran from Square Peg shares her thoughts and led an SENexchange discussion. Read our… Continue reading Transition: Primary to Secondary
An Egyptian Sensory Adventure This sensory story is for our Ancient Egypt topic. Pharaohs, pyramids and camels all feature in our Egypt sensory story. As with the other stories it is written with a certain need type group in mind. I am fortunate enough to have access to a Multi-Sensory room. This means I can… Continue reading Egypt: Sensory Story
This winter themed Sensory Story has been written for our "Time" topic where we are exploring the seasons. Snow Bear provides plenty of opportunities for exploring the cold of the Arctic. I have included a subtle message about climate change which depending on the age group you use it with may be useful to tie… Continue reading Sensory Story: Snow Bear
This is due to be the first in a series of 4 stories (1 for each season). Check out he winter sensory story - Snow Bear. Please take a few minutes to watch the video of my daughter reading it! The idea that each sensory story will have a unique feel and energy to it.… Continue reading Sensory Story: The Autumn Forest
Over 30 suggested strategies for effective behaviour management. #Education #Teaching.
Flipping the Narrative on Special Educational; Needs and Disabilities. Collated by the inspirational Elly Chapple (visit her site CanDoElla here) this list of top tips for NQTs and those working in education is essential reading. It features contributions from top educational authors, teachers, parents, SENCOs, school governors and caring passionate people. All of the people… Continue reading Top SEND NQT Tips from #TeamSend #FlipTheNarrative
Every successful placement requires the best possible communication and working relationship between parents and carers and schools
You can call it challenging behaviour but these events really demonstrate is a highly anxious,frustrated or traumatic reaction to stress, Autistic children are not any more prone to behavioural incidents than other children so we need to look deeper if our interactions or environment is leading to issues.
Inclusive education is at the heart of education thinking in the UK but seems constantly challenged by policies such as Zero Tolerance behaviour and spending cuts that remove the support so important for our children to thrive in school.
In this post I am classing reluctant learners as those who often do not finish tasks, they may do the minimum to get by or even flat out refuse to take part. As inclusive teachers we constantly have to be mindful of the drivers of the child's behaviour. The key to creating engaged learners is to know the child and the barriers they face. Some issues may go deeper and require additional specialist support. A class teacher dedicated to engaging their students can have a huge impact on the students experience of education and their outcome in life. Engaging learners is as much about emotional confidence as intellectual propensity so make that bond and enable all to achieve
The importance of an inclusive school learning environment Every student, whether in special schools, an alternative provision or general education classrooms has a dream inclusive classroom. This utopian learning environment will be different for every learner. Some learners may need wide-ranging adaptations requiring specialist input. There are some common environmental adaptations we can all make… Continue reading Making your classroom better for all learners: Environment
A Guide to supporting transitions and changes with Autistic students within school. Transition is a challenge that our students face on a daily basis. These transitions take place on a range of scales. From the micro transition of switching thoughts between tasks to major physical transitions between environments. The number of individual transitions an individual will undertake throughout the day is huge. Each one may well be a source of stress and anxiety for each student. The level of this anxiety and how it is communicated to us will vary dramatically. As with all the actions of our students this stress may not be easy for us to interpret. The quotes are from Autistic people I asked but are anonymised. I know I do not include enough Autistic voice, I will strive to expand this in future posts (I would welcome your comments.)
Transition Resources for supporting Children with change "If a child is Autistic, they do not like change". This is the biggest stereotype attributed to autistic people. The most widely repeated generalisation (In schools anyway). With any blanket statement it is inaccurate and too simplistic. A better comment would be "Change causes anxiety." or "The thought… Continue reading Autism: Change and Transition
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