Page 45 - SEN113 SEN Magazine July-August 2021-V3

About the author Emma Crampton is a Product Content Accessibility Manger at Pearson. She is part of the team working on the creation of Pearson’s brand-new digital service, ActiveHub, and the development of accessibility within it. Isla Billett is the Intervention Transformation Lead for Pearson’s UK Schools business, supporting learners and schools through these uncertain times, with a particular focus on accelerated learning and new initiatives for intervention. To learn more about digital learning and innovation at Pearson, visit: go.pearson.com/digitallearning Educational tecDhnysolleoxgiay “Pencils toppers and weighted blankets” If your pupils are receptive to collaborative learning and the technology, here’s what SEN educators have told us they’ve found helpful this year: • Emphasising the familiar – for some SEN learners, teamwork (including remote teamwork) can lead to a certain level of disruption and anxiety. Keeping online schedules similar to those at school can help. Where pupils may use special equipment at school, for instance – certain pencil toppers, perhaps, or weighted blankets – can these be incorporated into the home setting? • Exploring new technology – as digital learning continues to flourish, the availability of tools and software continues to increase, making it easier to adapt your style and pace to suit individuals. • Sharing the learning – as well as driving remote collaboration between different groups of learners, the pandemic has opened up ways for SENCOs and teachers to collaborate nationwide. Many hubs offer online advice and resources, such as NASEN, National Star’s EdTech SEND Support Hub and Chatterpack. Supporting pupil development with strong feedback From what we’ve seen over the past year, every online interaction becomes increasingly important when a teacher or pupil cannot be physically present in the classroom. This is especially true of feedback, and its role in engaging and motivating pupils. SEN educators have shared with us that, when it comes to giving effective feedback, remote responses should stick closely to what already works well in the classroom: • be timely and thorough • focus on the task and specifics of pupils’ work, not pupils themselves • include targeted information on how to improve, and areas of strength • avoid any presentation formats that could lead to cognitive overload (e.g. multi-coloured, small font, lack of contrast) As part of this, you can also collaborate with families to ensure that sound and screen settings are doing the very best for the pupil, and get feedback on what’s working well. Once you develop a routine that works, keep it up! Engaging to achieve When we picture a SEN classroom at ease, we most likely visualise a room brimming with engagement and curiosity. It’s a joy to be a part of and is no doubt what brings learning to life and encourages pupils to tune in and learn. For times when that vibrancy of the classroom is replaced with learning-from-home – or when you’re incorporating more technology in your lessons – the following suggestions may help maintain engagement levels: • Link to pupils’ own lives in the projects you set them – making a sibling or pet a character in their homework, for example • Split full online lessons into small, manageable chunks • Openly and calmly acknowledge when times are tough and suggest breaks when you notice any precursors to rising anxiety • Check that your instructions have been clear and understood – and that learners have a straight-forward recourse to signal when they’re not • Encourage families to display their child’s best work, though not in areas where this might distract them • Ensure that helpful learning tools – such as screen magnifiers, speech recognition, captions or live captions senmagazine.co.uk SEN113 45