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Supporting Children's Learning with ICT

Graeme jones

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ICT and supporting children with Special Needs

Heronsbridge Special school has one main dedicated ICT suite that comprises of 12 desktop

units. All classrooms have their own desktop units. The senior Leavers (16/19 year old)

department have more desktops due to demand. Each department key stage have their own

mobile interactive white boards. All the PC’s are linked via an internal hub which is

maintained by Bridgend County Borough Council. All classes have been allocated an Ipad

and other interactive devises such as Eye Gaze. Smaller devices are also available to pupils

with profound learning difficulties for example ‘Switches’ that enable the user to use

software that is tailored to their needs.

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ICT and supporting children with Special Needs I am employed as an ‘Special Support Assistant’. At present I support pupils within the main body of the

school in Key Stage 3 for 12 to 14 year olds with mixed ability from moderate learning difficulty to

complex learning needs.

The intention of this presentation to explore ways in which ICT can support and enhance learning

experiences of pupils with complex and special needs by drawing on my own experiences and

evaluating its effectiveness within the classroom.

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Learning ObjectivesAt the end of this activity, the pupils in this group are working to develop basic communicational skills

such as;

Listen attentively to stories and poems Communicates, I, Me and Mine rather than own name Talks, listens, asks questions and answer questions Repeats individual letter sounds Recognises words on sight

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Class dynamicsCurrently there are 8 pupils that attend this English group. This is a mixed group of pupils from ages of

12 to 14 years old with mixed learning abilities within Key stage 3. Within the group there are 2 pupils

with Profound Learning needs, the other pupils have moderate learning needs . At present the

attainment level is set at Foundation Phase which follows the Language, Literacy and Communication

Skills Area of Learning Oracy Routes for Learning/ABC steps( DCELLS, 2014, p2)

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Lesson/activity outlineUnder the routes for learning ABC guidelines, the lesson activity is planned broadly on speaking, oracy, thinking , reading and understanding.

communicate mostly about familiar objects, people or pictures immediately present, but can also refer to their absence

communicate about familiar stories and symbolic play, as well as people, places and events from their wider experience Changes behaviour in response to interesting event nearby [RfL 25]

show they understand spoken language (although they rely heavily on visual and other clues within the immediate context)

listen and respond appropriately to instructions accompanied by gestures

show they have listened to others by selecting relevant pictures from a collection

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ResourcesIn order to complete this task, the resources require is 1 x Interactive white Board, with Microsoft Office Power point software. Supporting music for the Good Morning song.

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Lesson Plan Heronsbridge School Graeme J ones KS3

English Learning Outcomes

To develop letter and word/ name recognition by developing receptive and expressive language understanding Encourage collaboration with pupils

Staff and Pupils 1 x special support Staff (Mr G J ones) 8 x Pupils

Teaching Activities I ntroduction Open the lesson with our Good Morning Song Main Activities use a combination of gestures and more f ormal communication (signs/ speech) with pupils. use single words/ signs/ symbols and some two-part phrases, e.g. to signal repetition or recurrence. regularly use two- and three-word phrases to communicate interests, comment, give simple inf ormation Resources I nteractive white board

Evaluation

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As part of the English lesson, the interactive board is employed firstly to help the pupils to focus as a timely

reminder that the lesson is about to begin. As the slide show begins, in very large font in Comic Scans, the

text on the whiteboard says ‘Good Morning’. A simple touch of the whiteboard and then the music begins.

This allows the interaction and collaboration to begin, such as signing and signing to each other. This

exercise lasts about 15 minutes. Each pupil’s name is build up from individual letters to their full name. This

simple interaction allows the pupil to identify letter sounds, phonics and their own name recognition.

Second to this, as this is there first lesson of the day, teaching staff can observe pupils behaviour and in

most cases can detect if there are any underlying problems as the lesson progress.

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EvaluationThe fundamental aim of using the whiteboard is that the pupils can relate to simple letter texts such for

example we have a letter L. Who’s name begins with L? this promotes inclusion for all to give it a go. As the

letters continue to their full name the more letter sounds are explored and learned. This process also supports

their speech and language targets. As with all children with moderate learning needs, they have difficulties

with their receptive and expressive language. Pupils also learn to take turns during this activity which is also a

task in its self. Most importantly the pupils learn from each other as the term moves forward. They learn to

collaborate with one another. (Leask M. Meadows, 2000, p. 65) considered how ICT can support children and

claimed;As Teachers we need to explore, and be explicit about, the ways in which we can help children become good learners who use a wealth of resources to assist them in the construction of their knowledge and understanding.

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Evaluation Looking at this a little deeper, we can help and support pupils using ICT equipment, however we need to ensure

that we teach them the skills to link learning into understanding.

The advantages of using ICT equipment to support learning is that it can be used as an holding activity. As pointed

out earlier, the interactive whiteboard can support pupils with sensory needs such as pupils with poor vision. By

using large fonts, it offers teaching staff an opportunity to differentiation to suit the pupils needs.

n supporting the learning, I believe that you offer yourself as the link between pupil and the ICT equipment. ICT

can only support the learning in part. For example, I supported the learning by setting up the equipment; however it

goes much further than that. I feel that I supported the learning by encouraging interaction by gesture, signing and

working through each PowerPoint slide and drawing out every detail to move them forward. Some of the pupils in

class have limited motor skills, so I adapt by introducing aids such as switches and Eye Gaze. In light of this,

(Florian & Hegarty, 2004, p. 85) gave a good example by stating “Nevertheless, it remains the case that those

children who solely use switches can only work for a limited periods and rely on heavily on staff support”.

 

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Evaluation

With the use of the interactive whiteboard, the pupils in the class are able to link in a visual way of how letters

and words are structured. The impact is that without ICT such the learning would become less personalised to

their needs. ICT improves their awareness by improving their letter sounds and vocabulary, in the same way

(Pilling, 2013, p. 47) spoke of “pupils will interact with technology using speech, touch and gesture movement”.

Although the lesson was not planned for hands on using ICT equipment, it was about the interaction and that

the pupils could learn step by step.

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Evaluation

The main advantages of using this type of ICT equipment is that it is very versatile to use. I have found on

occasions that some of the pupils tend to guess whose name it is, so by adapting the slides and changing the

format from time to time keeps the pupils focussed. Taking this further with more apps available for teaching staff

to mix it up and adapt their learning to their needs. As Pilling (2013, p47) recognised “individual pupils need to be

assessed for their suitability to certain technologies, and for how these will help them to meet their needs”.

Looking at this, I would adapt the software to include letter sounds to support their phonics and word recognition

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Evaluation This is something that I will be working on to support them further. Hays & Whitebread (2006, p38) also discusses

“the combination of image, sound and text could engage young children to attend to textual features and provide

support for emergent literacy”. One thing to remember while engaging at this level is to be consistent with your

approach to develop their ICT literacy further. For example, it Is useful to keep images basic as not to unduly confuse

pupils with unfamilar text or font size. Hays & Whitebread (2006, p38) continued to point out that “visual images can

also serve as a focal point for shared discussion and assist children to develop their ideas in a socially mediated way”.

By sharing their ideas with each other promotes peer scaffolding and collaboration. They become more aware of the

lesson and become less afraid with their answers.

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Evaluation Through observation, it appears that their self-esteem and confidence grows throughout the academic year. As each

pupil attaints their target, we celebrated this with the rest of the class with merits awarded. Likewise (Ystyn, 2013,

p. 19) concluded “Pupils develop their self-esteem and pride in their work when the whole class admires their work

on the interactive whiteboard or large monitors”.

In conclusion, by employing the interactive white board during these lessons fosters independent learning, thinking

and collaboration. As Ystyn commented, it raises self-esteem which promotes a rich and positive learning

environment. The only way to ensure continuous learning is that you have suitable resources and support.

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References Bibliography

DCELLS. (2014). Language, Literacy and Communication Skills Area of Learning. Cardiff. Welsh Assembly Government.

Florian, L., & Hegarty, J. (2004). ICT and Special Needs. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Hays, M., & Whitebread, D. (2006). ICT in the Early Years. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Leask M. Meadows, J. (2000). Teaching and Learning with ICT in the Primary School. London: Routledge Falmer.

Pilling, M. (2013, September/October). Changing Times. SEN. Special Eduaction Needs(66), 47.

Ystyn. (2013). The Impact of ICT on Pupils Learning In Primary Schools. 19. 

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Evidence

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Evidence

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Evidence