App-ropriate Social Stories

There are numerous social skill intervention programs around to help foster the development of social behaviour, encourage friendships and build confidence. But how many of them are effective for our children with SEN?

Most are designed to be all light and fluffy, fun and stimulating. But are children able to transfer the skills learnt in a discussion, play or story about a teddy bear and his friends, into real life situations? Do these sessions actually fulfill the requirement? In my article Literally Relevant Literacy I highlighted the importance of creating engaging literacy activities, featuring the children themselves. Utilising their experiences, memories and schema to encourage greater engagement with the task, in turn providing more labels if you like, under which to store their new information.

The same can be said for developing social skills. Surely 'Sammy' is more likely to engage with a story about him and his friends, in his school or his house, playing with toys they recognise and use regularly. I would suggest that this method would make it more likely that 'Sammy' will associate the story with his own life and transfer the knowledge into real life.

I've discovered another wonderful ipad app that makes it unbelievably easy to do just that! Book Creator is available for download at just £2.99 from the itunes store. It's easy to use interface allows you to use your own photos and words to create the story you want. You can even add music or a voice over. Use photos of everyday situations or encourage the children to think about the story beforehand by asking them to act out the scenes. Click here to visit the itunes store.

Today's technology is putting relevant material literally, at your finger tips.

Clicker 6 - The ipad route

How many of you have used and fallen in love with a Clicker product somewhere along the line? I first started using the software back in the days of Clicker 3 and it has gone from strength to strength since then with each new release.

Image from  http://www.cricksoft.com/ 

Although this week after a Clicker 6 update I found myself lost in despair at the lack of a Clicker app for the ipad/tablet generation. I searched and searched but could not find so much as a whisper of an app release. Then I found it, cold hard confirmation from Crick software themselves. An ipad app would require a complete rewrite of the software due to the differing logistics of the operating system. So after quick sulk, I busied myself with some exciting laminating!

Image from  http://doceri.com/ 

Also this week I discovered a trial app and software package that promised to transform teaching methods, by unleashing the teacher from the chains restricting him to the front of the classroom, where he regularly  blocks the view of the whiteboard and performs the Latin head-bob dance to avoid the projector. Doceri is currently available as a free download for both your ipad and your computer (laptop or desktop) and provides the power to control the whiteboard and access your computer from the ipad! But why would you want to do that? It has long been known that an effective teacher interacts with his class not his whiteboard, but how can you effectively do that stood at the front of the room? How can you see what all of your pupils are doing? Bring in the ipad and you are free to wander around, view pupils work, keep them on task, motivate them and keep them on their toes. You can hand over control to your pupils with ease, simply hand them the ipad.

Image from  http://doceri.com/

Doceri allows you to create animation, slideshows, interact with webpages and access all other tools installed on your computer. You can even take a photo with your ipad which will instantly appear on the whiteboard screen, or record lesson explanations to replay 1:1.

Image from  http://doceri.com/

It has been an exciting week and just when I thought it had finished, I put 2 and 2 together in an epiphany of technological mathematics. Would Doceri let me access Clicker through the ipad!? My theory was correct, and much more than that, I believe the use of Doceri and the ipad with Clicker actually enhances the whole experience. Those that are familar with Clicker will know that you can create drawing opportunities within the grids, where children are asked to draw a picture of themselves for example. A window similar to that in Microsoft Paint pops up, now many will know, creating a life like image in these drawing programs is no easy task when faced with a mouse or tracker pad for control. Cue ipad!! Used with a stylus the ipad offers more accurate and controlled mark-making, leading to a more enjoyable and less frustrating experience for the child.

The ipad again comes out on top when interacting with word grids, allowing much faster selection of words, eliminating the robot like sound that can be produced when using a mouse. This smoother, more life like speech pattern can only lead to a stronger comprehension of,  and association to the language used. Of course learning computer skills are mandatory in todays world so continue to encourage typing and mouse control but mix it up with some ipad interface for a really interactive experience.

Download the Doceri app and desktop client here... But I warn you, don't do it on your weekend off or you'll never get the washing done!

New resources added

New resources added to the printable resources section.

Click here now to view!!!

The new generation of SEN?

An article in the Education News yesterday has claimed that teachers do not feel well equipped to cope with the rising number of pupils with Special Educational Needs.  Are trainee and newly qualified teachers given enough training in the field to efficiently plan and provide support for these children? Are SEN numbers really rising or are we simply more focused on the individual needs of each and every child then ever before?

The Education News suggests a book is the answer. Behaviour solutions - A guide to syndromes & conditions.

 Do books like this one lead to well informed and prepared teachers? Or is experience within SEN a more beneficial route to confidence within the sector? Of course this publication has its uses, identifying the characteristics of a condition could help when devising learning activities but are all children with Condition A the same? Personally, I can't help but think that this sort of publication, when advertised as a solution to the "problem", can only lead to children being identified or categorised according to their condition. The reason I set off down this journey in the first place, was to change the way people approached SEN, are we moving backwards?

Read the full story here.

Facebook update page

Hello everyone, please take a moment to join our Facebook page. Members will be able to see when new material and resources are uploaded on to the Special Education Matters blog and refer us to friends. 

Thank you to you all for your continued support. 

"Pupils to fail new reading test"

The BBC recently reported that two-thirds of primary aged school children will fail the new phonics reading check when it is introduced into the system next year. You can read the full story here.

Every school I've ever worked in has had a differing level of reading ability throughout the year groups and all have adopted a different approach to the teaching of reading and word knowledge. In my experience and own personal opinion, the method best placed to increase reading levels has to come from the creators of Read Write Inc. My daughter was lucky enough to be part of this pilot scheme as it got it's first airing in a school here and her reading improved dramatically and accurately. She developed a passion for reading and writing that continues to this day. Of course, she may well have developed this love of literature without the influence of Read Write Inc, but we will never know. One thing is certain, she always enjoyed her literacy within the programme and still holds fond memories of the series.

Share your own experiences. Are there any new and developing phonic programmes we should be featuring?

Letters and Sounds

The Letters and Sounds website contains hundreds of free literacy resources, for both parents and teachers. It is all broken down into understandable phases so parents can easily identify the level at which their child is working.

I love the interactive games available at the end of each phase.

Take a look at their website here.

YPO Special Needs Resources 2011

YPO are intent on improving sustainability and caring for our environment. All their 2011 catalogues are produced on PEFC paper and they have sourced many more green and sustainable products then ever before.

Their reward scheme ensures all the profit made stays in the public purse, there is no minimum order, a loyalty scheme and FREE delivery. Perfect!

Recommended products:

CVC magnetic word strips

£14.95

Make learning CVC words fun, tactile and visual. This magnetic resource helps develop sound identification and blending skills.

Catalogue No. 84960x

Letter formation white board (Pack of 5)

£6.99 

Write on/wipe off letter formation guides. Brilliant for developing the fine motor skills necessary for handwriting. 

Catalogue No. 532991

Take a look at the YPO online catalogue by clicking this link. 

Downloadable, Printable and versatile resources

On the right hand side, you will now find a page entitled Downloadable, Printable and versatile resources. All the resources available here have been created by myself so feel free to download, print and use them.

Special Education Matters (SEM)

I could go on for hours and hours about why I want to work in Special Education.... Instead I thought I would provide a copy my of university application supporting statement.

What has motivated me enough to apply for this foundation degree? What has inspired me to reach further and achieve more? The answer to both those questions is simple, a ten year old child. A child with whom I have been working closely with, 1:1 in fact, for the last year. A child who has challenged me, annoyed me, threatened me and thanked me. A child who has made me realise that I am good at what I do, I enjoy what I do and more importantly, I am proud of what we, together, have achieved this year.

Years ago I decided I wanted to work with children, become a teacher perhaps I thought, working with the little ones in Reception and Key Stage 1. Their so innocent aren't they? So fun to be around. But circumstances being what they were at the time, this goal was not achievable. I could however gain some experience and make certain this was the route I wanted to take in the mean time. So I set about securing myself a place volunteering at one of my local schools, in a year 2 class. I relished the opportunity and enjoyed helping out on my days off, every week. I was soon moved up to a year 5 class who were crying out for help. Here I met a young boy with Aspergers syndrome struggling to make his way through school life. One day, he was sat at his desk, staring blankly out the window, not listening to the teacher and flapping his pencil case in his face. Without thinking I walked over, removed his pencil case from his grip and sat down next to him. He looked at me and smiled, then looked at his class teacher and listened to the lesson being explained. There I stayed, for the next five months, until he moved up to year 6 in September. The improvements in this child's work were dramatic. Via a little encouragement he had been able to achieve at a much higher level then he was previously and the satisfaction for myself was immense!

A few weeks after that first encounter I started looking for courses available to me which would help me secure paid employment in this sector. I found the NVQ level 2 in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools and completed this whilst volunteering. Nearing completion of the NVQ I set about hunting for jobs and applied for a position at a nearby infant and junior school. The position was for a 1:1 teaching assistant to work with year 5 child with severe behavioural difficulties. Ten minutes after my interview, as I was walking through my front door, my phone rang. I had been successful.

I started my new job two days later and introduced myself to a stroppy child, with a face like thunder and an attitude to match. I spent hours observing this boy, working out why he behaved the way he did and how to help him. There were times at the beginning when I thought I had taken on to much. How could I help him? Who was I to tell him how he should control his anger? But then we would have a day where he would choose to work with me, pass me a pen, ask me to play a game, and I would see a side to him that was hidden away from view. We worked together to iron out the creases and develop the skills he needed to achieve his targets and socialise with peers. This young man now no longer requires the constant supervision that that same boy needed back when he started at the school. He has a strong group of friends and is looking forward to starting senior school in September, with his newly developed social skills and academic achievements, I’m sure he will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed working with him.