Technology for Inclusion

Research suggests that technology is a fantastic way of creating equality in mixed ability classrooms. For many students with special educational needs (SEN) a computer is somewhere that they can feel in control, free and equal to their peers. For this reason then it is a critical resource to be using within all of your classes, be they mixed ability or nurture groups. Further to the benefit of equality, technology can also create a sense of autonomy, particularly for those students with a physical disability or those who have often relied on the support of a teaching assistant. Technology can also provide a simple way for students to demonstrate their ability to achieve tasks in a variety of ways, for example an iPad would allow students to provide written answers to questions, but they could also record themselves visually or vocally. There are also numerous apps that really allow students to be creative in the way they demonstrate their abilities. Research has also shown that students who engage in using technology are more likely to be motivated to complete ICT based work outside of school hours.

There are a wealth of resources on the internet and hundreds of apps designed specifically for helping students with an SEN and you certainly don’t need to be really tech savvy to access them.

Here are a few ideas you could use in your lessons:

• Talking books on iPads and computers are a great way to get students engaged in reading. Text books are also available and would be useful for students with dyslexia.
• Mind mapping apps/software are available for free and provide a visual way for students to lay out their ideas. On top of this these same apps can be used for concept mapping.
• Cameras and voice recorders on iPads are a great way for students to record evidence. They can also be useful for students to take pictures of work they might do on whiteboards or on the table so they have lasting evidence to revise from.
• Technology is able to provide lots of game based learning – the school iPads have a number of games on for both maths and English that can be easily differentiated.
• One study in Finland found that students with an SEN engage particularly well with robot based technology and another study found that gaming tech can increase social interaction and communication.
• It is now possible to link iPads to smart boards allowing students to interact with the board without leaving their chair. This may be useful for students who lack confidence in standing up, but want to take part in the lesson.
• Book Creator – is a great app in which students can create a book using audio, written work and videos.
• Mad pad – an app that allows you to record short sound/picture bites and play them in different sequences. This can be used for all sorts of things, but in the link we use it to help studentsrecognise mouth shapes when saying different sound like ‘th’ ‘v’ and ‘f’.
• iPads provide a simple way to differentiate resources such as worksheets. To empower students let them be in charge of what their worksheet should look like. For example do they need to remove pictures, increase font size, have less text on a page etc.

From this last bullet point it is clear to see that technology can be a great way to adapt resources for all students and it can be a way to empower them to take control of their own needs. However when using technology in class it is imperative that the tech is available, charged and fit for purpose.

Effective inclusion: Teaching Assistants

Teaching assistants have provided a key ‘extra pair of hands’ in classrooms across the country for many years. In 2003 a government report led to an influx in the number of TAs in the classroom and by 2008 they made up a quarter of the workforce in many schools (Webster et al., 2011). However little research had ever been completed into the effectiveness of these staff so it was unknown if this support which is very expensive was actually worthwhile. More recently a number of studies have been carried out which have been able to shed some light and the results have been varied. A study by Blatchford and Webster et al. (2011) significantly demonstrated that teaching assistants could have a negative impact on the academic attainment of young people with special educational needs (SEN), but more recent research has looked at ways to ensure teaching assistants do in fact support students to make progress. This attached document on ‘Effective inclusion teaching assistants‘ uses the inclusion model that I have used throughout the blog to summarise a recent essay I have written on inclusion and teaching assistants. My essay was looking at whether or not teaching assistants are necessary in the classroom and what other methods can be used to support students with an SEN. Most of my research focused on young people in secondary schools with autism and interestingly many of the students in the research documents would have preferred not to have been supported 1:1 by a TA. It was for this reason that I have looked for alternative and maybe more inclusive methods of supporting students.Here are a few of the texts I read for my essay. Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P., Martin, C., Russell, A., and Webster, R. (2011) The impact of support staff on pupils ‘positive approaches to learning’ and their academic progress. British Educational Research Journal. Vol. 37 (3) pp.443-464. Howes, A. (2003) Teaching reforms and the impact of paid adult support on participation and learning in mainstream schools. Support for Learning. Vol. 18 (4) pp. 147-153. Humphrey, N. and Symes, W. (2010) Perceptions of social support and experience of bullying among pupils with autistic spectrum disorder in mainstream secondary schools. European Journal of Special Educational Needs Education. Vol. 25 (1) pp. 77-91. Humphrey, N. and Symes, W. (2011a) Peer interaction patterns among adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream school settings. Autism. Vol. 15 (4) pp. 397-419. Humphrey, N. and Symes, W. (2011b) The deployment, training and teacher relationships of teaching assistants supporting pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in mainstream secondary schools. British Journal of Special Education. Vol. 38 (2) pp. 57-64. Humphrey, N. and Symes, W. (2013) Inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in secondary mainstream schools: teacher attitudes, experience and knowledge. International Journal of Inclusive Education. Vol. 17 (1) pp. 32-46. Parsons, S., Guldberg, K., MacLeod, A., Jones, G., Prunty, A. and Balfe, T. (2009) International Review of the Literature of evidence of the best practice provision in the Education of Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. National Council for Special Education: Birmingham. Webster, R., Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P., Martin, C. and Russell, A. (2011) The wider pedagogical role of teaching assistants. School Leadership and Management. Vol. 31(1) pp. 3 -20.

So what is inclusive education?

The word inclusion has been at the forefront of education for many years, particularly since the Salamanca report in 1994 which stated the need for all students to be educated in mainstream education wherever possible. However recent reports have noted that classrooms are still failing to create an inclusive environment (Ofsted, 2004) and teachers still fail to understand what inclusion really means. There is no wonder though, if you Google ‘Inclusion’ you will find a wealth of differing information that suggests many alternative meanings. Having read many of these models I have created a model that represents what I think Inclusion should look like.

To me the model I have designed at the top of this page looks at the heart of what makes an inclusive classroom/ school and in essence this starts with pupil presence in the classroom. This means students should spend the majority of their time at school in a classroom with their peers rather than spending time away learning on their own or in small groups. Once present in the classroom the student needs to participate in order to feel and be included in the activities. This means participating in the same activities as their peers, but adapting them so that they meet the individual needs of the student. Through effective participation, continual staff and peer training students will also become accepted in the classroom so that finally they are able to achieve. However achievement shouldn’t just be seen as academic attainment, but also the ability to develop and use important life skills and also to see personal growth in areas such as self-esteem, confidence and self-efficacy.

However there is no getting away from what makes a really inclusive environment and this is quality first teaching, which is why in the model you can see this surrounding all other aspects of inclusion. Furthermore inclusion relies heavily on the school ethos and a top down approach, which is why you can see this represented in the model. Finally you can also see community and this is because it is all very well creating an inclusive school but this would be nothing without the support of the local community.

So how do you achieve this model of inclusion? The first thing to point out is don’t be afraid to try and get things wrong, it is better to try than to do nothing at all and this is very prominent in the new SEND Code of Practice (2014). The Code of Practice sets out a model for supporting students with SEN in the classroom and the model is as follows:

Assess – As a teacher the students in your class are your responsibility, if you feel a student has additional needs, you should contact your schools inclusion team to make a referral. Reviews can also be made by parents or other school staff and all referrals should be taken seriously.

Plan – Where a student has an identified Special Educational Need (SEN) the parents should be contacted and worked with closely. It is also important to take the views of the young person on board. It is key to build these relationships with students and parents in order to provide successful support and in turn an effective inclusive environment. Inclusion teams are here to help you at this stage and should provide strategy sheets or IEPs (individual education plans) and information on any interventions that the student is about to take part in.

Do – At this stage the teacher and teaching assistants should work together to implement the strategies as listed on the student SEN profile. Your SENCO or inclusion team should always be on hand to help with ideas and it is ok to say if something isn’t working and to try something else.

Review – Students’ progress should be reviewed regularly, at most schools this should happen 3 times a year, but it is also a responsibility of the teacher to ensure progress is being made. Strategies and interventions should be reviewed regularly and it is important for teachers not to do this in isolation, but with other teachers, parents, the inclusion team and most importantly with the student.

Please look out for the next blog which will be offering practical tips on inclusive learning using the presence, participation, acceptance and achievement model.

 

References

Department for Education. (2014) SEND code of practice 0-25. London: HMSO.

Ministry of Education and Science (1994) The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. Spain: Ministry of Education and Science.

Ofsted (2004) Special Educational Needs and Disability: Towards inclusive schools. London: Office for Standards in Education.