I undertook my Key Stage 3 placement at an SEN specialist school and I found this was a brilliant opportunity to explore inclusive educational practice and how this is facilitated.
One of the interesting observations I made was the use of an interactive software program called Boardmaker to enable children with diverse learning difficulties to access the National Curriculum.
Some pupils who attend this school are unable to communicate verbally; therefore teachers have to find different methods through which pupils can express themselves and access the curriculum. Staff used a software program called Boardmaker in lessons and during the school day in order to allow pupils to access learning opportunities and communicate through images and sounds. Below I have provided a brief overview of some of the functions provided by Boardmaker software.
One of the interesting observations I made was the use of an interactive software program called Boardmaker to enable children with diverse learning difficulties to access the National Curriculum.
Some pupils who attend this school are unable to communicate verbally; therefore teachers have to find different methods through which pupils can express themselves and access the curriculum. Staff used a software program called Boardmaker in lessons and during the school day in order to allow pupils to access learning opportunities and communicate through images and sounds. Below I have provided a brief overview of some of the functions provided by Boardmaker software.
Communication:
Boardmaker provides the option to assign individual symbols or images to words. These can be used to create a visual timetable (a useful tool for teachers with autistic pupils within the class) or to allow pupils who cannot communicate verbally to express how they are feeling, what they would like and access learning in lessons. The software has a bank of icons to choose from; however the user can also create and upload their own images. This is advantageous as some students identify well with particular images. I observed the use of Boardmaker during a literacy lesson in which the class teacher provided pupils with Boardmaker adaptation of a text. She asked pupils questions relating to the text E.g. “who was chasing Robin Hood?” The pupils could respond through pressing the appropriate Boardmaker symbol.
Boardmaker provides the option to assign individual symbols or images to words. These can be used to create a visual timetable (a useful tool for teachers with autistic pupils within the class) or to allow pupils who cannot communicate verbally to express how they are feeling, what they would like and access learning in lessons. The software has a bank of icons to choose from; however the user can also create and upload their own images. This is advantageous as some students identify well with particular images. I observed the use of Boardmaker during a literacy lesson in which the class teacher provided pupils with Boardmaker adaptation of a text. She asked pupils questions relating to the text E.g. “who was chasing Robin Hood?” The pupils could respond through pressing the appropriate Boardmaker symbol.
Activities:
Another useful feature of Boardmaker is the provision of class activities primarily using images and sounds. Boardmaker software allows the teacher to design activities for the students to interact with. For example, the class teacher asked about pupils’ daily routines; students then used turn taking to show these individually using the interactive white board. Teachers can also share their lessons on an online platform which provides educators with access to a database of Boardmaker activities based around the curriculum. I thought this software was useful for facilitating lessons which are inclusive and interactive for learners with a diversity of needs.
Whilst very useful, it is a costly program, therefore this would be something a school would need to assign a budget to. Below is a useful link which helps to understand the program in more detail. I have also included a case study video of a school who use the software which I found to be very insightful:
https://www.boardmakeronline.com/
Another useful feature of Boardmaker is the provision of class activities primarily using images and sounds. Boardmaker software allows the teacher to design activities for the students to interact with. For example, the class teacher asked about pupils’ daily routines; students then used turn taking to show these individually using the interactive white board. Teachers can also share their lessons on an online platform which provides educators with access to a database of Boardmaker activities based around the curriculum. I thought this software was useful for facilitating lessons which are inclusive and interactive for learners with a diversity of needs.
Whilst very useful, it is a costly program, therefore this would be something a school would need to assign a budget to. Below is a useful link which helps to understand the program in more detail. I have also included a case study video of a school who use the software which I found to be very insightful:
https://www.boardmakeronline.com/