Our top 5 SEND-friendly classroom strategies
17/1/2020
Last October, we launched our hugely popular Classroom Strategies resource. Created by our Senior Consultant Teacher Kenny Wheeler, the resource is ready to become every teacher’s go-to guide for tips on engaging learners with special educational needs and disabilities.
Essentially, the resource focuses on reminders staff are probably already aware of, but forget from time to time. It encourages reflection on adjustments we make before and during lessons to accommodate learners with SEND. In a busy week, how much time do we have to take a step back and think about how we are planning to include students who have literacy difficulties within our lessons?
Ahead of the launch of our new resources hub (coming soon!), here are our favourite strategies from the resource – let us know in the comments which tip you’re going to put into practice in your classroom!
1. Consider the layout of your classroom
The classroom environment can be a source of support but also a source of distraction. It’s well worth doing an audit of your classroom – what is likely to distract learners, and what is there to support them?
2. Repetition is key
Scheduling in revisits to core content and key information throughout each lesson will help learners to focus and aid their understanding of the subject matter.
3. Keep content bite-sized
We’ve all experienced a fried brain after a long meeting or packed week – don’t let that happen in your classroom! Make sure lessons are digestible and easy to follow by spreading out content.
4. Don’t rely too heavily on handwriting!
If you have learners in your class who specifically struggle with handwriting, consider letting them hand in their homework (or classwork!) in a different format – let them show their understanding via a poster or have them type out their work on a computer instead.
5. Think about visual aids
A picture is worth a thousand words! Use visual content alongside written resources for learners who struggle with reading.
Let us know what you think
We hope this resource helps teachers who are looking for ideas and strategies to try out in the classroom. Remember to experiment: some of the strategies will work some of the time with specific learners; others can be implemented to improve the learning experience of the whole class.
Have a read through the full resource and let us know what you think – have we missed out any surefire strategies you use in your own lessons?