Supporting Learners

Add some of your own suggestions -https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IWRVQ4-6Rf4elXMjIHDKcWI_cWBNeLaObumYemm1o00/edit?usp=sharing

Support Takeaways

Differentiated Resources for All - This will allow all learners to benefit and stop pupils feeling singled out e.g. bigger font and words highlighted can be helpful for everyone.

Greeting Your Class - Meeting your class at the door helps you support pupils with regulating their behaviour before they enter the room and direct pupils towards engaging starter tasks.

Layout of documents - Make documents less crowded (split over more pages/slides), use a larger font and highlight key words using bold or by putting shapes e.g. dots beside them.

Speak to Classroom Assistants - Ask Classroom Assistants/ASN Assistants for general feedback on individual pupils, since they see things from a different perspective and have invaluable insight.

Clear success criteria - Have clear Success Criteria for what 'achieving a level' or 'achieving success' looks like and share this with pupils. Gives everyone a target to work towards.

'I do, we do, you do' - Start by giving a demonstration to pupils. Then allow pupils to complete a demonstration alongside you before trying it on their own.

Chilli Challenge - Give pupils different activities/difficulty levels e.g. mild/medium/hot/spicy. Challenge pupils to see how hot they will go.

Pupil Voice - Speak to your pupils and get feedback on what would help them so that lessons can be adapted.

Doodling - Allowing pupils to doodle about the lesson.

Traffic Lights - use of objects (e.g. keyrings) with green, amber and red card attached for pupils to indicate how the are coping. Use in a subtle way (e.g. leave in jotter at end of lesson) to encourage pupil use.

Habits of Attention (STAR) - an acronym designed to help students build strong attentional habits. STAR stands for 'Sit Up' (look interested and stay engaged), Track (look at the speaker to show their ideas matter), Appreciate (nod and smile while people are sharing their thoughts) and Rephrase (rephrase the answer of a previous pupil to show you were listening).

Classroom Calm-Down Kit - allowing learners to use items such as fidget spinners and stress balls to help them relax and calm down during lessons. I regularly offer items from my classroom to anxious pupils e.g. small basketballs, foam bricks, etc. Find some more great examples here - https://www.weareteachers.com/calm-down-kit-products/

Peer Pairs - Consider connecting anxious students with peers who are patient and supportive. You could have students complete a survey about partner work. You could ask them to list two peers they work well with and two that they don't. This is a great way to understand the social relationships in your class. - https://www.socialemotionalworkshop.com/classroom-anxiety-strategies/

Movement Breaks - Allowing pupils to get up and move around for a short amount of time (could be structured using exercises or simply allowing pupils to walk around the class for a couple of minutes). For those experiencing anxiety, it offers an opportunity to self-regulate their emotions and set themselves up to begin working again - https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2022/05/26/children-experiencing-anxiety/

Background Colours - Use single colour backgrounds (avoid patterns), use dark coloured text on a light (not white) background and avoid green/red/pink as these colours are difficult for those who have colour vision deficiencies (colour blindness).

Teach in Small Steps - Dyslexic learners can struggle with tasks if the instructions are too long and complicated. This is due to problems with short-term memory that dyslexia creates. Breaking tasks down into small and manageable steps, with each step clearly written down can support learners to succeed.

'Now and Next' Visual Aid Boards - Pictures/words are used to visually represent what task the learner is doing 'now' (in the left hand box) and what they will do next (in the right side of the box). Can extend this further by having a 'Now, Next and Then' board to provide additional challenge -

Integrate Pupil Interests- Autistic learners can have highly-focused interests. These interests can be used as gateways to learning. Building their interests in to your lessons can make a huge difference to how engaged the learner will be with classroom activities -

Adapting Homework - Autistic learners can find homework difficult as they are exhausted after school as they use up a lot of energy coping with the school day. Learners may also not understand how to complete their homework. To help you could link the homework back to their interests (see above), encourage the use of homework clubs and give less homework (build their confidence up slowly)

Visual/Hands on Support - Have resources such as visual cue cards, subject-specific word banks, coloured overlays etc. in your classroom on each table/in a specific area of your room can support dyslexic pupils as well as all other learners.

Seating Position - seat the learner away from windows, away from doors and near the teacher's desk (if this works for the individual) - https://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/teaching-students-with-adhd-attention-deficit-disorder.htm

Frequent Feedback - learners with (and without) ADHD benefit from frequent, immediate feedback about their behaviour and learning. When necessary, any consequences for not following the Relationships Policy should also be swift - https://www.verywellmind.com/help-for-students-with-adhd-20538

Supporting Transitions - learners with ADHD may find it difficult to move from one task to the next. You can help them transition by letting the class know a few minutes before you are about to start a new activity - https://www.learninglinks.org.au/resources/adhd-in-the-classroom/

The 5-to-1 ratio: The 5-to-1 ratio method expresses that for every negative interaction you have with a student, ensure that there are five positive ones. For example, if you have given criticism or reprimanded a pupil five positive interactions may be: a smile, praise, a friendly conversation, eye contact and positive feedback. And evidence proves this is an effective behaviour strategy - a 2017 study by Cook et al found that when teachers adopted this approach the level of disruption in their classroom reduced and students’ engagement consequently rose - https://www.teachingpersonnel.com/tp-posts/2020-2/behaviour-management-strategies-for-secondary-teachers-04514151137

Dealing with 'He said, she said': If a pupil comes up to you and claims that 'little Jimmy clobbered her with a pencil case', then you have an instant dilemma: did he really, or is he being framed? It can be extremely time consuming to speak to both pupils individually. If you feel that one of the pupils is lying/this is happening consistently then you could tell both pupils to see you after school so they can write out their side of the story/tell you in detail. If they are doing this for fun/are lying they will hate this and never do this again - https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2015/04/On-line-Catalogue22970.pdf

Universal Support Resources

20 Differentiated Instruction Strategies and Examples

Argyll and Bute Council Educational Psychology Service

CIRCLE resource to support Inclusive Learning and Collaborative Working

Inclusion in Practice - The CIRCLE Framework:Secondary

4 Ways to Make Classroom Participation More Inclusive

Microsoft Reflect: A wellbeing app to support connection, expression and learning

Classroom Screen: We're the Online Whiteboard that Keeps your Students on Task

8 Proactive Classroom Management Tips

5 Ways to Support Students Who Struggle with Reading Comprehension

9 Brain Breaks Teens Will Love

Tracking in Classrooms: What I Really Think (and Wrote)