When considering adjustments to support online learning for students with disability in your class it is important to refer to the student’s current Personalised Plan for Learning (PPL) to consider how we can provide the current adjustments within this new way of learning.
Students who require support managing change need as much consistency as possible. We continue to provide adjustments to help them understand that some things are different but some things can be the same.
Do any students need a social story about learning at home to help them learn rules and expectations about learning in the different space?
If a child uses the ‘this then this’ model – have we provided the family with the visuals and language to support this at home?
Have you provided the child with a personalised visual timetable and communicated with the family how to set up a clear, consistent routine for the students to follow, including breaks as required? Have you provided visual schedules to support the running of the day (eg. work time – break time – school finished)?
If the student requires a visual schedule for working through a task have you provided this? Be explicit with simple steps (eg collect equipment, cut pictures, glue pictures in book)
Does the student require the use of a timer to focus on tasks?
Does the student use reward tokens to motivate their learning? If so how can this continue?
Students who require support with organisation work best when they have clear expectations of what is required of them. Ensure that students have explicit instructions of what is expected and break tasks up into smaller manageable chunks to support them with completing tasks.
These students may require checklists to support them in working through tasks. Students may also require heavier scaffolding to ensure students remain on task and follow routines.
Popplet:
Have you considered presenting information and learning in various modes of communication?
Have you provided visuals or strategies to help the student to communicate?
Have you considered providing access to a scribe?
Have you considered speech to text or text to speech assistive technology?
If your school is already accessing Microsoft Learning Tools, is the family confident to continue their use?
SPELD SA has shared good teaching practices around using alternative forms.
Have you considered the environmental adjustments provided at school and how students can access these at home? For example have you sent home the slope desk or ergonomic chair they routinely use at school?
The learning space is not limited to a desk or table. It may include outdoors or a comfortable space.
Giving the student the choice in how this space is set up may encourage them to become engaged in remote learning.
Provide alternative equipment and furnishings.
With parent/caregiver consent, coordinate a buddy or a peer tutor to contact the student so there is an opportunity for collaborative learning.
Have you considered how the student can have access to the relationships they have developed at school? Maintaining these relationship will be of vital importance
Have you provided the child with strategies to use when they need support? Do they know how to contact their classroom teacher?
If at school you have a plan in place where the student can use breaks to help self-regulate and manage themselves have you considered how this can be used as an adjustment to support their emotional wellbeing while learning remotely?
If the student has break cards, can they use these at home during learning time?
If the student has a choice board and routine for breaks at school, how can you work with the family to set up a similar routine to be accessed at home?
If you are using strategies such as A and B choices have you communicated this with the family?
If they use a timer for breaks, how can they access the timer at home?
If they have a quiet break space or access particular self-regulation tools at school is there a way they can access these while working remotely?
Have you provided cards and visuals to support these strategies during remote learning?
SPELD SA provides a range of phonics readers that can be accessed for free. The books are grouped in a developing order based on the order of sounds. Each book is published with suggestions on how to get the most out of the book.
Have you provided writing scaffolds through a text organiser or examples of texts?
Link: Edrawsoft graphic organiser
The Literacy Place provides a range of lessons including sample texts, graphic organisers, sentence and writing scaffolds.
ABC Reading Eggs
Have you considered the provision of additional time for reading and analysing questions and planning answers?
Have you provided a word glossary for a text that will be used in remote learning?
Can you provide an audio version of a required text?
1 Consider how you can provide visuals, manipulatives and hands on learning experiences for students.
2 Have you considered providing a glossary or pre-teaching mathematical vocabulary that will be used in online learning prior to providing the maths tasks?
3 Have you considered using videos to introduce a new concept and to model learning?
4 Numerical Acumen is an online tool to develop the mechanical basics of a numerical mind in each of your students by: increasing the speed at which they recall basic number facts and other mathematics facts, improving accuracy when using their brain as a calculation device, improving speed when using their brain as a calculation device, improving their understanding of when not to, and when to use an electronic calculator.
Link: Numerical Acumen
Mathsbot provides online visual manipulatives but be aware this is an English resource so don’t use for money.
Students, teachers and ESOs can create flashcards for repetition and consolidation.
Consider different ways students can present their learning. Ideas of good teaching practice can be found on SPELD SA
If your school is already accessing Microsoft Learning Tools is the family confident to continue their use?
Microsoft Learning Tools
Link: Microsoft Learning Tools
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