Accessibility and Inclusion

If you interested in using I.T. in your teaching RSC has information and advice to develop your use of technology and in particular making it accessible to all learners.

There is a page about e-learning tools on the Support for Teachers page.

The Home page has Best of News-feeds 2008 detailing innovations in 2008

In the Accessibility and Inclusion blog:

The Technology tab has a section about

Assistive technology for those with additional needs

The web access tab has some videos on accessibility including:

A very good introduction to web access using switch technology.

Web access using alternative and adaptive input devices.

And finally the Accessibility and Inclusion blog is worth subscribing to using an RSS feed.

More information on how to this on my blog entry or from the Accessibility and Inclusion blog The Impossible Task of Keeping Up With New Information.

Visual Impairment

Look up is an informative and helpful website from RNIB and See Ability

Visit these pages:

Basic ways to help people with a learning disability and visual impairment

Hints on teaching skills for work with people with visual impairment and learning disabilities

You can also look at my other blog entry

Are you going to wear your glasses ?

More about College Life

The Special School Link group attend college each week to help their transition from school to college. We were invited to a performance by the group which included a rather special rendition of We will Rock You. This was a great way to help the students learn about college life .The tutor wrote and sang the rap.She was accompanied by two students and a CD player.Between them they beat out a steady rhythm on the desk tops with drum sticks.The rest of group provided backup joining in the chorus and clapping out the beat.

COLLEGE RAP

(Sung to We will Rock You by Queen )


Come to ******* College, choose a course that you like,
A course that will help you live your life.
Here’s a few courses to give you a guide,
What’s on offer here, so you can decide.

WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU

Creative Arts gives you a chance to explore
How to paint a picture; make a bowl and more,
Designing and creating are the skills you’ll take on,
Using different materials to get the job done.

WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU

Cookery can help you appreciate
How easy it is to bake a cake
Cook a simple meal that won’t make you ill,
Then make a good pud, cos you know you could.

WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU

Communication Skills might be the one
You’ll learn how to use symbols and Makaton
Mak-ing choices, working in a team
Are how you’ll go about communicating.

WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU

Performing Arts could be fun for you,
With singing and dancing and acting too.
Perform in a play, allow your confidence to grow
Make the costumes and props, then your ready to go!


WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU

The courses are designed to develop your skills
In making decisions and climbing those hills,
‘Live your life to the full’ It’s important to do,
So they design the learning to fit around you.

WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU


WE WILL, WE WILL, ROCK YOU
WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU

Can't tell the time

My pre entry students can't tell the time and will be unlikely to learn .They can however learn strategies to help them manage time.To tell the time numeracy skills will be at Entry 2 and many of my students with learning difficulties are not at that level.
I have written about the level of skills and the curriculum references in my previous blog entry about time (last paragraph).
The Pre entry curriculum says at Milestone 7 MSS1/M7.1: and MSS1/M7.2 students will be working on an awareness of time and recognising the names of the days of the week
So when I work on time with pre entry students I am developing:

An awareness of time
Awareness of time allows greater independence and choices. It includes the development of the ability to plan for important events and share news about events in the past and future.

Simple time management
The ability to learn routines and arrive on time .

Simple strategies for time management
This will include
Sign and say the days of the week.
Think about the past.Understanding of yesterday today and tomorrow.
The marking of significant events e.g birthdays,holiday and Christmas,bonfire night.
Awareness of the passing of time
Awareness of the length of time
The setting of targets about time management.

I'd be interested to hear from you if you think differently about teaching time telling and the strategies you have used.

Walter Now - A play about Independent Living and Learning Disability

Radio 4 has a play Walter Now which is being aired on Saturday 10th January at 2.30

The story is about of Walter, played by Sir Ian McKellen, a character with learning disabilities who has been through the psychiatric care system and moves into a shared house with other people with a learning disability.

Read about it on BBC ouch! disability blog

We are here for you

College &University Support Network

is a free 24/7 independent and confidential services for emotional and practical support for those working in the adult,further and higher education sectors.

Here is some information from their leaflet:

"Work and family commitments were pulling me in opposite directions. With your help I managed to get some balance back into my life" Lecturer






" I was having a tough time with a senior manager - The support line gave me the confidence to take control of the situation. " Researcher

"I regularly use the Infocentre. The fact sheets cover lots of relevant topics and have also given me useful suggestions about organisations to contact for support and information" Administrator

Support Line Call 08000 32 99 52

www.cusn.info

Create your own picture cards

Teaching learners with multiple needs (read her review) has introduced me to a great picture building resource. Mrs Riley.com (from February 23rd 2009 a subscription only service)

The free trail period is now over.

I have made a cleaning washing and ironing picture card very quickly.

Some Acronyms

First day back after the Christmas break and luckily we had a day to get used to being back at work with a day without students.We spent the day thinking about what is ahead for us in education and particularly working with students with a learning difficulty.
We started with an overview and noted that the LSC Learning and Skills Council will be replaced by 4 bodies who will be
SFA Skills Funding Agency - who will fund adult courses

LA Local Authorities who will fund 16-19 learning

NAS National Apprentice System who will oversee apprenticeships

YPLA Young Peoples Learning Agency who will input into the 14-19 provision

In addition colleges will continue to work with the

DIUS Department of Innovation ,University and Skills and the
DCFS Department of Children Schools and Families

We also considered the implication of ROCPA Raising of the Compulsory Participation Age - currently set for 2013 for 17 year olds and 2015 for all 18 year olds and not to be confused with ROSLA Raising of the School Leaving Age.

We then focused in on the FLT Foundation Learning Tier which will be with us by Dec 2010 This will cover pre entry entry and level 1.

We learnt that each student from the moment they start school through adulthood will have an IPN Individual Personal Number which can be used to track their qualifications and allow credits gained to be banked and used towards other qualifications.

It will use the QCF the Qualification Credit Framework which will allow the accumulation of credits.
All our existing qualifications are being written to fit into this framework.We learnt that funding will be still based on GLH Guided Learning Hours 1 credit =10 hour.

The FLT will have
Strands:
Vocational
Functional skills
Personal and social development

and will lead to 4 progression pathways:
To a first level 2 course
Skilled work
Foundation diploma
Supported employment or independent living

so BFN By for now and thanks for reading

By the way I'm using this as a reflection for my CPD Continuing Professional Development IFL Institute for Learning record

Recognising Coins UK

Here are some resources for teaching coin recognition to students with learning difficulties:

From Readwrite plus web site.Use Page 2 Unit 2 Which is which? An Entry 1 printable resource concentrates on the weight and feel of UK coins.






















An interactive money activity about coin size smaller /larger/thicker can be found at the Barking College site . It has no sound and requires reading, so the student will need support to play.

Heads and Tails page 3 from the Entry 1 printable resource from Readwrite Plus also helps the learner to identify the coins by looking at Heads and Tails.

There is also an interactive heads and tails matching activity on the Barking College site

Colour and shape of coins interactive snap game at the BBC website

You can also find my money bingo game to download .(previous blog entry)

What is College like then?

F.E Colleges work hard to help new students make the big leap from school to college .These short videos are from Yeovil College and are a good example of how to present information in a user friendly way. Each course is represented in a 1 minute video. The videos have an short introductory voice over from a student followed by a series of pictures set to music. I like them.


Retail and Enterprise


Communication and Media


Horticulture

Construction

The Football Project

Performing Arts

Residential



Work Placement

Ten Tors

Independent Living Skills


Community Awareness