Lit Con 2: Support SEN in ‘mainstream’ classes
How can you plan literacy lessons to include those who process life differently?
I recently attended the UKLA/NEU Primary Conference 2024, and for my next few posts I’ll share some of the insights I gathered – both great and questionable…
You can read my overall thoughts in my personal blog. But in this Education section, the topics will be…
Supporting SEN in ‘mainstream’ classes
Comprehension vs Enjoyment
Playing with words
Among the breakout sessions was one on ‘Teaching Reading to Pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition, ADHD and PDA’, led by Jenny Davis, the Communication, Language, and Literacy Lead at Springhallow School.
Because this is often a hot topic when I lead CPD sessions, and also because I work as a tutor in alternative provision where most of my learners carry these labels, I thought this could be an ideal session to attend for ideas on…
Supporting SEN in ‘Mainstream’ Classes
Jenny began by pointing out the key differences between those with any SEN, and those we think of as ‘mainstream’. Regardless of whether the person is diagnosed with autism, ADHD, or PDA, they often struggle in the areas of…
social understanding
communication
sensory processing
These factors are all intertwined, of course, but we often focus on just one at a time.
For example, when someone with SEN interprets a joke as something offensive, they may respond violently. One response to this might be to talk them around to the ‘right’ idea, and let the victim know the aggressor “didn’t mean it, they just don’t understand jokes the same way we do.”
That’s focusing on social understanding. But the fact that most SEN people will understand if given the time (as you discover when you offer them that talk) suggests it may have been more a case of them responding instantly to the stimulus of the joke before they could properly process it. In other words, it’s as much about sensory processing as it is understanding.
I used the word “may” there because, as Jenny also pointed out, all these conditions are a spectrum, and every individual is different. As a result, they require great flexibility among a wide variety of approaches.
And that is where the session hit its sturdiest bone of contention: how can you be flexible within the rigidity of your school’s framework?
Here’s where I offered advice that was well-received during the session, not least by Jenny herself:
Story-led learning naturally differentiates, because every listener processes the story in their own way. It then naturally becomes self-motivating: they’re invested in a world they created, and will be keen to spend time exploring it.
All you then need do is allow your learners to explore that world in their own way, with a plenary to share their different approaches at the end.
The phrase ‘All you then need to’ might at first seem like an underestimation. But there are two approaches I take which work invariably, though they often work best when used one after the other:
1. Take suggestions and lead the group’s exploration
If you don’t instantly shoot down any idea, and enthusiastically test every theory, you’ll let every individual learner see that their ideas are valid. This builds their self-confidence, which then carries them into considering alternatives if they’re proved wrong.
2. Allow the learners to split up as individuals or groups of their own choice
I know many teachers baulk at this idea, but the fact is one of the quickest ways to shut down any learner, whether SEN or mainstream, is to force them to work alongside someone they don’t want to be with. On the other hand, if you trust that the story has given them the motivation, they’ll work far more efficiently and effectively with friends. You may need to check in with them to keep them on task, but you’ll typically find they’re still on subject.
You can use the story-led approach for any subject, including Maths and Science. That’s what Korky Paul, the teachers of the Happily Ever Teaching podcast, and myself set up the Epic Educators Club to prove. I aim to cover various examples in this blog over time, but if you want some ready-to-go lesson plans to get started right now, follow this link to check out the Club.
The rest of this session, though, focused on teaching SEN learners to read. One of my favourite soundbites from Jenny’s fabulous advice was this: “Auditory processing can be low even if they communicate eloquently.”
That really hit home to me, since my father suffered from slow auditory processing. He wasn’t deaf, often wanting the telly turning down – but his first response to most questions would usually be, “Pardon?”
He wanted you to think he hadn’t heard so he could snatch some time to process your words.
The problem, Jenny identified, is that we often rush SEN learners into phonics before they’ve learned to correctly identify the order or source of sounds.
Phonics involves matching sounds to visual patterns. If a learner can’t yet process that a sound has come from a certain direction, and/or the order of a pattern of sounds, they’re not ready for phonics.
Start from there, and you risk stoking the anxiety, angst, and rage that is believed typical for SEN learners.
Luckily, though, there are many ways you can help your entire class develop their ‘phonological awareness’ as one. Music lessons, sonic pattern games, adding sound effects to stories… These are all excellent precursors to phonics – or, if you’re working with a class including learners who have fallen behind, might help them catch up.
Please do give this a try, and/or…
…to let me know your thoughts on this strategy.
Next up from the UKLA/NEU Primary Conference: comprehension vs enjoyment when it comes to reading…
Please forward this support to a colleague – they may use it as much, or more, than you.
You’ll then feel the intense satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped even more children reap the rewards of recreational reading. $;-)
Got a question or comment about any of the above?
Please get in touch – I’m here to support you. $:-)