My learning journal by Katarzyna Walczak

01.03.2021 Module 1: Special Educational Needs

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-02 10:55:20 UTC

1. Poll on SEN
Inclusive education removes the barriers limiting the achievement and respects the needs, abilities and characteristics of all learners. Students with special needs and disabilities are with their peers, with appropriate support.
In my area, teachers try to get to know their students: their abilities, knowledge and interests. They help the pupil to find the meaning of the task they are solving and try to organise the lesson so that every pupil lacks active participation.
In my opinion, working in groups or pairs would also work well. Grading the level of difficulty of the questions or tests would also be important in my opinion.

2. Accessibility & inclusion: why?
Accessibility means designing learning experiences without barriers that allow all students to achieve the main pedagogical objectives. It benefits everyone , providing easy and various ways to access information, materials and environments.
Inclusion is a process of addressing and responding to the diverse needs of all learners by increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, reducing exclusion within and from education. It is also every person’s right to bring out their unique strengths by participating in our society and to appreciate the diversity.
In my opinion, inclusive classes are very good for children with special needs. There are usually fewer pupils in the class, so the teacher can give more attention to his pupils. What is more, there is integration between healthy and sick children, so you can learn empathy, tolerance, and how to help people with disabilities.

3. What are special educational needs?
Special educational needs include pupils with specific learning difficulties and those who are found to have deficits in communicative competence and language impairment. Otherwise such pupils become discouraged and their potential may not be realised.
After listening to the stories of parents and teachers working with students with special educational needs, I can say that I see this positive energy from the teachers, a willingness to change and work with children. I also see in them the courage and the attitude they have towards working with children with special needs. I can see the effects of this because one of the teachers, for example, received a letter from her student who is now studying at university.
Working with a child with special needs is experienced in a special way by the teacher. This is due to the unpredictable behaviour of the pupil. In school life, the needs of the pupil require that the teacher is constantly involved in the group in which the child with intellectual disabilities lives. This manifests itself in the ordinary activities of the children. Philip is such an example. A cheerful boy who does not seem to stand out from the group, has started first grade. The teacher, unaware of his disability, which was mild handicap, started the day with the class. The young teacher was surprised that Philip didn't go to the toilet in time. The school psychologist explained that Philip's brain doesn't receive the stimulus to pee. This situation changed the teacher's view and behaviour towards the child and clarified the point of working with a child with special needs.

4. Inclusion as a human right
Historically, children with special needs have been excluded or marginalised from education. However, the right of children to inclusive education is widely recognised in international human rights law, as disability is an inevitable part of society. Adopted in 2006, the Conventions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the United Nations aims to change the way people with disabilities are perceived and treated in societies and to reduce the stigma and discrimination that often result in the exclusion of people with disabilities from, inter alia, education.
Pupils with special needs are very often taught in normal schools, but there are also schools for such children or even integrated classes in Poland. In my opinion, teachers really try to pay attention to children and their needs, but I think sometimes they forget about it. It's not their fault but the fault of the material they have to cover in the class, so it seems to me that because of this system, the things they learn won't stay in their minds for long.

5. Inclusive Education
The aim of inclusive education is to respond to the learning needs of all children, whatever their needs are. The main point is that inclusive education requires teacher training. Inclusive education means that all pupils learn and participate together.
In the material "Inclusive Education: Take Action!" students talk about what they need in school. These include a good teacher strategy for teaching, more attention to younger pupils and recognising and supporting their needs. Pupils also talk about mixed classes to create tolerance and respect between pupils with and without disabilities.
To make the classroom more inclusive I would add a place for the child to calm down - some kind of chair, a small pouffe so the child can relax. I think it would also be a good idea to provide the classroom with an integration board, so that the pupils would be more willing to come forward to do interesting tasks on the board. To make the classroom more inclusive, I would change the layout of the desks so that the children are in groups of four, for example. Sitting together in a circle on the carpet so that everyone can see each other is also a very good solution in my opinion. These are my ideas and suggestions which I think would work.

22.02.2021 Meeting 1

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-12 19:04:29 UTC

Integration - including children with SEN in mainstream classroom environments without providing special support to them.
Inclusion - placing students with SEN in age-appriopriate general education classes accepting, understanding, and attending to student.
Scaffolding - providing a variety of instructional techniques to move students progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process.
Differentiation - a wide variety of teaching techniques and lesson adaptations that educators use to instruct a diverse group of students, with diverse learning needs, in the same course, classroom.
Accomodation changes HOW students:
- access information
- participate in school activities
- demonstrate their learning without changing the curriculum
Modification changes WHAT:
- is being taught
- a student is expected to learn and demonstrate

08.03.2021 Meeting 2

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-12 19:23:23 UTC

1. Differentiating content:
It would include curriculum topics, providing students with choices to add depth to learning. Also provide students with additional resources that match their levels of understanding. To differentiate content use, use pre-assessment to determine where students need to begin, then match students with appropriate activities.
Differentiate by content:
- Use colour-coded worksheets with graded tasks
- Use audiovisual materials
- Use texts at different reading levels
2. Differentiating Process:
It refers to how students make sense or understand the information, ideas and skills being studied, and also reflects student learning styles and preferences. The differentiating process involves varied options and choices at different levels, also offers different amounts of support for a task. To differentiate process, use activities through which all learners work on building the same important understanding and skills but proceed with different levels of support, challenge or complexity.

Differentiating by process:
- Allow students to work alone or in small groups
- Develop personal time frames for students
- Use flexible grouping for students for different tasks
- Use a variety of materials appropriate for different learning preferences
3. Differentiating Product:
It can be of different forms, for example reports, tests, brochures, presentation or performances. It reflects student understanding. Differentiating product involves: providing challenge, variety and choice by giving students options about how to express required learning. It is important to give assignments at varying degrees of difficulty to match student readiness.
Differentiating by product:
- Offer outcome options your learners can choose from (e.g. draw and write a recipe or make a cooking video)
- Allow project groups to choose different products for the same project task
4. Differentiating Response:
It is important for each student to provide possibility for them to have the most appropriate form of expression. If we always measure learners with learning difficulties to the central norm, they will never have a sense of success. Assessment should be developed that measure learners in relation to their abilities.

Differentiating by response:
- Create online class platforms to exhibit learner products and allow students to decide which of their products to show
- Always offer the option to record answers
- Encourage students to use different methods to express what they have learnt
5. Accomodation techniques:
- Encourage use of assignment books or calendars
- Use step-by-step instructions
- Develop reading guides
- Provide students with a graphic organizer
- Provide outline of the lesson
- Block out extraneous stimuli
- Use peer-mediated learning
- Non-white background
6. Video in which Dr. Anne Margaret Smith talks about inclusive language teaching.
3 main aspects of inclusive teaching and the specific examples that illustrate them.
1) Practical changes to the classroom and teaching materials
example: use headphones with soft music to calm down the children
2) Creating an inclusive learning culture
example: encourage students to work in groups
3) The role of teachers in the wider community
example: help students to understand how they work best, which method is better for them

15.03.2021 Module 2: Teaching children with SEN in the classroom

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-20 07:53:58 UTC

1. Universal Design for Learning -UDL
UDL is about offering flexibility in the classroom. The word "universal" implies the flexibility and the possibility of adjustment to every student’s strengths and needs.
Key components of UDL:
- providing assignment options
- multiple representations of information
- alternative means of expression
- engagement
Universal design can be found just about anywhere you look — both inside and outside your school. Universal Design for Learning looks different in every classroom. But there are commonalities. There’s always a focus on building expert learning for all. Other common elements of a UDL experience include:
- all learners knowing the goal
- intentional, flexible options for all students to use
- student access to resources from the start of a lesson
- students building and internalizing their own learning
Lesson planning with UDL
Planning a lesson with UDL includes three stages:
Proactive design - you analyze the goal of the lesson, anticipate the variability of your students, and add design strategies into the lesson.
Implementation of the lesson - this phase involves facilitating the lesson, observing, and getting feedback on how students are building the skills and habits.
Reflection and redesign - this phase allows you to consider your next instructional moves.
As the year progresses, you’ll get to know your students better. They’ll become more familiar with the flexible tools and strategies available to them.
The consistent application of these principles allows most pupils to participate actively and fully in school activities and to acquire knowledge and competences on a regular basis. However, universal design also does not exclude the need for specialised support for pupils with complex needs.

2. What can I do in my own classroom to support all students’ needs?
The need for a supportive system is fundamental. A consensus among teaching staff about the specific learning needs of the different children in the classroom and the school needs to be reached.
In my opinion, there is inclusiveness in inclusive education. When taking part in an observation practice in a nearby school, I noticed that all the children participate willingly and regularly in the lesson exercises. The environment has demands on the children but not too high, just appropriate to the level of the pupil, so that each child is able to understand and solve the task. The children are praised by the teacher and receive stickers or stamps at the end of the lesson. The teacher tries to break down various barriers in the children. Those who have problems with a certain type of task are usually asked to give the answer, this is done so that the child can see that he/she can do it.

3. Accessibility of learning materials
Accessibility is an important aspect of Universal Design for Learning and is part of the first principle (multiple means of representation), the second principle (expression – referring to the ability of making an environment usable by everyone but also enjoyable and meaningful), and the third principle (engaging). Technology can highly improve the inclusivity of the learning resources ensuring that all type of learners can use, access and contribute to the content in a meaningful way.

4. Teaching & learning tools for supporting SEN
Educational technology can help children overcome many of their cognitive, physical or communication difficulties. Assistive technology enables people with special needs to live and learn more independently and to participate in all aspects of civic life. What’s more, many free online tools are offered for special education needs.
The learning tool I have chosen is the quizlet application. I use it myself to learn languages so I think I can certainly list some advantages but also some disadvantages.
Pros:
- It generates the exercises itself and gives the teacher the possibility to monitor them
- The teacher has access to a database of ready-made sets created by other users
- Has the possibility to listen to phrases in the chosen language
- Attractive form of learning
- Ability to learn wherever you are
- Possibility of interactive learning
Cons:
- Limited in terms of exercise formula
- Limited testing of grammatical structures and more complex expressions
- Lack of progress reports generated directly to the teacher's e-mail address
- Not all features available on the website are included in the mobile application

5. Teaching & learning strategies for supporting SEN
There are many practical strategies that are effective in the classroom: providing students an area free from distractions to learn, reminders, breaking long assignments into small sequential steps and monitoring each step are some simple general tips to keep in mind.
After watching a film on youtube, I have chosen Vera Kerrisk because she told two very important aspects. Firstly, every single aspect of the curriculum needs to be differentiated and secondly, everybody is included in lesson.
The second teacher I have chosen is Mariko Conner. She finds it useful in her classroom jigsaw method. It is based on working in groups. It helps the students to look at all aspects because that's generally for working in a groups and they all have opinions and ideas.

15.03.2021 Module 2; before

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-21 19:39:16 UTC

2. What can I do in my own classroom to support all students’ needs?

15.03.2021 Module 2; after

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-21 19:39:31 UTC

2. What can I do in my own classroom to support all students’ needs?

21.03.2021 Meeting 3

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-25 19:13:26 UTC

Neurodiversity is an approach to education and ability that supports the fact that various neurological conditions are the effect of healthy changes in the human genome, it’s a different way that the brain makes connections, and the idea that neurological variations are known and valued as any other human variation - the condition is a part of who the person is and to take it away is to take away from the person.

According to John Elder Robinson, neurodiversity is a new and fundamentally different way of looking at conditions that have traditionally been pathologized; it is a viewpoint that is not universally accepted, although it is increasingly supported by science.

Essentially, the neurodiversity view is that brain differences are normal.

The racial and cultural differences could affect the identification of neurological differences; therefore, we need to bear that in mind in order to find ways for neurodiverse people to live in harmony.

Respecting neurodiversity means listening to autistic children and adults and taking them seriously, accepting that some kids will learn to write but never talk, or will always understand music better than manners etc.

29.03.2021 Module 3: The nature of dyslexia

kwalczak19 — 2021-03-27 14:43:59 UTC

1. Dyslexia Perceptions Survey
- Dyslexia is neurological in origin.
- Around 10% of the population has specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia.
- The incidence of dyslexia is similar in male and female students but males are more often diagnosed than females.
- The cause of dyslexia is not a visual processing problem but difficulties with phonological awareness, slower speed of processing, less efficient control of attentional resources and reduced short-term memory capacity.
- Dyslexic individuals do not differ from non-dyslexic ones in terms IQ scores.
- Dyslexic students often read slowly and inaccurately.
- Reading backwards is not a characteristic sign of dyslexia.
- Dyslexic students continue to have reading problems as adults.
- Many dyslexic students have low self-esteem.
- Dyslexic students might have problems with listening comprehension.
- Dyslexic students tend to spell words inaccurately.

After reading many of the definitions in Module 3 and thinking more deeply, dyslexia is a learning difficulty in reading and writing that an intellectually gifted child has. Children with dyslexia cannot distinguish between sounds or shapes and cannot see the difference in the numbers and letters they write. Dyslexics often feel worse than others and become complacent.

Useful definitions:
Word naming speed - an individual’s ability to access and retrieve words quickly.
Phonological Deficit Hypothesis - a theory that argues that one of the main causes of dyslexia are phonological processing difficulties.
Phonemic knowledge - ability to differentiate and manipulate sounds.
Working memory - ability to keep different pieces of verbal information in short term memory.

19.04.2021 Module 4: SEN case studies

kwalczak19 — 2021-04-19 19:33:11 UTC

Using multi-sensory methods:
- Stimulate the learner with visual, auditory and kinetic tasks.
- Make them colourful, easy and fun.
- Allow movement around the classroom where possible.
- Let learners make and correct their mistakes.

1. Dyslexic Tyler
I would show Tyler the method of dividing bigger things into smaller things. For example, like it was in the video with dividing a large number into smaller ones. He could remember each number by drawing animals for that number. Tyler likes drawing, so he would be interested in such an activity.

2. Autistic Rosie
For Rosie to get rid of her anger, I would go with her to the sensory room. There she could throw balls, beat a boxing bag and release her stress on things rather than other people. If Rosie, also likes art, I would instruct her to draw different stories, pictures or other things as she wants. Painting can calm a person down and make them feel calm, this will help Rosie to relax.

3. Hyperactive Giuliana
To facilitate Giuliana's learning, I would sit her in the first bench in the class in front of me so that no one else would distract her. I would write everything down on the board so that it is clear. If she had trouble concentrating, I would give her something to do, like a ball or a Rubik's cube. I would introduce a routine of checking the list of tasks every day and writing it down after each class, so that the child knows what has to be done step by step.

4. Gifted Bryan
In my opinion, the teacher's script is very good and inspired me. There are three groups of children to which the level of teaching is adapted. Each group has the chance to work in three different forms. These include working with the teacher, working independently on the computers and working with creativity, for example, cutting out or gluing. The child is provided with everything he or she needs to learn and there are different stages, so the child will not be bored. Thanks to these stages children are familiar with the scheme of the lesson and will not be surprised by new tasks and will feel comfortable.

As for the boy in the second film, I have never encountered this behaviour, but after watching the video I can see that it is difficult for the child at times. The other children don't understand the boy and this makes it hard for him to make new friends.

5. Designing classrooms for inclusion.
The classroom is colourful and spacious so that the children feel happy and safe in it and can move around freely.
The basic principle of inclusive teaching and education is that all children should learn together as far as possible, regardless of their difficulties and differences.
The children in my class would have ADHD syndrome. Therefore, there would be lots of balls, cubes and other things in my classroom so that each child would have the opportunity to choose for themselves and be more focused in the lesson. There would be a large whiteboard in the classroom with the lesson objectives written on it, and issues could be crossed out after each point. This is so that the children know more or less how the lesson is going to go.
I would use an interactive whiteboard in the room or use computers or tablets for individual work. I would try to keep the instructions short and simple and keep the activities short.
I think this is a good solution also for children with other special needs because using technology is something interesting, something new for the children as you don't always use such things in all lessons.

03.05.2021 Module 5: Classroom accommodations for foreign language learners with dyslexia

kwalczak19 — 2021-05-02 17:05:03 UTC

1. Accomodations in the classroom:
- Classroom environment:
*temperature (for someone warm but for another person too hot)
*light - visual problems or headache
*noise - distracting
*visual input - clear information and exercises
*text window - to be more focused on the exercise
*using a slope to rest on to clear handwriting
- Classroom communication and interaction
*student-student
pair and group work to learn new vocabulary or grammar structure
careful grouping - students with different skills
regular partners to be more calm
*teacher - student
clear instructions, positive feedback to boost students' self-esteem, breaking tasks into smaller chunks, providing an overview
- Course content and materials
*breaking bigger tasks into smaller chunks
*lesson pacing
*reviewing and recapping
- Independent study skills
*memory strategies
*time management
*organisation skills

2. Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) teaching
IT involves:
- computers
- internet
- interactive whiteboards
- tablets
- phones
- software/computer programs
- apps
Difficulties dyslexic learners may encounter:
- phonology and sound system of language
- memory
- auditory and visual perception
- sequencing
- speech
- reading fluency
How can we help?
- slow down the language model
- give learners enough time to respond
- adopt a structured approach
- pace the learning carefully and ensure mastery before moving on
- provide lots of opportunities for practice and reinforcement
- do not assume something has been learnt if it has not been taught
- provide plenty of opportunities for practice
- allow students to interact with native speakers
- let students use social tools to communicste with fellow students
How you can make a foreign language classroom more inclusive and an easier place to work in for students with dyslexia?
I think I can:
- use interactive whiteboards as more as I can
- allow students to play educational games on tablets or phones
- make quizes on quizlet or kahoot
- use applications that do not have too many elements to make them simple and easy to use

26.04.2021 Meeting 5

kwalczak19 — 2021-05-02 21:06:21 UTC

Areas of difficulties in learning a foreign language:
- taking more time to process language information
- working memory
- short-term memory
- reading
- writing
- muddling of polysyllabic words
- mastering the phonology
- learning new vocabulary
Complete a matching activity in which you link the areas of dyslexic difficulties with the effects they have on MFL learning - detailed description of the problems.
Phonological processing
- Poor grasp of sound/symbol correspondence.
- Lack of awareness of individual sounds within words.
<=> - Pronunciation, even of frequently encountered words.
- Recognizing familiar words & phrases and confusion of similar sounding words.
- Reading, especially if asked to read aloud.
Auditory discrimination / perception
- Unsure of the sound which has been heard.
- Difficulty in perceiving the difference between similar sounds.
- Difficulty in knowing where a spoken word ends and a new word begins.
<=> - Knowing whether a sound is being pronounced correctly (e.g. repeating after the teacher). - Ability to recognize the difference between two words containing similar sounds in either language.
- Listening tasks.
- Answering oral questions.
Sequencing
- Getting things in order: e.g. alphabet, word order in sentences or letter order in words, etc.
<=> - Differentiating between similar looking words (in either language or between languages).
- Differentiating between accents, and therefore assigning correct pronunciation.
- Confusion between languages, e.g. pain (bread) in French confused with the English word.
Memory
- Working memory is limited; if overloaded, information may be lost.
- There may be inaccurate representations in long-term memory.
<=> - Remembering and carrying out instructions (in either language).
- Remembering recently learned vocabulary.
- Repeating multisyllabic words.
- May know the answer but be unable to ‘get it out’!
Writing
- Handwriting may be painfully slow and the result inaccurate and difficult to read.
<=> - Copying from the board.
- Committing to paper what can be produced orally.
- Spelling may follow English phonic code (‘mother tongue interference’).
Speed of processing information
- Tendency to be slower in responding to incoming information.
<=> - Following and giving directions.
- Responding accurately to instructions which rely on prepositions.
Visual discrimination/recognition
- Poor ability to discriminate and/or differentiate between words in and between words.
<=> - Accessing words from dictionary.
- Ordering days in a week, months in a year, numerical data, etc.
Difficulty with directionality
- Tendency to confuse left/right, up/down, etc.
- Following and giving directions. - Responding accurately to instructions which rely on prepositions.
<=> - Responding to information or instructions given verbally in either language.
- Responding to a continuous flow of information.
Grammar and syntax
- Poor understanding of grammar and syntax in first language.
- Forming accurate sentences.
- Rules of grammar.
<=> - Forming accurate sentences.
- Rules of grammar.

10.05.2021 Module 6: Developing language skills: Techniques for teaching reading, writing, listening and speaking

kwalczak19 — 2021-05-16 14:39:42 UTC

1. Categorisation of difficulties experienced in reading and writing:
- READING -

problems with reading „visually challenging” materials
lack of metacognitive strategies
difficulties with establishing letter-sound correspondences
insufficient knowledge of morphology

- WRITING -

difficulties with ordering ideas

- BOTH -

limited L2 vocabulary
insufficient knowledge of syntax
insufficient knowledge of syntax
slower reading and writing speed
problems with reading their own handwriting

3. Stages of a reading lesson:
- Motivating pupils to read the text, first the teacher reads alone, then sentence by sentence the children repeat after him and finally they try to read alone. In between, translating the text.
- Activating subject knowledge
Stimulating expectations.
- Grade the tasks starting from global understanding going to more detail
- Demonstrate effective reading strategies and reflect on them
- Multi-sensory tasks
- Don’t ask learners to read aloud but encourage extensive reading for pleasure
- Use the texts for further language practice
- Use role-plays, discussions, simulations, re-telling for practising speaking
- Use reading texts as models for writing

4. Planning a writing lesson
1. presenting the task - wstępne pre-teaching of new words

2. collecting ideas for the task - mind maps for brainstorming

3. the process of writing - oprogramowanie do rozpoznawania głosu

4. self-correction - text to speech software

5. feedback - spell checker, do not use a red pencil circling the mistakes
5. Listening task - an interview with an English teacher

Match the pictures to the labels. 1A, 2C, 3D, 4G, 5B, 6F, 7E.

Which of the techniques can help develop listening and speaking skills in students with dyslexia and which of them are less helpful?

Helpful - clear instructions, differentiation, TPR, relaxed atmosphere, pair work.

Less helpful – long concentration, dictations.

1. Students with dyslexia should not be bothered with the aims of the listening tasks. F
2. The instructions for the listening should be brief and quick. F
3. The teacher should always check whether the students understand what to do. T
4. Students should check their comprehension in pairs first. T
5. The teacher should try to set up a safe learning environment both for the speaking and listening practice. T
6. Learners should have enough time to prepare for the speaking and listening task and teachers should provide a lot of support. T

Ways of checking comprehension.

physical response, gestures, movements,
organizing pictures,
drawing sketches,
checking orally,
using students' mother tongue in monolingual classes,
breaking tasks into small portions,
checking answers in pairs or groups first,
using gapped texts instead of dictations,
giving enough time,
differentiating tasks.

Developing speaking. Listen and organize the speaking activities according to the order in which they appear in the text

1.drilling and memorizing,

2.drama activities,

3.information gap activities,

4.role-plays,

5.arts and crafts activities.

Task 2. Reading text evaluation and adaptation

kwalczak19 — 2021-05-16 15:11:01 UTC