Bloom's Taxonomy provides a framework which could allow me to tailor my objectives based on the level that is the student is assessed to be at, to scaffold their learning and 'challenge' them to improve.

Differentiation can be in terms of content, process, product, environment based on readiness levels, interest, learning profiles. Maximum to have 2 aspects of differentiation as it could be tedious for SENO and require balance for students as well.

Understanding the difference between Assessment for and Assessment of Learning allows me to gain clarity on it could impact the students where they may have lower sense of self when they feel judged or anxious in the latter. Incorporating assessment for learning could allow us to tailor our teaching strategy to needs / profile of the student, and increase motivation of the students to learn when they have improved self-confidence in their learning ability.

Bloom’s taxonomy provides six levels of cognitive learning—recall, understanding, application, analysis, evaluation, and creation—and it is important not to neglect the lower levels, as higher levels build upon them. While the taxonomy does not need to be followed in strict order, it helps structure both reinforcement of basic knowledge and development of higher-order thinking.

For Special Educational Needs (SEN) students, differentiated instruction (DI) must be applied daily to tailor teaching to their unique learning needs, focusing on four elements: content, process, product, and learning environment. One effective strategy is task analysis, which breaks down a skill into smaller, sequential steps, making it easier for students to learn step by step. This involves stating the objective, breaking the task into logical steps, testing what students can already do, and then teaching each step systematically. Finally, assessment methods such as interviews, observations, performance tasks, and self-assessments allow teachers to support students more accurately and effectively.

As every student is different, knowing how to individualise objectives and lessons is vital. By creating a goal that is just right, not too challenging or easy, I would be setting the student up for success. Only by experiencing success would the student continue learning and I can slowly increase my demands and expectations.

1. Alignment and backward design - Focus on what the student needs to learn, rather than what we want to teach. Work backwards from the learning objectives, then to most appropriate assessment methods, instructional activities, resources and technology. All 5 aspects need to be aligned to ensure student's learning success. This shows me the importance of having the need for a proper assessment of where the child's gaps are by interviewing teachers and/or parents or child; observe the child during structured/ unstructured lessons; data collection, seek out child's work samples etc.

2. Assessment FOR learning VS assessment OF learning - as SENOs, I see our role as more towards "...FOR learning". We plan lessons with aim to help them improve and know where and how to improve. I'm all for tracking their progress. I hope to achieve practice makes progress through my withdrawal sessions. As they progress, I hope to be facilitator for their assessment AS learning.

3. Differentiated instructions - planning for DI based on child's readiness, interests, learning profiles. Again, this shows me the importance for a proper assessment - the need to make purposeful observations to assess her readiness level/ learning style and to establish rapport with the student to know him/her as a person in terms of interests. Of course, need to be mindful of looking at DI in one of the elements (Contents, Process, Product or Learning environment).

4. Task analysis - breaking down a skill into smaller step. During sessions, I will model step-by-step (I do), role-play with students (repetition - We Do), get student to reproduce the steps (I do), not forgetting the motivation part (student's interests; positive reinforcement- tokens + reinforcers) [AHA moment - linking back to social cognitive theory]

5. Bloom's taxonomy - useful reference on instructional vocabulary I can use at each level. I will need to assess which level is the child at before planning. I believe for students with higher needs, it would be good to start mastery at lower (simple concrete) level first.

6. I would like to take heed the recommendations for our SEN students. Some of which I think I can work on more: learning with concrete materials, multisensory approach and repeat instructions (written and verbal).

Effective planning isn’t just about what we want to teach, but about starting with the end in mind, using backward design to set clear goals, decide how learning will be shown, and then planning experiences that meet students where they are.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful guide for setting objectives and activities across different levels of thinking, ensuring that both foundational and higher-order skills are supported. It is a reminder for us not to rush into higher-order questions but to value the foundational levels students need in order to grow.

Differentiated instruction is also key, but it works best when I focus on one aspect, content, process, product, or environment, so that learning remains manageable for both students and ourselves.

Task analysis is another valuable tool, as it breaks complex skills into step by step sequences tailored to individual needs.

In designing lessons, we want to keep activities short and concrete, use multi sensory approaches, give specific praise, and build learning through the “I do, We do, You do” model.

Finally, the different types of assessment plays a central role, not just in accountability, but also about using assessment to guide improvement and encouraging students to reflect on their own progress.

Oral instructions and verbal cues (immediate feedback) are important so that the expectations can be conveyed immediately and with clarity. It is also less ambiguous as compared to solely relying on visual aids.

Format of each individual lesson is still encouraged to have explicit teachings and cooperative learning (I do, we do, you do) whereby informal testing of understanding can be done (assessment for learning). This can also be where differentiated approaches can be taken because the assessments can be done differently accordingly to the needs of the student and can be further tailored to the student’s interests (eg: word search, role play, etc.). As with meaningful assignments, assessments should not add to the stress of the student, but should be integrated seamlessly into the lessons.

Additionally, the video on “Understanding the different levels of ELL students” provided a clear definition of the five levels. It gives insight on how the student’s ability will be like at each level as well as useful strategies to work with the students at each level.

To teach the students effectively, we need to understand them well then differentiate the lesson accordingly.

During differentiation, try to limit to only 1 or 2 so that it will not be confusing for both students and teachers. Also, understanding the different level of our students requires different method and strategy of support. For example, when supporting students at the first level, to use more visuals and repetition. Followed by encouraging think-pair-share at the more intermediate levels.

Identifying what the learning objective is the first step. Afterwards, break down the task and work on the target skills. Followed by testing of the skills to determine what the student already knows, before scaffolding the new skills.

When teaching our students with SEN, will need to remember to provide oral instructions (other than written) and provide specific praises. Using multi-sensory approach and explicit teaching are great learning tools for them as well.

Next, I learnt the importance of not neglecting the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy because it is the foundational building block for the higher-order thinking and it is alright to always revisit the lower levels to reinforce basic content.

Lastly for DI, learning that it is important to not target so many elements at one time so as to not stress the child out, but really tailoring the instructions to meet the individual needs of the students and to empower them to learn in a way that best suits them. I also think that giving specific praises is something that I would like to do when i go back to school as a SENO as i think that would really help boost the child's confidence.

The perspective that lesson plans are primarily meant to empower a student in his or her learning is important to keep in mind, as students may already be discouraged by the gap between them and their peers (e.g. "I am pulled out of class for extra lessons, so I must be stupid"). Establishing a learning environment where mistakes are acceptable and to be learned from would be something I want to place importance on in my withdrawal sessions with students.

A practical approach to planning is using backward design and ensuring alignment. I can start by defining the session goals aka what I want the students to be able to do. This is then followed by identifying assessment methods based on the goals, designing the instructional activities to prepare the student for assessment. This is then followed by creating or finding resources for the students to do the instructional activities and then course technology. All the aspects need to align to ensure a successful learning experience.

To structure my lesson, I can also use the Bloom's taxonomy. This is the first time I am hearing about this model and I think that it is super helpful to defining clear lesson objective, and designing lesson plans based on it. A key insight is that I don't always have to start at level 1 but I can begin it at the student's current skill level or course level which makes it highly adapted can be adaptable for student's needs.

Another key takeaway is understanding the 4 elements of differentiation, 1) Content, 2) Process, 3) Product, 4) Learning environment. While differentiation is vital, the lecture cautioned against trying to differentiate in too many areas at once.This might end up being too tedious and confusing for us and for the students. It is important to find a balance between having an element differentiated and understanding the expectation of the students.

Bloom’s taxonomy was also interesting to me, because it reminds me that a student’s IEP should be based on the level of the taxonomy which they are at. Additionally, when it comes to differentiation, the student’s work and expectations are linked to the taxonomy, as student’s learning objectives and work will be adapted based on what tasks they are able to successfully carry out in the taxonomy.

To meet the needs of the students, one has to understand their current level and ability. Are they at higher level skills (evaluate and construct ) or currently at the lower level (memorisation)?

It is also important to gather information regarding a child such that you can understand thats interests, learning profiles and their readiness level. This will allow us to align to their learning goals and ability and to differentiate lessons accordingly and make modifications to their content or learning environment.

The concept of backward design has reshaped my perspective. By starting with the end in mind, I now prioritise identifying what I want my students to achieve, how I will measure their success, and only then plan instructional activities that directly support those goals. This ensures that every task, activity, and discussion has a purpose and contributes meaningfully to the intended learning outcomes. While my preschool experience gave me foundational skills in observation and adaptation, this lesson has helped me connect those experiences to a more deliberate, structured, and evidence-based approach. I now want to be intentional in every step of planning and execution, ensuring alignment between objectives, assessments, and activities.

In practice, this means that in my future role as a SENO, I will begin every lesson by closely analysing students’ IEPs, summary reports, and other background information to identify their specific needs, strengths, and areas for growth. I will craft clear, measurable objectives tailored to each student and design assessments that accurately capture their progress. For example, if a student struggles with reading comprehension, I can pre-plan scaffolding activities such as guided reading sessions or visual supports, knowing exactly what mastery will look like before the lesson begins. This intentional approach not only promotes student success but also ensures that my teaching is purposeful, focused, and evidence-based.

Equally transformative has been my understanding of differentiation. I have learned that differentiation is not about simply making learning easier. It is about making it accessible and meaningful for every student. By adapting lessons to individual readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles, I can ensure that all students engage with the content in ways that resonate with them. Strategies such as breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps, checking in frequently, repeating instructions in multiple formats, providing specific praise, and using multi-sensory approaches allow students to experience success and build confidence. Models like 'I Do, We Do, You Do' provide structured support while gradually fostering independence.

As a future SENO, I plan to integrate these differentiation strategies into my daily practice. For instance, when supporting a student with attention difficulties, I can provide clear visual and verbal instructions, incorporate movement breaks, and use cooperative learning tasks to sustain engagement. For students with language barriers, I can adapt materials to their proficiency levels and provide additional scaffolds, ensuring they are included and able to participate meaningfully. By consistently reflecting on each student’s response to these strategies, I can continuously refine my approach, creating a dynamic learning environment that responds to the evolving needs of the students.

Combining backward design with thoughtful differentiation has profoundly shifted my mindset as an educator. I no longer focus solely on “covering content” but instead ask, “How can I help each student access this content effectively?” While my preschool experience provided valuable instincts and practical skills, this lesson has made me much clearer about the need for deliberate planning and execution. This integrated approach encourages me to be intentional, structured, and goal-oriented while also remaining flexible and creative. I now view students’ diverse needs as opportunities for innovation rather than obstacles, which is central to my future role as a SENO. By applying these principles, I am committed to creating inclusive, supportive, and engaging learning experiences where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

By using backward design in planning, we can intentionally structure learning experiences and instruction to meet our students' needs. It is important to pitch learning at a level appropriate to the student, ensuring they feel capable and confident in their ability to learn. Assessments play a critical role by providing the evidence needed to determine whether students have achieved the intended learning objectives.

Bloom’s taxonomy highlights that higher-order thinking builds upon mastery of foundational skills. While the levels are hierarchical, working at higher levels can also strengthen understanding at the lower levels. Building on my students' current abilities while also stretching them to think more deeply, can benefit them greatly.

Planning is not just about preparing lessons, but about creating meaningful pathways for my students’ growth. As a SENO, I hope to approach planning in a way that is both purposeful and flexible, always centred on the evolving needs of my students.

I think that often, we forget to analyse the student's current level of performance. Instead, we assess them based on the average performance of the cohort of a level (e.g. we expect a child to know everything there is to know as a primary 3 child). Similar to differentiated instruction, teachers know that every child has different level of readiness and interests however, during the execution part, we tend to do what is most time efficient just to complete the lesson plan. Through the lecture notes and videos, it is a reminder to myself to stay vocal for these students that require differentiated instruction. Best scenario, is to revisit the Bloom's Taxonomy when I'm posted out and use it as a guideline when collaborating with the teachers. When we are able to find the gap that is preventing the child from learning, we are able to come together to lay the path down for the child to cross the gap.

Work backwards from the learning objective based on the student’s need and ensure that the assessment, instructional activities and resources are aligned and prepares the child for achieving the learning objectives

2) Bloom’s Taxonomy

The six levels of cognitive objectives beginning with more simple concrete objectives (remembering) to more abstract complex objectives (creating). We can refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide when writing our lesson objectives.

3) Assessments

Assessments of learning is about accountability, usually for examinations and tests while assessments for learning is about improving the student’s work. As SENOs, we should focus on assessment for learning to help the student know what to do to improve.

Backward planning and alignment

We should always start by determining the desired results we want from our students, and using that to gather evidence of our student's needs and plan our lessons accordingly.

Structuring lessons

1. Bloom's taxonomy is a good tool to help us plan lessons according to our student's needs. When we use the higher levels like evaluation and synthesis, it is important that our students are competent in the lower levels first --> once they have progressed to the higher levels/they are suitable to start the lesson plan at the higher level, we can use it to reinforce the basic skills too

2. It would be important for SENOs to work with subject teachers to differentiate, especially when it comes to content so that the skill is standardized across all teachers/lessons/withdrawal sessions for the student (do not work alone)

We should always continuously evaluate our student's progress so that we can tweak our lesson plans accordingly.

It was also interesting how assessment was woven into each step of the planning process: eg. assessing the student's needs, current ability, profile and interests, in order to plan differentiated instruction or task analyses to meet them where they are. Even during the lesson itself, I may need to continue to assess if the student understands and can cope, if they require additional scaffolding to meet the lesson goal, or if they can be challenged at another level of the hierarchy of mastery with some support (within their zone of proximal development). Reframing assessment (for learning) as a means to know where I am and identify the steps between here, and my end goal, is something I would want to show my students, so that progress looks like a series of practical and manageable steps rather than a wide gap.

The design of a pupil-centric lesson must take into account of the objectives, assessment, instructional activities, your resources and technology. The lesson should be crafted based also on the child's profile, preferred learning style, interest and readiness level. When teaching a group of students, we need to know the previously mentioned points and provide differentiated instructions. E.g decide on providing pictures or highlighting important words to the student's level. Lastly my favourite is on using task analysis to put steps or sequence to the activity, making it simpler to pinpoint the stage a child may be stuck at and remedy from that point. Last part on assessment is a Reminder to us SENOs not to be confused about the uses of the 3 types assessment. Use the type correctly to help student to improve.

1. Backward Design Template for planning

   • What they already know and what will they be skilled at.

   • What evidence will show that the student have demonstrated achievement in the skills.

   • Use the template to guide my thoughts when planning a lesson for my students

2. Always start with the students needs and structure your lessons to meet their needs.

   • Blooms taxonomy- critical thinking skills based on different levels.

3. Lesson preparation > Lesson Enactment> Assessment & Feedback

   • A general structure that also helps to plan for your future lessons

   • Plan how you ask certain questions

   • Be careful to not overload your students

4. Differentiation- important for SENOs

   • Every plan is unique for each student to attain optimal learning

   • Emphasis on meaning making and higher level thinking

   • 4 elements- don’t look into more than 2 elements as it may be overwhelming. Have a balance when proposing which element you want to target or make changes.

When planning a lesson to support a child with needs, I will keep these three points in mind:

1. I will prioritise the child’s needs first.

2. I will design a customised scheme of work based on the lesson outcome to meet the child’s objectives.

3. I will create an assessment to check if the child has learned and use observations to see if there are improvements after the lesson.

As a SEN officer supporting a child with needs, I need to plan my sessions carefully so that I can provide meaningful support and help the child successfully meet the objectives. Thoughtful planning is not just about the lesson, but about giving every child the best chance to grow and progress.

The second takeaway: I find that using Bloom’s Taxonomy provides a clear framework to structure learning objectives and activities. By moving from lower-level thinking skills, such as remembering and understanding, to higher-level skills like applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating, I can scaffold learning to support my students. This progression ensures that students first build a strong foundation of knowledge before engaging in deeper, more complex tasks. It also allows me to differentiate activities to meet diverse learning needs.

Having differentiated learning can also help to allow the class to learn together but at different pace. Having to first identify the student's needs is important to allow for a better plan to allow for all students to progress and learn together. Having a differentiated instruction allows for the teachers to continue providing scaffolding for the student in need and allow other students to carry on with the tasks at hand.

Having to plan is also important, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This will also affect your student's ability to learn. With the use of backward planning. It helps us to identify the desired results and work backwards to plan for something to better support the child.

While going through the content on Bloom's taxonomy, I was reminded of the struggle that I faced when creating the objectives of the lesson plan for some students as I lacked clarity in the organisation of levels of difficulty in the verbs used. As I reflect with my newfound knowledge, I realise that I had occasionally planned tasks that were not suitable for students as I had misassigned the level of verb to objectives, which often resulted in an underestimation of the difficulty of the task. The impact of knowing the different levels of verbs according to Bloom's taxonomy will help aid in my planning of difficulty of objectives of the lesson plan. I will ensure that the objectives that I plan in the future are appropriate for the student's level based on existing schema of the student's learning needs.

Also, knowing the Backward Design for Planning helps me greatly in structuring the steps to planning a much more personalised lesson plan for my future students with SEN. It was a relief to learn about this template as I remember, once again, about how lost I felt when I was first tasked to attempt at designing a lesson plan for my mentor's student. While I had gathered a sense of what to do when planning a lesson, this Backward Design for Planning provides a framework for me and scaffolds the thought process of lesson planning in a logical manner. Like what Stephen Covey mentioned, "Begin with the end in mind." The goal for our student is where we begin the planning.

Starting from the students’ profile, current abilities and what you want them to achieve, effective lesson planning works backwards instead of its vice. Working closely through the 3 stages when we plan, helps us target the learning better. (Cutting out the unnecessary)

Having Bloom’s Taxanomy as the foundation of how we deliver the lessons, tightens the flow and reinforces knowledge acquisition.

Through differentiated instructions, we are able to meet the learners needs while also accomplishing subject and assessment needs.

Finally, we “teach what we want to assess and assess what we want to teach”.

Teaching and learning is an endless loop. One cannot exist without the other.

(Personally, going through the Bloom’s Taxonomy again helps me reflect on my own learning of SAFMED; how it was challenging to remember some phrases because of where I am at cognitively.)

Backward Design Template and Planning:

1. Identify desired results: Identify student needs; Generalization of skills across context should be taken into consideration.

2. Determine acceptable evidence: Lesson plan , performance tasks, learning and activities

3. Learning Plan: Planning individual activities and instructional strategies.

   * To draft lesson structured based on the needs of the students, can use strategies like Bloomy taxonomy, differentiated instruction and Task Analysis.

   Blooms taxonomy:

   -For the remembering level, verbs such as arrange, describe, order, and memorize are recommended for setting objectives.

   - Evaluating includes verbs like critique and judge, while creating is associated with verbs such as generate, plan, and produce.

   Differentiated instruction:

   • content,process,product and environment customized according to students interest,readiness level and learning profiles.

I also enjoyed learning about differentiated instruction in much more depth and it was interesting to understand how even the observation and assessment parts are actually part of the differentiated instruction process. I find that linking all these pieces together is extremely helpful in understanding how my role as a seno can flow through in a day to day, though it might get hard to work so systematically if there is a hectic work day with multiple things going on at once, i can see that having these concepts in my schema is already helpful in me shaping my thought process and problem solving purposefully.

1) Assess student's current level of understanding > use of backward design

2) Structure lesson with Bloom's Taxonomy - critical thinking skills based on different levels

3) Prepare - ensure that it is appropriate at student's level & mindful to not overload the student in that 1 lesson

4) use of differentiation for student's who require - to scaffold whenever needed

As a SEN officer, I am reminded that planning is of the utmost importance when I support a child. Sometimes, to make progress, I will have to take a few steps back and return to the "drawing board". This will increase the effectiveness of my interventions.

Bloom’s Taxonomy: I like how SENO can tap on those descriptive verbs when assessing student’s needs and use that for IEP goal setting since they are measurable and concise. I believe if teachers use that for learning objectives, it is easier when SENO discuss with teachers on strategies and scaffolding students needs.

For Backward Planning and Design, is it essential to lay our end of Learning Objectives first , so we can work towards what students should know. Followed by Assessment of their abilities. Instructional activities are prepared for the students’ success. Resources used must be aligned to the instructional activities. We can tap on Technology to teach by showing students aligned/ relevant videos.

The General Structure of Instructional Approaches require Pre-Instructional Planning & Thinking, Delivery which focuses on lesson enactment/teaching areas. The last stage of Post-Instructional which involves Assessment & Feedback. These stages here will focus on bringing students to an improved level to their learning.

Differentiated Instructions stood out to me as I have always thought that it is a rather difficult way of teaching students using this method. However, after watching the video, I realise the important part is about sizing up the abilities of the students. From there, we work towards their individual needs and learning abilities and craft our instructions accordingly. Once we set the stage for Differentiated Learning, the rest of the process will fall in place nicely. Students will feel good about themselves since they are always given tasks pegged to their levels of abilities.

It is important to find the right Instructional Plan to fit the learning needs of the class.

I really liked the Bloom’s taxonomy level progression and descriptive verbs which I think will serve as a great guideline for us in planning our lesson objective. 

Likewise, the pre-instructional stages also serves as a reminder that we need to KNOW our student’s profile (what pre-requisite they have, their strength, interests) so that we can better plan and deliver with better engagement (content, teaching aids, resources). We must also keep in mind that we are not there to give them so much assignments that it becomes cognitive overload, so set simple, meaningful assignments! 

2.     When differentiating instructions for students, I can use the four elements (content, process, product, learning environment) as a guide to support students' learning needs. By differentiating these elements, it creates opportunities for students to engage with tasks at an appropriate level and gradually show greater independence in their learning. Focusing on differentiating a maximum of two elements at a time would allow me to target the students’ specific needs, observe the impact of each differentiation, and adjust my approach accordingly.

3.     Using backward planning to align learning objectives, activities, and assessments with desired outcomes. This ensures that activities planned have a clear link to the learning objective, keeping teaching meaningful and focused.

1. Backward Planning and Alignment

This is my first time hearing this term. I understand it as starting lesson planning by thinking about what I want students to learn by the end of the lesson. It helps in choosing the right activities, resources and assessments too. I see how it can be a useful approach for ensuring a more purposeful and targetted planning.

2. Bloom’s taxonomy

I found this useful for setting learning objectives, especially for students with SEN. It can help ensure that goals are age-appropriate while also meeting the students’ needs.

3. Differentiation

Differentiation is very important to keep students with SEN engaged and motivated. I now understand that it’s okay to focus on just one aspect of differentiation (e.g., content or process) instead of targeting all four elements. This is something that I would also encourage teachers to use in their classrooms, especially if they have students with SEN.

4. Task Analysis

This reminded me of what we covered in Educational Psychology, breaking down a big task into smaller, “bite-sized” steps. I also see how adding visual supports can help students understand and complete each step. This is something that I would use as an SENO too.

1. Knowing the objectives of a lesson helps to guide the activities and the way we execute lessons

2. Important to understand the different levels of Blooms taxonomy so that we can teach scaffold students at the level that they are at

3. How we can use assessment tools effectively (for vs of vs as) to meet our objectives

2) Differentiated instruction is a strategy that I often heard about during the school setting. Now i have a better understanding of what we need to consider when differentiating instructions for a student. It is important to first identify the student’s capabilities and current level of understanding before planning any differentiation. Differentiation is not limited to the content being taught, but it can also involve adjusting the process, the learning environment, and even the expected outcomes. This way, the lesson is better tailored to the child’s interests and made more meaningful for them.

Understanding that assessments can be used FOR learning and AS learning help me understand why primary schools are more sensitive about terming their assessments as "reviews" or something similarly less demanding than "examination" or "test".

In the past, examinations are viewed as the way for the school and your parents to see your progress. Now, students are envouraged to view assessments more as a learning opportunity than as a measure of what they have studied and achieved.

In Bloom’s Taxonomy, we learn to observe where the child is at and plan our lesson and activities accordingly. Using the backward design for planning, we can also plan on what we want child to achieve first before slowly putting up our lesson plan in proper and how we can scaffold their learning.

1. Bloom’s Taxonomy:
   It's important not to overlook the lower levels, as they support recall and form the foundation for mastering more complex, abstract thinking. Reinforcing the basics helps students progress effectively through the taxonomy.

2. Understanding Student Proficiency in English:
   The four stages: newcomers, emerging, developing, and expanding helps provide a useful framework for identifying student needs. Strategies like using visuals, introducing basic grammar and vocabulary, and gradually incorporating peer activities (e.g., think-pair-share) and graphic organizers are effective for supporting learners at different levels.

3. Task Analysis:
   Breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps helps tailor instruction to individual student needs. This approach is versatile and can be applied to academic, social, communication, and behavioral tasks.

4. Instructional Planning for SEN Students:
   When designing lessons, it’s important to pair oral with written instructions, keep tasks concise, and use multisensory approaches. Providing specific praise further supports engagement and learning.

Backward Design and Alignment was interesting to learn. Sometimes, I think we forget about alignment and end up making a plan that doesn't serve the student well. Planning backwards is a good way to ensure that we always have the goal in mind to ensure alignment.

The video about understanding the different levels of English Language Learners and ways to support them was also nice to watch. I loved how the teacher shared the importance of working on confidence and oral language for the students in levels 1 and 2. I think this is also very relevant for Singapore context as our learners come from diverse home language backgrounds and differing levels of English.

Instead of just covering content, the priority is then if the students actually learnt something. Tools like Bloom's taxonomy, TA, differentiation are then very important practical levers to ensure that the goals set at the start are achievable for all students independent of their needs.

Priorities on assessments also change - tools like observation, interviews, assessment tools etc are no longer methods to grade, but provide valuable feedback loops of whether planning actually worked. When a student cannot achieve the outcome, its not their limitations, but mine to rethink the lesson design.

The takeaway for me is that teaching becmes empowering when planning is intentional. Start with the end in mind, align every step to that outcome, and stay responsive and aware to how students learn. The mindset shift is important.

Personally, I find Blooms taxonomy interesting because even if there is understanding but the understanding can’t be applied to context of application, knowledge grasp would not be efficient. Hence the levels themselves are somewhat interdependent of each other.

So my main takeaway is: All students are different, so lessons have to be customised and tailored to their specific needs.

Blooms's taxonomy is very useful in guiding students with the correct words

During the lesson itself, it is essential to assess whether students require additional scaffolding to meet these objectives. This ongoing assessment gives me an overview of each student's progress, allowing me to identify areas where they may need extra support. By using this framework, I can ensure that my teaching is responsive and tailored to the needs of my students.

Backward Design and Bloom’s Taxonomy are vital for Instructional Management.

• Backward Design builds foundation prior to the teaching.

It sets the tone of the lessons as the objective, and purpose has been decided and thus, we will be able to have better time management and ensure smooth flow of the lessons.

• Bloom’s Taxonomy helps us to classify the learning based on the different levels of ability. By doing so, we are able to ensure that the students are able to stay on pace with the lessons and gradually, able to move forward with more challenging task that require much more deeper thinking.

Based on these two frameworks, it supports instructional management by

• Showing a clear, precise of the lesson route for comfortable consumption of content

• Baseline on the relevance of tasks to the lessons

• Being a tool to categories and manage the different needs

• Aid for choosing of materials and planning of strategies

To conclude, both framework enables us to plan progressive learning and also be more in touch with the content that we put out so that it is able to cater to the students with different level of learning abilities.

Backward Planning and Alignment involves three main steps:-

1. start with student's needs

2. decide on desired results (goal and objective of the lesson)

3. Determine the evidence and assessment (How would students achieved the desired results)

Core instructional tools that are essential for structuring our lesson which involves "all the planning and thinking through"..

Bloom's Taxonomy:-

• finding the child's learning ability and levelling our teaching according to student's levels of thinking and learning.

Differentiated Instructions (DI):-

- adjusting the learning content/ process, environment that meet student's readiness in learning, interests and learning profile.

Task Analysis:-

• breaking down the learning structures with step-by-step teaching strategy, making the learning manageable

2. Center your planning on diverse student needs. Your instructional plan must be structured to meet the needs of all students. This involves using strategies like Differentiation and Task Analysis. For students with special needs, this means using concrete, multi-sensory approaches, making activities short, giving immediate feedback, and offering specific praise.

3. Use varied assessments to understand and support learning. Assessment is not just a final test --> it's a tool to see if students have achieved the desired results. Use a variety of methods like observation, interviews, performance tasks, and self-assessment to gain a more accurate and effective understanding of a student's progress and needs.

Bloom's taxonomy is an effective tool that enhances lesson planning, teaching and assessment, it allows educators to promote deeper learning and empowers students with better thinking skills necessary for academic and real-world tasks. It helps educators design clear, measureable learning goals, as well as aligning the objectives with assessments and clear instructions. This allows a smooth transition and progression from basic to advanced understanding. By providing scaffolding, it allows teachers to educated students from foundational knowledge to more advanced learning.

1. Identify the desired outcome -

Knowing the desired learning outcome is key in order for us to provide enriching learning experience for students. At this stage we establish goals, how students can acquire and apply what they have learned

2. Determine the evidence -

This stage is the planning for assessments and evaluation of students performance. Assements like quizzes, tests and homework can be used to assess students understanding.

3. Plan learning instructions -

This is the stage where we start planning on our instructions. Activities such as explicit teaching, group discussion and problem solving sessions can be employed here.

There are 3 stages to planning lessons

Stage 1 - pre-instructional which comprises of lesson objectives, knowing students profiles and deciding on instructional strategies

Stage 2 - Delivery of lesson is when we can activate students prior knowledge and start arousing interests by telling real life stories or something relatable to them. Having clear instruction is also key in order for students to understand better. Include collaborative learning among the students.

Stage 3: Post Instructional Stage would be checking of students progress, performance and feedback through assessments and feedback sessions.

Below are some things that stood out to me:

Backward Design - planning should start with the end goal in mind. With a clear goal written out, we can start working backwards to create a lesson plan with a clear focus, so we don’t stray away from our goal.

Bloom’s Taxonomy - an important framework, to help me expand beyond jusy teaching. We shouldn’t just focus on knowledge and recall but also look into getting them to apply and analyse in real life contexts. It’s important that they can think creatively and go beyond what they learn. This ensures that their learning is deeper and more meaningful.

Additionally, for each level, there’s a set of verbs (e.g., list, describe, explain) that describe what students can do to demonstrate learning. These verbs make learning objectives specific, measurable, and observable, which can also help us in writing clear IEP goals and provide clear instructions in our sessions.

In all, I find that Bloom’s Taxonomy framework is a structured way for SENOs to support both teachers and students in planning, teaching, and assessing learning 😊

Backward planning requires us to identify the desired results first, what we want students to understand, achieve, or be able to do by the end of the lesson. This approach ensures that every activity, assessment, and teaching strategy aligns with those goals. This intentional planning will help to curate a lesson plan to meet our student needs, as it enables us to design accessible, supportive, and differentiated instruction that meets their needs.

This lesson also connects with the APIE. In the assessment stage, we gather information through interviews, observations, performance tasks, and self-assessments. The planning stage follows a backward design approach—starting with the desired learning outcomes, then developing lessons, strategies, and supports to help students achieve those goals. I had an “aha moment” here, as it reminded me of my mentor during my school stint. She always emphasized that in lesson planning, the first guiding question should be: What does the student need to learn?

Finally, this lesson reinforced that our role goes beyond teaching. It also involves shifting our mindset and adapting our approaches—using strategies such as differentiation and task analysis—to create inclusive, meaningful learning experiences that enable students to reach their full potential.

For differentiation, we need to take note of not to differentiate too many elements and just keep to 1 to 2 elements will do as it can be too complex for the student and myself.

For task analysis, it can be used as a strategy for explicit teaching, especially for our SEN learners as they may be at a level that requires teaching of each step of a process.

It also ensures that every part of the session is aligned – from the objectives/goals set, to the assessments and teaching activities – all of it connects back to each student’s needs and what we want them to achieve.

I would start by getting to know the student’s needs. Next, setting clear goals for the session makes it easier to know exactly what students should achieve by the end. This would give me and the student a clear target to work towards.

Then, thinking about assessments, such as asking questions during the lesson, helps determine what scaffolds are required for the student to reach the goal.

Finally, teaching activities are planned to align with the goals, ensuring every part of the session is purposeful. Choosing the right resources that will also support the student in achieving the objective and make the learning both accessible and meaningful.

This working backwards approach puts the student’s learning needs first, and the alignment throughout the whole lesson ensures that we are planning for their success in reaching the goal that was set for them.

Bloom's Taxonomy is a framework that shows how to work bottom up i.e lower order skills (remembering and understanding) to higher order thinking (analysing and creating).

Task analysis is the process of breaking down a skill into smaller steps. It is useful for any type of skills i.e academic or social skills.

Using multi sensory approach is best for student with SEN to make their learning journey more achievable.

I learn that Alignment and backward Design is an instruction strategy that emphasizes the importance of alignment. To achieve specific learning goals, all  the five components: the learning outcomes, assessments and teaching activities must  be interconnected and work together effectively. This has helped me to discover some helpful tips to improve on my  microteaching lesson plan. I will be mindful that my instructional activities and resources used must be aligned with my lesson objective.

The assessment approach for learning. The tutors then act as facilitators. The environment is informal and allows pre-correction.

The session covered how to plan an instructional programme through backwards design, and I realised how important it is to structure lessons with a clear purpose. Bloom’s Taxonomy provided me with a clear overview of how learning progresses. The idea that learners need to master the foundational levels before moving to the higher ones makes sense. Still, I also appreciated that the taxonomy doesn’t have to be used in a strict, lockstep way; you can start at different levels depending on the context. Ultimately, the goal is for students to create something new or form their own perspective.

Differentiation also stood out to me. Tailoring instructions to meet the individual needs of SEN students is precisely what we’ll do when supporting their needs. It’s about considering their readiness, learning profiles, and ensuring that outcomes inspire and empower them to learn more effectively.

Task analysis felt especially relevant for me, given my SPED background. Previously, I thought of it as simply breaking down a task, but now I see how detailed it really is. Whether it involves checking for prerequisite skills, sequencing steps, or even considering social awareness while completing the task, it reminded me that task analysis isn’t just for SPED; it applies to all areas of life, depending on how we break things down to help someone reach a goal.

Finally, the distinction between assessment of learning and assessment for learning stayed with me. Assessment of learning feels more like accountability, while assessment for learning is about growth and improvement, for both the student and the teacher. That links back to the idea of lifelong learning, where evidence guides us to see where the learner is, and how both they and we can move forward.

Overall, my biggest takeaway is that planning with intention, tailoring for individual needs, and reflecting through assessment are all interconnected. It’s not just about teaching content. It’s about empowering our students to grow as we learn with them. Thank you.

I also learned how Bloom’s Taxonomy can guide the structuring of lessons to move students from lower-order to higher-order thinking, while differentiation and task analysis ensure that diverse learners can access the content meaningfully. For students with special needs, it is especially important to use multi-sensory approaches, keep tasks clear and concrete, provide specific praise, and repeat instructions in multiple formats.

I was also reminded that assessment is not only about grading, but also about supporting students through observation, interviews, and performance tasks.

All in all, the purpose of an instructional plan is to empower students and create opportunities for real learning to take place.

What resonated with me the most from the lecture was that when planning our intervention sessions for our students we should use backward planning (starting with the end in mind) and each stage of the planning process: identify desired results --> determining assessment --> planning instruction and materials should be in alignment. We should determine the goal/objective based on students' needs after gathering information.

The second part of the lecture on how to differentiate instruction gave me more insights into which aspects we can focus on e.g., content, process, product, environment. Differentiation should always be centered on students' needs, that is their readiness level and also consider their interests and learning profiles for engagement. The idea that we can also differentiate based on an 'Equalizer' highlighted more specific aspects to take note of e.g., making content more concrete, simple, focusing on single facet. teaching in a more structured manner with more guided practice vs making content more abstract, complex, and open ended and learners are more independent in task completion.

As we will be supporting students with special needs, there are more considerations to be mindful of when we design instructional activities, lesson delivery as well as assessment within the limited time we have with our students.  

Additionally, a lesson plan should have a purpose. A speech therapist who came from my school stint shared a piece of advice with my SENOs that I thought to be insightful. She shared that whatever we do in the lesson, in the lesson plan, must revolve around the purpose, and it should be a simple purpose. We must not lose sight of it, especially when we may go off track during our explanations and conversations with the student. Always having the end goal of the lesson plan at the back of your head is a good way to ensure that you stay on track and complete your objective. We must plan, so we don't fail.