Odd Socks and Docs

The art of "Letting them be." and how this can be structured into activities across the curriculum and the school day. It is  a very important skill to learn to be independent. 

A fundamental Life Skill and needs to be taught carefully as it involves so many other skills. In this episode I talk about taking a group out weekly to a local shop and how to manage it.

How puppets can really enhance conversation skills, including signing and bring fun and laughter into the classroom. Also touching on the use of hand puppets in Intensive Interaction sessions

Just a minute, hold on a sec often used and not very meaningful. In this short episode I talk about using First this and Then that a simple clear way of moving from one thing to another. An action being needed before the next thing can happen, helping students to be adaptable and flexible.

Children every where will be drawn to playing with the earth, sand, pebbles or dirt. The mud kitchen allows children in their on time and in their own way to explore and learn. It is cheap and easy to set up and provides hours of learning through play. Children of all ages and abilities will enjoy being in a mud kitchen giving the teacher ample opportunities to interact, assess and record!

Everyone needs a light, maybe the light at the end of a dark tunnel, maybe a bright shining light, maybe a slow steady light with a warm glow. Reflecting on how the mood in a room  can be lifted.

How a simple lesson of making soup can be developed into a community project with cross curricular links in reading, maths, social skills, independence skills, real life skills of shopping. In addition providing a great link for parents to work with them at home.

Unfortunately when living or working with some students with severe learning difficulties with challenging behaviours it is likely that you may get assaulted. In this episode I reflect on this and look at ways to reduce the risk and then look at how recovery can be helped.

How my love for Monet lead to a term of beautiful art work with my mixed ability SEND class. With the added bonus of beautiful displays, cards and gifts not to mention all the other skills and great behaviour. 

A simple bespoke card for students and their supporters, or independent people with SEND to carry. These cards should immediately tell a member of the public or services how best to help when someone is in crisis or has had an accident.

Another idea for making Maths a fun activity whilst teaching other valuable life skills. Easy to adapt to age appropriate groups and easy to differentiate for individual students.

An idea for series of maths lessons that can be easily adapted and differentiated. The students have fun and their learning crosses into important areas of the curriculum including literacy, life skills and motor skills.

The last episode of Series 2! When there just seems to be so many things that need to be done and taught, how do you decide what to prioritise and what is important to the students and parents!Have a wonderful Christmas break and make sure you rest!

How working collaboratively with TA's can produce a fabulous term long project with lots of important learning outcomes beyond baking skills.

When you work together with parents you get the best outcomes for their children. They can be an incredible resource and no one knows their child like they do. In this episode I look at developing those relationships.

How making pancakes weekly became a highly successful motivating lesson. Involving multi disciplinary work, lots of cross curricular links and real life skills that parents could practise with them at home.

Working with a difficult  class using a highly motivating carrot!  Running a tuck shop had many learning objectives in life skills, social skills, working collaboratively, fine motor skills and maths skills. All the students showed very steady progress. It became a stepping stone to going into the community to shop.

The magic and joy of Christmas, following traditions and making them special for your students and their parents. So many learning opportunities to be found in these activities.

Music is universal in it's appeal, simple percussion instruments are very accessible making drumming a very inclusive activity and a way of teaching new skills and creating great memories.

The importance of using visual aids in SEND settings and having system that is best fit for everyone. Understanding that a visual aid can be anything from the real thing to a rather obscure symbol.

A perfect activity for any group, any ability, 1 to 1 or large group, any age! No planning and lots of learning.An activity that is fun, creative and all that is required is some good tin foil!

How a leisurely Arts and Craft lesson can lead to many other teaching opportunities in a lovely calm inclusive environment.

Sometimes as a teacher one of your students will teach you more than you teach them. this was the case with the unforgettable James. I am honoured to have his mum as a guest in this episode where she gives valuable insights into her world as parent of autistic twins. She reminds us that it is ok to be different and to look for joy. We reflect on some of the most valuable things he learned  and some of the more entertaining moments.

Teaching and working in classrooms can be very exhausting and stressful. This episode gives a few reminders of how to best help yourself manage this.

This episode is about the benefits of walking. Simplicity in its self, inclusive, inexpensive and brilliant for physical and mental health of students and staff. 

A discussion about how the state of arousal  or what level of regulation a student has can massively impact their behaviour and learning. some tips on how to manage this.

This episode looks at how to manage challenging, often aggressive behaviour, if you are smaller and less strong than a student in crisis.

The first episode of Series 2, welcome back after the summer holiday! In this episode I talk about how to prepare your staff and room to make a great learning environment, laying the foundations for a great school year.

In this episode I chat to a friend who came as a volunteer, then became a Dinner  Lady, then a Teaching Assistant and then went to university qualifying as a teacher. We chat about her first year as a teacher of the early years  in a special needs school. With some helps and tips for both new teachers and managers. This is the last episode in Series 1, I will be back at the end of August. Enjoy your summer break!

This episode follows on from the previous episode and we discuss successful inclusion of the students with the highest need for support.

A rare insight into this group of students from a former member of the school nursing team. It is an uplifting episode and her love and passion for her work really shine through!

Looking at ways to deal with students bringing in precious things to school that may cause problems.

When problems arise in class that you are struggling to resolve how best to approach a manager - some dos and don'ts!

How to make reading engaging, age-appropriate and fun for secondary age students with severe learning difficulties.

If your school has a hydro therapy pool make it a priority to book it as a weekly session. This episode I chat with a young teacher about managing a warm water session and the huge benefits of these very inclusive, joyful sessions.

Recording is an important part of the teacher's job. Here I talk about how to make it workable and how new digital recording programmes designed for mainstream don't really fit special needs and can massively increase the teacher's workload.

Visiting a cafe with a group of SEND students, is brilliant for real life skills, inclusive and enjoyable and can cover many cross curricular targets.

Planning to spend part of every day outside of the class room, how simple activities outside of the class room can give opportunities for learning, assessment and fun. Short periods of time can break up the day and refresh everyone.

Chatting with another teacher about how to manage students who like to fight with each other.

Nat's mum talks about his primary school years. Nat has a diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism and attended both a main stream primary school and a special school. Lots of valuable insights and lovely stories.

Nat is a 27 year old young man with Down syndrome, in this episode I chat to his mum about his early years up to school. During this time he was also diagnosed with Autism. I feel it is a very uplifting and joyous story and makes interesting listening to anyone who works with SEND children or knows a SEND child. Personally and professionally I learned so much from parents.

Some useful tips on developing your game face!

So many SEND students have issues around food and eating that a good dinner time is vital to the rest of the student's day. This episode explores ways to make dinner time run smoothly and be enjoyable for the dinner ladies. it touches on a multi disciplinary approach to support students.

This episode looks at how a very successful mini business developed from teaching real life skills. A project that can be done with a full range of SEND students as a group or as individuals. Turning Friday mornings into the students and staff's favourite morning.

I have experienced so much joy during fairly chaotic moments and this short episode is about making chaos work for you and the the students and creating fun. Students learn when having fun!

Teaching and supporting SEND students can be at times a very tough job, it is really important to acknowledge special moments, make memories and celebrate achievements.

"How do I teach National Curriculum Academic Subjects to my SEND students who are not able to read, write  or  speak?" is a question I am asked so many times! Here are a few ideas that I found worked well whilst addressing the students real need.

What does this  mean and how can that differ from student to student. With some tips and stories on how to manage it.

A huge part of a SEND teachers job is managing Teaching Assistants, for which they have very little if any training. This is a chat about how best to do this.

When you find yourself alone with an SEND group and need to keep everyone happy and safe activities and tips.

This episode talks about how children and young people can arrive in school already stressed and unable to learn until they have calmed. How to recognise this and how to help them calm down.