Author:
Denise D (Teaching Assistant - Special Needs)
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Date Posted: 12:47:08 10/31/09 Sat
Lack of classroom adaptations
1. When in Primary School I remember trying to take down notes while listening to a radio Nature Program in a lesson. I found it difficult to listen and write at the same time and consequently I had very few notes written down at the end of the broadcast. If this were a lesson for the pupils I work with I would not expect them to write anything while listening to the program. I would give out a worksheet containing lots of images and general information on the topic, together with a list of important words before the program started. I would also explain what the program was going to be about and that they needed to listen carefully. I would record the broadcast in advance of the lesson in order that I could stop it when a particularly important item occurred or there were items that they did not understand.
2. I don’t remember pupils during my time at school every receiving “special lessons” or support in primary or secondary school. Lessons were very regimented and we learnt our tables “parrot fashion” every day. Rulers were regularly used for pupils who failed to get the correct answer. We read at least once a week to our class teacher and parents coming into school to help out, was unheard of. Extra support, like a teaching assistant in the classroom, were not available and the teacher had to work with at least 30 children, including the weak and badly behaved, on their own.
3. I did not enjoy maths at secondary school – mainly due to my teacher who I had for three years. I struggled with a particular piece of homework and my father helped me. We looked at the questions and he showed my how to complete them all in a much easier way than I was being taught in class. I handed my book in and when it was returned every question was marked as wrong. At the bottom of the page the teacher had written that I should do the work in the correct way and even though the answers were all correct I got a zero score. I felt very turned off to maths for the rest of my time at school. The teacher refused to show us other ways to complete work other than his own version. I encourage pupils to complete work using which ever ways they can. We look at each others way of working and if the answer is correct then they get their mark. It is so important to get the children turned on to learning because once they are turned off it can have a catastrophic effect on all their learning.
4. Reading out loud in front of the class was a traumatic time for two children I was at school with. They were ridiculed by the teacher and made fun of by children in the class. Their home circumstances were really poor and both children would arrive in school with clothes unsuitable for the weather and without eating breakfast – sometimes they had not eaten since their school meal the previous day. They were in a poverty trap and obviously with learning difficulties, that were not supported.
5. Weekly spelling tests were a nightmare for some. Your score was called out by the teacher and as with the reading, if you didn’t get a high mark you were ridiculed by the teacher. Today in my lessons, each pupil marks their own work and receives a sticker of their choice regardless of their score. Differentiated spellings are given but each pupil takes part.
6. Mental maths tests were taken weekly and a similar approach was taken by the teacher. I involve everyone in my groups and we make a game of mental maths. Each pupil has to ask a question and of course they have know the answer themselves too. They are given a topic and allowed to look through books to find the questions themselves. They have to be of a suitable level for all to take part too.
7. Using an ink pen was compulsory and everyone had an inkwell on their desk. I went home everyday with black fingers and often spoiled work due to drips of ink. These were ringed with red ink by the teacher and if they were particularly bad you had to use a pencil and were banned from using ink. One more thing to get the teacher angry and others to laugh at. Many of the pupils I work with prefer to use pencil rather than pen for their writing. I encourage them to use different colours for writing lists, marking their work, writing out sums and then the answers. They enjoy using the colours and often colour co-ordinatate their work.
8. Maths was about lots of long sums as we didn’t have calculators. It took a long time to do the working out, and even longer if you got it wrong. Today I use a large foam basic calculator in the shape of a cow and children really enjoy doing their sums on it. We look at different calculators and learn about the ways in which to use them properly. They enjoy a game of testing one another with different sums and see how quick they can get the correct answer.
9. Displays in the classroom included the alphabet, a row of numbers and several seasonal posters. Some work was displayed but only the very best. If your work was a bit messy or you had made mistakes then it didn’t get displayed. I encourage all the pupils to make work for displays and regardless of whether it is right or wrong everyone has work displayed to maintain their self-esteem.
10. I remember learning every verse of The Pied Piper Of Hamelyn poem and performing it with my class on parents evening. We had to learn a poem as part of our English testing and then stand up in front of the class and recite it. I recited William Wordsworth “Daffodils” with top marks. Not so lucky for others who forgot the words. Today we look at poems together and discuss what they are about. Each pupil has a question to answer after studying the work, but no recitation.
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