Using ICT to Support Students with Mild General Learning Disabilities

2 Professional Development and Support: Why? Isolation Unique and common problems Affirmation Pace of change in education Policy of integration Parental expectations and awareness Professionalism Educational partnership

3 Professional Development and Support: How? Through the Internet: Access to expertise/information On-line courses Chat rooms Message Boards Mailing lists Sharing of resources Other: Support groups in education centres

4 A special needs teacher may need: The facility to individualise teaching and learning materials New and exciting ways of learning to motivate students Administrative tools to help with planning, record keeping etc. What else?

5 A student with mild general learning disabilities Will have more difficulty learning than other children of the same age May need different approaches to learning May need to overlearn Will need extra reinforcement May need extra support in class setting

6 Memory Triangle We remember

7 Memory Triangle ICT facilitates active teaching methods

8 Memory Triangle We remember: 10% of what we read 50% of what we see and hear 90% of what we do

9 Common types of ICT use Teaching tool Learning tool Administrative tool A source of educational content A collaborative tool A medium of communication A student’s functional aid (assistive technology)

10 How ICT can help the teacher Facilitates individual instruction Facilitates individual learning Facilitates provision of additional support in class setting Can be used as a source of professional development and support

11 How ICT can support students Supports basic literacy and numeracy Provides structured skills practice Facilitates pair / group work Facilitates customisation of student’s learning ICT can be used as an alternate method of presentation of information

12 How ICT can support students Combination of ICT and hard-copy programmes Range of software that can be selected and matched to students needs Talking books to encourage and support reading Talking word processor to encourage and support writing

13 ICT as a motivator View of ICT as entertainment Provision of non-threatening environment Confers status and confidence Can facilitate equality for low-achievers Enables communication among peers

14 Some interesting software features The facility to enable drafting and correcting Speech feedback Word prediction Word banks Spell checking Control of pace and level of work Provision of consistent response