Teacher Responsibilities
- The teacher is responsible for the learning of ALL the pupils in their class.
- It is expected that all teachers provide learning opportunities to meet the needs of every child.
- Differentiation is making sure all pupils are working at the correct level for them.
- Ensuring a child is learning and making progress is the core principle of being a teacher.
- The good news is that you can make a huge difference to the lives of children and young people.
What do we mean by 'making progress'?
The New Curriculum for Wales states that 'progress' will look very different for each learner.
Here are some examples of progress:
- writing their name
- using capital letters correctly
- touch counting to 10
- walking to assembly with the rest of the class
- eating in the dinner hall
- knows the daily routine
- going from lesson to lesson independently
Person Centred Practice (PCP)
- Person Centred Practice is one of the key features of ALNET.
- ALNET aims to increase the participation of children and young people in their own learning.
- Please ensure that learners views are considered, along with the views of their parents/carers.
- Helen Sanderson has produced some brilliant PCP tools and guidance that you can use with your learners. You can access these on the link below.
Please take the time to listen to your learners.
Areas of Need
The ALN Code of Practice says there is a wide range of learning difficulties or disabilities, but they can be broadly classified into the following four areas:
- (a) Communication and interaction;
- (b) Cognition and learning;
- (c) Behaviour, emotional and social development;
- (d) Sensory and/ or physical.
The following playlist will take you through a variety of additional needs that you are likely to come across in your teaching. There is a description of each need as well as information to look out for and strategies that would be useful for you to be aware of and use as a teacher.
Please watch the following video to show what a difference you can make if you take the time to connect with your learners.
Thank you for taking the time to work through this training. If you require further support with individual pupils or information, please talk to the Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCO) at your school.
We look forward to seeing you for the Question and Answers session on Teams. Here's a reminder of the three questions we will be asking you to feed back on:
- Have a think about three learners that you teach of varying abilities. What does progress look like for these learners?
- What Person Centred thinking tools have you seen being used?
- Choose one pupil in your class that meets the criteria for one of these needs. How are you supporting this pupil and is there anything you would change following this training?