![]() Consider the image right from an inclusive Salters’ Institute festival at the University of Strathclyde. Doing this will help with engagement but also application of principles and retention for later on.Ĭolour coding equipment and providing stepped instructions – just two strategies to make practicals accessible for students with SENDĪs you become more confident you’ll see that similar strategies benefit a range of students. Try to link practicals to everyday life (we have the advantage as science teachers that our subject is about making sense of the world around us). Conditional formatting can be used to highlight increases or decreases in results tables to help students who might struggle to read large numbers or those with decimal places. I’ve collected rates of reaction data in this way and students can quickly see the trends on the screen. A spreadsheet can be a powerful tool – you can collect a whole class set of results in minutes and use this to plot graphs. You can use software to create stepped instructions with apparatus diagrams (using commercial software like Science Diagrams from Focus software or the free Chemix website). ICT has amazing potential to make science accessible. Be sure to always use student names when issuing commands. Give students roles when setting up and clearing away (I’ve used jobs like glassware supervisor, floor checker, bench monitor, to help with clearing up). I’ve had students reading thermometers, Bunsen monitors, scribes etc. It also helps spread the workload evenly across students, avoiding gender stereotypes. Roles can also help with practical work, to make sure that all students are pulling their weight. Be consistent and remember to use plenty of praise when things go well and make sure you have established those routines. Chunk or step instructions to break tasks down. Students with social, emotional and mental health needs can be risk takers, and may have a low attention span. Your expectations should be high but realistic Allow thinking/processing time – don’t expect an immediate response or answer. I taught a student who always asked me: ‘will it bang?’ He didn’t mind experiments that made a noise (he loved popping hydrogen), but he wanted to be prepared. Warn of changes – especially where there might be strong smells or loud noises. Use words like now, next, finally so it is clear what will be happening. Autistic students benefit from structure (routines, equipment in a set place, clear stepped instructions). Put these together and you’re describing a practical science lesson. Students with autism may have difficulties with communication, social interactions, sensory difficulties and managing change. Of course, these strategies will benefit other students as well.
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