As C2K Special Education Needs (SEN) consultants Norma Price  and Lisa Brown work in partnership with teachers across all five Education and Library Boards  to raise awareness of C2K software specifically designed for teachers of children with special education. One of the challenges facing them says Norma is that teachers are already under so much pressure, they are ‘running fast to stand still’.

“SEN software such as ‘Writing with Symbols' and ‘Clicker’ encourage teachers to be multi sensory in their approach. Writing with Symbols software is installed on all C2K machines in schools but teachers are sometimes unaware of its availability, the range of supporting teaching materials they have access to or how to make it more relevant to their classes.

“There are many obvious benefits to teachers who use the software and this is the message we want to get across. It makes it easier for them to plan and prepare lessons as the software packages provide all the resources needed but they also help motivate the children and make learning more fun for them.”

Norma  and  Lisa admit  to being almost evangelical in their  quest to enlighten colleagues in both mainstream and special schools about the benefits of ICT and how it can revolutionise both teaching and learning for children with special education needs. Norma explained, “There’s a lot of support available but sometimes it can get overlooked. Our job is to help teachers get the most out of the C2K software developed specifically with special needs children in mind.”

Norma and Lisa deliver a series of ‘twilight training sessions’ on ‘Writing with Symbols’ and ‘Clicker’ software. They also hold Early Professional Development training days for recently qualified teachers.

“As well as giving them the benefit of our combined experience, teachers can learn how to use the software more effectively and discuss tried and tested strategies for coping with challenging behaviour with their peers. They can see the benefits and practical application of the software and feed ideas to each other, “ explained Lisa.

As teachers become more confident in their use of ICT in the classroom, Norma and Lisa have adapted the delivery of their training programmes with a growing emphasis on ‘online learning’ in the EPD (Early Professional Development) training programmes.

LearningNI - the online learning environment developed by C2k, in partnership with HP, can be accessed by learners, teachers and educational support staff across Northern Ireland.

“There is a wealth of resources available on LearningNI and teachers in special schools in particular have found its discussion forums very useful,” says Norma. They are very specific to special a needs, which is great, and give teachers an opportunity to discuss problems and ideas or to offer or even receive advice online.

“For example teachers can discuss aspects of teaching or how to deal with challenging behaviour of pupils with their peers and they can also get a specialist’s answers online.”

Feedback from the last EPD course using LearningNI has been very encouraging, continues Norma. “As part of the course, the teachers created multi media resources and these are now available to other teachers who access LearningNI.”  

As far as Norma  and Lisa are  concerned, there are no losers when ICT is used to underpin learning;n“We’re helping teachers help the learners by opening up a range of resources for teachers. This in turn helps motivate children who can sometimes be difficult to motivate and ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills. Everyone’s a winner.” said Lisa.