Critical Reflection 5

Niall Ó Connaibh G00334074

SEN Strategies and Differentiation

For week five I have decided to reflect on a topic that has significant implications for me as a student
teacher during teaching practise. This week, I will reflect on Special Educational Needs Strategies and
Differentiation and how I provide for pupils with SEN in my lesson planning.

Prior to commencement of 3rd year School Placement, I was required to devise various schemes of
work and lesson plans taking into consideration the individual and varied needs of all pupils. This is
known as ‘Differentiation’. According to (Weselby, 2014) “Differentiating instruction may mean
teaching the same material to all students using a variety of instructional strategies, or it may
require the teacher to deliver lessons at varying levels of difficulty based on the ability of each
student”.

Prior to School Placement commencing, I felt it was imperative to learn more about the students I
was about to teach. I met with the school’s SEN Officer, Mrs O Connor, who provided me with the
relevant information on pupils with specific and general learning difficulties. This information was
helpful as it enabled me to prepare my lessons to suit the different ability levels of the class and it
guided me in planning the various teaching strategies which I would utilise during the lessons.

Having prior knowledge of two 2nd year students, both of whom have a diagnosis of Dyslexia and
Dyspraxia was invaluable to me when planning for my Woodwork classes. These students are
identified as having a specific learning difficulty, (Sp.L.D.). Dyspraxia is defined as a “developmental
disorder of the brain in childhood causing difficulty in activities requiring coordination and
movement”, (Edco, 2003, p. 120). I was aware that the two students in question have poor motor
and hand-eye coordination skills which would affect them negatively during practical, hands-on
work. To accommodate for these pupils, I provide them with sample components of the project we
are making in class beforehand. The wood components are partially marked and cut out to help
them to visualize the expected outcome of the wood joint. I also provide practical assistance and
advice to them during the lesson. Before every lesson, I meet with the SNAs assigned to the students
in order to explain the learning intentions and how they are to be achieved. The SNAs are limited in
the level of assistance that they are permitted to give the students. This challenges me as the
teacher to address this situation. Would engaging in Team-teaching with another woodwork teacher
help in terms of the practical work? Should these students be studying MTW at all?

An example of my implementation of lesson ‘differentiation’ can be observed during my Technical

Graphics class in which I teach two 1st year groups of mixed ability. To ensure that the gifted
students are kept occupied when their work is completed, I provide supplementary worksheets for
them to continue with. Alternatively, they engage in a ‘Buddy system’ whereby they assist a student
who is experiencing difficulty with a particular aspect of the work. This ‘peer teaching’ requires me
to have a pre-planned seating arrangement in place to facilitate this strategy.
The experience that I am receiving now from teaching in mixed ability classes and in classes where
there are students with specific learning abilities are highly relevant and extremely beneficial to my
future experiences as a fully qualified teacher.

Bibliography
Edco. (2003). Oxford Concise School Dictuonary. Dublin: The Educational Company.

Weselby, C. (2014, October 1). What is Differentiated Instruction? Examples of How to Differentiate
Instruction in the Classroom. Retrieved from education.cu-portland.edu:
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-
instruction/