Catering to Students with Additional Needs
while Remote Teaching
Below you will find the video from the Instagram Live chat I had with Dr Leanne Longfellow on Thursday, April the 16th 2020. In our hour-long discussion, we shared some tips, tricks, strategies and resources for catering to the additional needs of our students while remote teaching.
Advice for teachers during remote teaching
COVID-19 has presented many changes and challenges to society as a whole in Australia and around the world. Many teachers are looking for the best way to support their students using a variety of learning methods. Online/virtual learning has come to the forefront, and caught many educators, and parents, off guard. While there are a plethora of resources out there, and even more being created, there is often not a lot of guidance for how to cater to students with additional needs.
Remote, or distance, learning is a complex balance. Teachers need to provide a combination of online content and content that is not delivered on a computer screen. Teachers also need to consider the students and their family situation. Australia is a vast country with many local communities who have unstable internet access and a lack of technology. Therefore, resources for offline learning-based opportunities need to be considered.
Catering to students with additional needs
Children who have additional learning needs need to be taught differently. They may also need to have adjustments implemented to enhance the learning environment. Many of the adjustments we make in the classroom can be used when teaching online:
- Maintain an organised classroom/online learning environment
- Limit Distractions
- Break tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps
- Use Multi-sensory strategies
- Provide an opportunity for success
We hope you found this chat helpful. Catering to students with additional needs while remote teaching will be tricky. But just remember to be kind to yourself. Be kind to your students’ and their families. And just do your best.
If there is another topic you’d like to see discussed online, feel free to contact me via email or on my social media channels.
Suggested Links:
Christine Reeve – Autism Classroom Resources
Miss Goody Two Shoes – Performing Arts Challenges
