Having worked in year 1/2 for a couple of years now I have come to realise that when teaching effectively you need to find those gaps and fill them! Now this can happen through day to day teaching, intervention groups or even 1:1 support during the day, but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say, there is just not enough time in the day!
One solution I have been trialling in my school is to use the Android tablets to support children with specific learning needs in a hope to plug some of those gaps, (based around assessment data or IEP targets.)
The children in my class come in every morning and are provided with a morning task, be it some creative free writing, a numeracy task or maybe just some finishing off. This is a perfect time to target specific children. Before the children come in to class I set up the tablets on a table with headphones plugged in. I then target APP's for specific children's needs. On each tablet I have a free whiteboard APP that can be used just like a normal whiteboard in class. I open this on the tablet and write the child's name in big letters and then underneath will write the name of the APP that I would like them to use. This way I don't have to tell the children each morning what I would like them to do.
One solution I have been trialling in my school is to use the Android tablets to support children with specific learning needs in a hope to plug some of those gaps, (based around assessment data or IEP targets.)
The children in my class come in every morning and are provided with a morning task, be it some creative free writing, a numeracy task or maybe just some finishing off. This is a perfect time to target specific children. Before the children come in to class I set up the tablets on a table with headphones plugged in. I then target APP's for specific children's needs. On each tablet I have a free whiteboard APP that can be used just like a normal whiteboard in class. I open this on the tablet and write the child's name in big letters and then underneath will write the name of the APP that I would like them to use. This way I don't have to tell the children each morning what I would like them to do.
Sight Words Lite Phonics APP's like 'Sight Words Lite' provide a fantastic way to give children a 1:1 phonics intervention with specific focus on gaps in their phonetical awareness. I use APP's like this a lot with the children in class as it allows them to self differentiate the diagraphs or blends that the find hard and practice those.
Lola's Math Train There are many great APP's to use with young children to help with their numeracy ability. One that the children in my class have loved using has been 'Lola's Math Train.' There is a free version of this APP but it does come with adverts included! As the children play the game they are given a series of tasks that involve a wide range of numeracy tasks.
I have used lot's of APP's in class to try and provide some extra intervention support and have found them to be very successful in areas of literacy and numeracy and are a great way to reinforce the great teaching that we do in class anyway! Tablets should be seen as a replacement for effective practice but instead a tool to use to increase the teaching opportunities.
As always, feel free to contact me for any support or other APP's that could be used in your school!
@JHolmesICT
Jholmes@educ.somerset.gov.uk
As always, feel free to contact me for any support or other APP's that could be used in your school!
@JHolmesICT
Jholmes@educ.somerset.gov.uk
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