Evidence Set One:
Individualised learning

Artefact 1-A Reading and writing are an integral part of all learning areas within the class, however skill variation in literacy is broad. Some children come to the class being able to read and write only basic single-syllable phonetic words, while at the other end of the scale, some are writing stories or research of many tens of pages in length with sophisticated vocabulary and spelling. Not only does their ability vary, but also their willingness and level of confidence in engaging with literacy.

I developed the first item within this artefact, a visual phonetic alphabet material, to support a child who displayed great difficulty with the alphabetical principle; the understanding that letters in written words represent the sounds in those words when spoken, and that these letter-sound correspondences are a systematic, predictable and reversible code. This knowledge is essential for learning to read and write (Buckingham, J., Wheldall, & Wheldall, 2019).

The material I developed is based on an online reading program that the child used at home. I worked with her parents to be able to access and simulate the digital picture symbols in a physical material (3.7). The progression of images in this artefact shows the way in which I used this material to build the child’s confidence in reading and writing, and gradually increased the level of challenge to help her progress in her ability to compose, write and read her own sentences (1.1, 1.5, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4). Importantly, once she mastered letter-sound correspondence to a level at which she was confident and capable enough to attempt to read and write without the visual alphabet support, she no longer needed to use the material.

The second artefact within this subset, relates to the implementation of Multisensory Structured Language (MSL) in my class to support children with Dyslexia and other learning difficulties in language. This was an area that I identified was lacking within my own knowledge base and following research into the most effective and evidence-based practice for teaching reading, I undertook training in this area (6.1, 6.2, 6.4). The scope and sequence and sample lesson plan illustrate how I am implementing MSL to support children who are still developing their phonological awareness and understanding of the alphabetic principle. The scope and sequence allows for a structured and systematic introduction of skills, with the most basic and most commonly encountered skills introduced first. Children progress through the scope and sequence at their own pace as they master each skill. (1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3). At the start of the year, as evidenced in the comments from her Individual Learning Plan (which are on the first page of the scope and sequence), the child in the video was not able to remember the sounds for the letters in the alphabet; yet now she has mastered the individual sounds and is working on attaining fluency and automaticity. As demonstrated in the video, she is also able to apply this skill to writing and reading words. The next phase of implementation of MSL in the class will be to support children at all levels of achievement in language. Rigorous and ongoing diagnostic testing will enable me to identify the continuing impact of MSL on each child’s learning (see Evidence Set 2: Assessment and Reporting).

The final artefact within this subset is a series of differentiated editing guides, to help children improve grammar and punctuation within their writing (1.1, 1.5). Children can select which guide they want to use, thereby supporting autonomy and progression at whatever level a child is at. Once children have finished a draft of their written work, they request an editing conference, and the guides are used during the conference to edit their work. At present these conferences happen with either me or the assistant teacher, however several experienced writers in the class are being trained to become peer editors. These editors must maintain a high level of accuracy in their own writing, thereby developing a culture of high expectations and opportunities for challenge. The final sequence of images show two examples of edited drafts from one child, the second one from 6 months after the first one, showing a marked reduction in the number of edits, demonstrating that the child has internalised these skills (1.1, 1.5, 2.5, 3.1, 3.4).

Artefact 1-B Social-emotional learning in the classroom is a key part of ensuring that children feel (and are) safe at school, enabling children to learn and function well academically (Gueldner, Feuerborn & Merrell, 2020, p. 1). While I regularly integrate social-emotional learning into daily learning in the classroom, some children require additional support in this area (1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.6, 2.1). Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) typically display difficulties in social adaptation, such as communication skills and social interaction (Stathopoulou, Loukeris, Karabatzaki, Politi, Salapata & Drigas, 2021). Everyday situations can prove challenging for a child with Autism, leading to maladaptive responses and undesirable behaviours. Social stories can be used to explicitly communicate in a meaningful way, specific information about a situation, a skill, or a concept to children with ASD ( Riga, Ioannidi & Papayiannis, 2021, p. 124).

One child in my class with ASD was regularly becoming upset about interactions with her friends during playtime, which was negatively impacting her ability to effectively engage in learning during class time. One concern she had was feeling left out when her friends played without her. She could not comprehend why they did not include her, and also did not understand how she could communicate her feelings to her friends, or how she could actively solve this problem herself.