Date
20 December 2024

Provide support and options for students to create, learn and collaborate

Suggestion for implementing the strategy 'Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13'

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Increase time allowances

Increase time allowances

Consider reducing the quantity rather than the complexity of the learning.

5395 [IMG-secondary-student-doing-science-experiment.jpg]

Source: Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

Source:
Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

Ways to show what you know

Ways to show what you know

Discuss with students different ways they can demonstrate their learning to meet success criteria. Share exemplars in different media.

Minimise barriers to expression

Minimise barriers to expression

Suggestions for minimising barriers and optimising supports for student expression.

  • Where possible, set goals that enable students to demonstrate their understanding through multiple pathways.
  • Offer students a range of options for expression: text, images, voice, video, animation or a combination of media.
  • Ensure that the “means” of showing understanding is not itself a barrier to success.
  • If the “means” are a barrier for some students, use supports such as text-to-speech.
  • Build supports (text to speech, online highlighters) into each learning activity at the outset and encourage students to select what they need.
  • Encourage students to select work environments that best suit their needs and the task (for example, wearing noise-cancelling headphones, listening to music, working in a quiet corner, working with a buddy, in a tuakana-teina partnership or in a collaborative group).

Support success in assessments

Support success in assessments

Discuss with students what support they need to demonstrate their understanding in assessments.

Consider:

  • possible barriers hidden in the physical environment, for example: unfamiliar layout of room, lighting, temperature
  • possible barriers hidden in the resources and materials, for example: cluttered presentation, hard-to-read diagrams, unclear layout, hard-copies only
  • approaches to managing time allocations such as calendar tools and visual timers
  • approaches to managing anxiety
  • approaches to maintaining concentration
  • negotiating breaks and extra time
  • use of digital technologies such as text-to-speech and predictive text
  • pre-teaching specific assessment/exam skills, such as how to approach multiple choice questions
  • identify whether SAC application needs to be made for NCEA.

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13”:

Return to the guide “Deaf or hard of hearing students and learning”

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