Seeing school through the lens of your learners

After highlighting Empathy Week in the last SEND Update, I was reminded about some of the most impactful training I undertook during my 30 years within the classroom. Early on in my career I attended a course at Nottingham University which focussed on teaching science to SEN learners. During the course we were all given safety goggles to wear that had been modified to give the wearer an understanding of what a person with a given visual impairment could see. I was then also told that I was unable to speak. I was then instructed to find my way without a map to another location on the campus, ask for a lab coat from a technician and undertake the experiment that had been set up for me. Later in my career we spent a PD Day considering empathetic handling. We fed each other yoghurt, experienced being in a wheelchair, washed each other’s hands and faces plus many other tasks that we routinely engaged in with our students.

By doing all these things I believe that I became more aware of what it must be like for the students I taught. I realised amongst other things: how difficult it is to read the scales on measuring cylinders, even if you know what you are doing, how hard it must be for those new to a building to find their way around, how scary it is being propelled towards automatic large glass doors that only seem to see you at the last minute and after having a plastic spoon scrapped on my chin to catch some yogurt I will never ever do this to anyone, it was horrid!

We tend to think we know what it is like for our students, but can we truly know? During November’s webinar led by Stone Soup Academy they talked about how VR had allowed staff an insight into what it is like for some of their autistic learners. This had led to changes being made in teaching and learning activities.

Perhaps in the lead up to Empathy week in February we all need to stop to look at our schools, classrooms, outdoor spaces, learning activities, and school routines with and through the lens of our learners.

Pauline Holbrook
Head of SEND @ SSAT