SEND students may struggle with their education in a mainstream setting but could acquire real benefits from online learning if the circumstances dictate. Here’s why it can be better for them.
The 2022 SEND Review has highlighted poor outcomes and experiences for SEND students stating:
“For children, young people, families and providers, there remains significant inconsistency in how children and young people’s needs are met, with a lack of clarity around what services can be expected and who provides them.”
SEND students needs to have better services available to them. Improved accessibility and resources should be given to these students so they can achieve their educational potential. This can be achieved through online learning if the right measures are integrated and a student’s individual needs are identified.
Here are 3 reasons why online can benefit SEND students and why you should consider implementing it for them when the situation is suitable.
1. SEND students can build their confidence online
SEND students can use online learning to help build their self-confidence. This is because they can learn in a familiar setting that they are comfortable with excluding added pressures from peers or feelings of inadequacy.
SEND learners, such as those with autism, can benefit from online learning as they can intently focus on their learning by using headphones to their advantage. This can help block out any noise that may be interfering with their ability to focus, which may be interrupting their education and progress.
Subsequently, this can help build students’ confidence and provide them with a sense of pride and achievement when they complete something successfully.
2. Visual and audio assistance can aid in learning
Studies have shown that the brain can absorb material quicker when viewing something visually stimulating. According to research, the material can be absorbed:
“60,000 times faster than text, and 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual.”
Online learning, with visual aids, can help illustrate or convey a certain point and may allow SEND students to comprehend a particular topic easier rather than just going through long text. This can benefit SEND students greatly, such as those who suffer from dyslexia, as it means that an inordinate amount of text isn’t displayed to confuse them.
Auditory assistance can also be beneficial when online learning as it can help those with visual impairments. It can also help learners who are reading but cannot understand or articulate a word, so it can help them with their phonics and expand their vocabulary.
3. Personalised learning pathways allow more progression
SEND students may struggle with their progression in a mainstream setting. Therefore, online learning could be a viable option to help them attain new understandings.
Creating personalised learning pathways for students can allow them to find their areas for improvement and allow them to work towards a certain goal. This can enable SEND students to find a point that suits their academic ability and integrating tracking and continuous assessment can help them develop.
In a classroom setting, they may feel pressure to keep up with their peers and so this can also mean that they do not want to progress with their education.
EDClass can support SEND learners
EDClass, an online alternative provision, can accommodate the specific needs of SEND learners with one-to-one support from UK-qualified teachers remotely. Students can get help from teachers via video or text chat by clicking a help button all whilst being safeguarded during their learning.
Personalised learning pathways are also provided to suit the academic level of each student with assessments and tracking showcasing progress.
The platform is fully customisable providing students with the ability to adjust the slide colour, font style and text colour and text size to help whilst they learn. EDClass also has Oxford University Press e-books integrated so that students can listen to books to help them learn.
If you would like to learn more about EDClass and how it can support SEND students then call 01909 568338, send an email to mail@edclass.com or book a free online demonstration here or by clicking the image below.
