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exemplar
activities
Unit 5 Activity 1 - Using a multi-sensory environment to
promote interaction
I am currently teaching a group of six pupils , five ,have
P.M.L.D., all the sessions I teach involve a multi-sensory approach. One of the
most successful uses of a multi-sensory environment has been in the food
technology area in school.
For the purposes of this unit I am defining the Food
Technology area as a multi-sensory environment. Pupils are given the following
multi-sensory experiences during these sessions:
- Looking at each cookery ingredient
- Smelling each ingredient
- Feeling the different textures of the ingredients eg.
flour before and after being mixed with water
- If appropriate pupils taste individual ingredients
- Feeling cold things that have just come out of the
fridge
- Being near the oven (with supervision!) to feel the
heat
- Listening to the sounds of cooking and equipment
In my experience the following factors are important for a
successful multi-sensory environment:
- Pupils have a clear understanding about which piece of
equipment they are going to operate with the switch and why eg. In this case
all my pupils have shown some understanding that they are going to operate the
food processor to make a cake etc. The activity has a clear purpose for them
which they find motivating.
- The environment should be as free from clutter as
possible, this is quite a challenge when mains switching devices, switches and
food mixers are all needed! I find the best management to be for pupils to work
as a whole group gathered around a table. I make sure that the pupils have
experience of tasting, touching and smelling the ingredients first .This is
followed by weighing out ingredients, different pupils are given different
ingredients to weigh out . The scales and any other unnecessary equipment is
then removed. I then introduce the switch equipment onto the table I use
extension leads and arrange it so that the food processor is the only piece of
equipment on the table .This ensures that the pupil is appropriately focused on
one task at a time each pupil chooses an ingredient they would like to mix into
the mixer to make the cake etc. The mixer is passed around and placed in front
of each pupil, when it is their turn, each pupil has their switches placed on
their tray ready to simply plug in and go!
- The environment should be as quiet as possible eg. free
from outside noise etc. This is one reason why I don't set pupils up to work in
pairs as they would obviously use the food processor at different times and it
would be very distracting for pupils in the other groups.
- Time to set up the equipment properly before the lesson
and
- A quick check that everything is working, before the
lesson is really important, as so many pieces of equipment are involved in
using switches and it is very disappointing for pupils if nothing happens when
they press the switch!
Food technology is an important part of my group's termly
curriculum. It is usually linked to other curriculum areas. For example last
term the group worked on a North American Indian story which involved four
types of food ;-nuts, berries , vegetables and corn. The group cooked with all
these ingredients and their understanding of these foods was reinforced.
The pupils clearly enjoy their cookery sessions and I have
noticed that their pleasure has been increased by the more active involvement
that the switch use has facilitated. They wait patiently while other pupils mix
in their various ingredients and actively look forward to having their
turn.
Usually the work the group carries out in these sessions is
used for an ASDAN 'Transition Challenge' unit .I record each pupils use of the
switch/food processor with a photo taken with the digital camera. An
appropriate comment is then added to give a full record of the activity. An
example is as follows:
'This photo records John using a switch to operate the
food processor. He chose to mix the flour into the cake mixture today. He
watched attentively when his teacher took the lid off the processor , to show
him that the flour needed more mixing in. John responded positively to the
instructions 'Again' and 'Stop', when using the switch.' The other staff who
would read the results of these sessions would be; future teachers of the pupil
and ASDAN moderators from other schools. I also record any special requirements
pupils might have eg. 'Nicky is operating the switch with some support. She
does not like using a tray and pushes a table away if she is placed under it.
Nicky uses switches best if she has them held on her lap with an adult
crouching beside her. She demonstrates some understanding of cause and effect
as she squeals with pleasure when she presses the switch and hears the sound of
the processor Nicky is now also looking much more attentively at the equipment
that she is using.' The record then is informative regarding how the pupil uses
the switch for that particular activity and progress they are making.
The pupils in the group enjoy using switches to operate
other pieces of equipment in a multi-sensory environment but they clearly get a
particular sense achievement at having been played an active part in making
something which we can all eat!
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