PuppeTech for SEN Students

NET Section, CDI, EDB

Using Puppetry and Technology

to Motivate Students with Special Education Needs

to Learn English and to Enhance Their Learning Effectiveness

‘Seed’ Project Briefing Session (NT0418)

Aim

The PuppeTech project aims to: explore the use of puppetry and technology as instructional tools to motivate students with special education needs (SEN) to learn English and to enhance their learning effectiveness.

Research Questions Technology

• What different types of technology do we have access to every day that can help SEN students?

• What capabilities exist in the technology and the tools teachers are already using?

• What kinds of technology can teachers and/or students incorporate to make learning more attainable?

Puppetry

• How does the use of puppetry and language arts help SEN students develop oral language and help them become comfortable speaking in front of their peers?

• How does the use of puppetry and language arts provide opportunities for SEN students to develop their lines of inquiry and reflect on the learning process?

Curriculum Links

ELE-KLA Section 4.3.3 Supporting Students with Special Education Needs in the Mainstream English Language Education recommends:

• providing clear instructions by using a range of graphic organisers, visual aids, non-verbal gestures, symbols and speaking clearly and succinctly

• helping students in reading and writing by differentiating instruction and tasks, and providing additional support, such as allowing these students to submit videos and audio assignments

• adjusting assessment arrangements to ensure students have equal opportunities to demonstrate their learning progress and achievements.

Enhance Students’ English Language Learning with Puppetry

Enhance SEN Students’ English Language Learning with Puppetry

Puppetry

• provides opportunities for students to work collaboratively

• enhances creativity and confidence building

• develops reading and communication skills

• suits the needs of visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners

• promotes educational values, such as kindness, caring, responsibility, honesty, respect and resilience

Enhance SEN Students’ English Language Learning with Technology

Technology

• enables learning to take place beyond the confines of the classroom and outside school hours

• provides additional learning experiences

• increases motivation by providing immediate feedback

• caters for students’ individual learning needs

• suits the needs of visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners

A video clip about using technology in classroom

Enhance Students’ English Language Learning with Technology

• Apps support learning, teaching and assessment, e.g.

Nearpod

Kahoot

EDpuzzle

Plickers

Seesaw

Adobe Spark Video

Shadow Puppet

Sock Puppets

Bitsboard

Puppet Pals 2

Padlet

PuppeTech Pilot School – Lutheran School for the Deaf

School’s Achievements

Highlights of the Learning and Teaching

• Weebly Website Blog: Beck and Carly

• beckcarly.weebly.com

• Wrote a self-introduction email and sent it to their classmates using a tablet

• Used Nearpod app to create vocabulary building materials and assessment. They also uploaded tutorial videos of making puppets– Self-learning platform

• After making their puppet, they used the app Padlet to take photos and write a short description of their puppet

• They published their work on Padlet and invited their classmates to review

• Planned, designed and created their own puppet – used the puppets to tell their own story

Enhance SEN Students’ English Language Learning with Puppetry and Technology (PuppeTech)

A YouTube on How to use the Sock Puppets App: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM83udhORoE

About the Seed Project

PuppeTech for SEN Students

Objectives

• To engage English teachers, including the NET, in exploring and developing strategies to use puppetry and technology to support the development and implementation of a school-based English curriculum that addresses SEN students’ learning needs

• To promote personalised learning to cater for SEN students’ individual needs with respect to English learning

• To explore and develop effective assessment strategies that gauge SEN students’ learning progress and make their learning visible

• To integrate elements of Values education into the learning process to support the building of an inclusive learning environment

• To identify and disseminate good practices in motivating SEN students to learn English and enhancing their learning effectiveness

Establishing Critical Success Factors

• Collaborative learning culture with school leadership support

• Flexibility in school-based curriculum design

• Resource management

Collaborative learning culture

• Allocate time for collaborative lesson preparation for all project teachers

• Collaboratively develop, teach and evaluate PuppeTech with ATs and RNCs in the NET Section

• Support data collection, e.g. classroom observation, video recordings of PuppeTech lessons and interviewing students/teachers

• Attend CPD and cluster meetings to learn and share good PuppeTech practice

Flexibility in School-based Curriculum Design

• Design individualised education programmes, which can be play-based, theme-based, cross-curricular, etc.

• Develop effective assessment strategies

• Integrate elements of Values education

Resource Management

• Deploy the NET

• Deploy committed local English teachers

• Allocate budget

Personnel Involved in the ‘Seed’ Project

Advisory Teachers

and Regional NET Coordinators

5 March 2018

Project Proposal

Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 2/2018 ‘Seed’ Projects in Annex 1 of Appendix A (16) Page 6

Application Form in Appendix C

Project title: Using Puppetry and Technology to Motivate Students with Special Education Needs to Learn English and to Enhance Their Learning Effectiveness (PuppeTech for SEN Students)

Project code: NT 0418

Name of CDI Section: Native-speaking English Teacher Section

Deadline for Application:

Send in Proposal by Post

EDB Human Resources Management Unit at 4/F, East Wing,

Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong

(Please specify ‘Application for Interflow’ on the envelope.)

Enquiries

Primary Schools

Ms Susan Bowden

E-mail: bowden@edb.gov.hk

Secondary Schools

Ms Gina Green

E-mail: green@edb.gov.hk