The Learning Avengers’

Pupil Policy

Are you a Learning Avenger?

We have the power and the strength to fight for our goals!

The force is strong with this team!

What is Dyslexia?

Strengths

  • May be very creative and enjoy active tasks
  • Strong visual thinkingskills
  • Good talking skills andgood social interaction
  • Good at seeing the whole picture

Weaknesses

  • Problems with reading and taking notes
  • Remembering someone’s details
  • Difficulty with time keeping
  • Difficulty organising work
  • Problems with spelling and writing
  • Difficulties with number skills
  • Have trouble remembering things
  • Difficulty following given instructions
  • Problems with behaviour
  • Problems with spatial awareness
  • Lack confidence
  • Difficulty with complex words

The DFS class produced mindmaps to show their understanding of dyslexia.

Pupil Voice

‘No Pens’ Day

The Learning Avengers’ Aims

  • Support pupils with Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing targets
  • Be more active
  • Focus on improving confidence to talk out more
  • Self-motivationof the Learning Avengers to attend the pupil steering group
  • Self-motivated to learn in all classes and have a ‘can do’ attitude
  • Determined to do our best and ‘have a go’
  • Positive mindset and believe in ourselves

DFS Passports

All pupils, teachers and staff complete a DFS passport which they carry with them or keep at the front of Nurture folders.

My Views

All pupils complete a My Views worksheet to share their learning preferences with key staff. My Views worksheets are kept at the front of pupils’ Nurture folders.

Personalisation and Choice

Pupils are involved in planning activities and are given opportunities to choose how to demonstrate their learning e.g. working on their own or in small groups, choice of presentation style.

Paper Choice

After extensive research and consultation with staff and pupils in the SLC, we have discovered that most people prefer white paper instead of buff paper.

As a result we will use white paper and if someone has a preference for buff paper or coloured paper, this will be available for them to use.

Reading Buddies

Deryn Brown (S5) Emma McMaster (S5), Caitlin Mawhinney (S5), Kera Mayo (S3), Heather Currie (S6) have volunteered to be a reading buddy in our library.

Library Policy

Our new library will be in G07A every Tuesday lunchtime from 12:45 until 13:10.

Our reading buddies will read to fellow pupils and talk about the books.

Our S6 will run this club with Mrs Cairney overlooking as a staff member.

Books can be taken home but you must bring them back a week later. There will be a sheet to sign books out/in and the date can be extended if you would like to keep a book for longer.

Remember to show respect to self, others, work and property. We hope you enjoy our new SLC service.

Many thanks,

The Learning Avengers

Cumnock Chronicle

The Learning Avengers send photos and information to the Cumnock Chronicle to be included in the local newspaper and maintain links with the community and provide updates on the learning experiences of SLC pupils.

Website

We would like to thanks Stephen Robson (Music teacher) for keeping the school website up-to-date. The Learning Avengers ensure appropriate information and photos are sent to Stephen Robson.

Facebook

Mrs Martin and Mrs Barbour are responsible for uploading photographic evidence onto Facebook to maintain communication links with parents/carers.

Dyslexia Friendly Fonts

We use Comic Sans, Verdana or Arial.

ICT

All pupils are provided with ICT to produce their work and remove barriers to learning. We have the following ICT resources: computers, Ipads, digital cameras and promethean boards. To support our learning on the computers we use Clicker 7, audiobooks, Microsoft and Powerpoint, Wordtalk, Scratch, Kudo, Ivona and Movie Maker. We have apps for ipads which individual pupils have reviewed. Pupils use the ipad to make imovies. Pupils are given opportunities to speak and record their voice rather than write. We have bought individual headsets with microphones for pupils.

My Value Language

All staff and pupils have identified their value language and contributed to an SLC value language booklet and wall display.

Feel Good Friday

All SLC staff and pupils engage in a circle every Friday afternoon to celebrate successes and achievements. We announce our Junior and Senior Pupil of the Week and our RAFA score. Our Aim for 2016-17 is that 85% within the SLC will achieve their weekly Nurture target by December 2016. We also participate in team challenges to promote Literacy, Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing. We have fun!

Learning Styles

It is important to identify which learning style you are most suited to. We completed a critical skills carousel to explore different learning styles and to identify the type of learner we think we are.

Visual Learner – See it

Looks at what is being taught

Well organised, neatly kept work

Visualises and constructs

Good speller and reader

Follows the rules

Observant

Works quietly

Memorises by picture

Would rather read than be read to

Has trouble remembering verbal instructions

Gives the teacher eye contact

Benefits from the use of colour in learning

Auditory Learner – Hear it, Say it

Talks under breath and mutters

Good mimic, can repeat word for word

Remembers what has been said

Easily distracted by noise

Can ‘tell’ an essay better than write it

Moves lips/says words when reading

Likes music

Learns by listening

Often sits with head to one side – dominant ear turned to the teacher

Cannot ‘tune out’ sounds very easily – irritated by someone talking when the teacher is talking

Kinaesthetic Learner – ‘Do it’

Moves out of seat a lot

Reaches out or goes to teacher frequently

Likes to read words with finger and touch the paper

Likes to be ‘part of’ and learns by muscle memory

Committed to comfort and movement

Touches people and stands close

Gestures a lot

Responds physically

Memorises by walking, seeing

This is what we find challenging about being visual/auditory/kinaesthetic learners.

Challenges for Visual Learners:

  • When there are no visual aid
  • Concentrating when there is too much information
  • People talking too much
  • Being distracted by noises when people come in the room
  • Memory - I could forget when it is time to write it down
  • No instruction on what to do
  • You can’t see the board or demonstration
  • People blocking your view
  • If you are too far away from the board

Challenges for Auditory Learners:

  • Feeling sleepy/switching off when it is quiet
  • Distracted by background and loud noises
  • Might not hear what is being said
  • Speaker talking too quickly or loudly
  • Speaker mumbling
  • People changing the subject
  • Peoples’ speech is difficult to understand
  • Difficult if more than one person is talking
  • People shouting out/interrupting
  • Helps if we have a talking object
  • Need to see peoples’ faces when they are talking
  • Helps if people sound happy when they talk

Challenges for Kinaestheticlearners:

  • Sitting quietly – start to daydream or display poor behaviour
  • Go away on a tangent and do their own thing
  • Sometimes need extra time to complete tasks
  • Sometimes need specialised resources
  • It can be distracting to others
  • Group tasks
  • Written and verbal assessments

Strategies/Activities to Support Visual Learners

  • Visualisation – ‘Can you imagine what it would look like?’
  • Diagrams and posters
  • Pictures/own illustrations
  • Video clips/photo story/moving image
  • Mind Mapping
  • Post-it notes
  • Drawing or cartoon representations of information or instruction
  • Coloured highlighters and pens
  • Visual timetables and diaries
  • b/d picture of bed, p/g cues

Strategies/Activities to Support Auditory Learners

  • Talking to themselves (Dictaphone) or to others
  • Verbal summaries of key points
  • Listening to others
  • Explaining to another pupil
  • Rhymes and jingles, mnemonics, onomatopoeia
  • Music, songs and raps
  • Voice recording of homework and instructions
  • Auditory imagination – ‘Imagine you can hear…. What would it sound like?’
  • b/d - draw the dog’s head, draw the dog’s body then put on its tail

Strategies/Activities to Support Kinaesthetic Learners

  • Moves out of seat a lot
  • Reaches out or goes to teacher frequently
  • Likes to read words with finger and touch the paper
  • Likes to be ‘part of’ and learns by muscle memory
  • Committed to comfort and movement
  • Touches people and stands close
  • Gestures a lot
  • Responds physically
  • Memorises by walking or seeing

Learning Style Challenge

All staff and pupils engage in activities to discuss their learning style and are provided with a template to show individual learning styles.

  • Pupils have discussed their learning and agreed the following supports.

People who Support our Learning:

  • EAST staff
  • DFS steering group – The Learning Avengers
  • Key teachers/classroom assistants
  • Peers – SLC and mainstream
  • Senior management team
  • Guidance teachers
  • Parents
  • Educational Psychologist – Blake Kileen
  • School community – campus cop ( PC Bysouth), community police, kitchen staff, janitors, clerical staff, school nurse, dental hygienist
  • Speech and language therapist
  • Hearing Impairment – Nick Walker
  • Social worker
  • Career Coach – Lorna Stalker from Skills Development Scotland
  • Ayrshire Chamber – Suzanne Murdoch
  • Ayrshire College art specialists – Ruth and Bill (S4-S6 pupils)
  • Woodlands Trust staff – Neil (Barony A Frame)
  • Fire services
  • Dumfries House gardener – Chris
  • TCV – The conservation volunteers (Susan) - Green Gym
  • Marie Curie volunteer – Elma
  • Mainstream pupil volunteers
  • Me2U volunteers
  • Parent/Carer volunteers

– Mrs Neil (SHANARRI Shack, Comic Relief Fundraiser, Christmas coffee mornings)

- Gary Wallace (Dumfries House – Outdoor Learning)

  • Local businesses (banking advisor – N2 Personal Finance)
  • STEAM/STEM Engineers – Morrison Construction

Supporting our Pupils’ Experiences:

  • ICT – Rapid Phonics and Reading, Success Maker, Bug Club, Clicker, WordTalk, Ivona, Microsoft Word and Powerpoint, ipad apps
  • Oscar boxes
  • Individual learning plans
  • Pupil friendly targets
  • Weekly targets - RAFA
  • Learning logs – self assessment and teacher-pupil dialogue
  • Critical skills challenges
  • Assessment for Learning strategies – Walt andWilf (learning intentions and success criteria), thumbs, traffic lights, two stars and a wish
  • Planners
  • b/d and p/g cues
  • Dyslexia friendly fonts
  • Golden tickets – Pupil of the Week
  • Golden happygrams
  • Visual timetables
  • My Views questionnaire
  • DFS passports
  • VAK questionnaire
  • SHANARRIwellbeing web
  • Nurture classes
  • Rights Respecting Schools
  • DFS classrooms – bright and interactive
  • VCOP - individual sparklines
  • RAFA – individual sparklines, team target
  • Feel Good Friday including Mindset challenges
  • Lunchtime clubs – homework club, badminton, football, reading club
  • Public transport
  • Work experience placements
  • Top Tips – DFS suggestion box
  • WordAware – WOW word of the week
  • DFS class now timetabled

Oscar boxes

There is an Oscar box in every box in every classroom with the following contents.

Magnetic Letters

Post-its

Highlighters

Reading Rulers Overlays

Timers

White Boards

Duster

Glue Sticks

Colouring Felt Pens

White Board Markers

Stress Ball

Alphabet Letters

Foam Letters

Double Blend Letters

Ear Defenders

VCOP pyramids

100 Square

Multiplication square

b/d, p/g cues

Pupil Responsibility

The following pupils will be responsible for checking the contents of the Oscar box and they will make sure they are tidy and replenished if needed.

G01 – Shannon

G02 –S2

G06 – S1

G07a – S3

GO7b –Deryn

G08 – Kimmy

Literacy Support

Reading– how we are supported:

  • Bookmarks – reading strategies
  • Using our finger to follow
  • Helping people with words in the book
  • Reading strategies – sound it out
  • Use a dictionary or a word book
  • Peer support and paired reading
  • Highlight WOW words
  • Walt and Wilf
  • Ask someone if it is pronounced correctly
  • Teacher and pupils do not laugh at you getting it wrong
  • Rainbow Reader CD
  • Research different subjects
  • Poems, stories and plays
  • Pat spelling
  • Use newspapers, magazines and books
  • Read syllables
  • Comic sans font
  • Paired reading

Writing - how we are supported:

  • Plan using mind maps and lists
  • Use coloured paper
  • Coloured background on promethean board
  • Magnetic letters and use WOW words
  • Have a go with spelling on a whiteboard
  • Use VCOP wall
  • Check your own work
  • Use Walt and Wilf
  • WOW words for home work
  • Use a world book or dictionary
  • Carousel, group work or in pairs
  • Challenges are chunked
  • Word process on the computer
  • Wooden letters to help form letters
  • Grammar fans

Listening and Talking – how we are supported:

  • No distractions
  • Peer support
  • Sounding out words
  • Whiteboards and pens
  • Talk about spelling with peers
  • Use WOW words and the VCOP wall
  • Discuss reading books
  • Using Rainbow Reader
  • Use a dictionary
  • Walt and Wilf
  • Being confident to talk in front of a class
  • Oral presentations
  • Lunchtime clubs
  • Group work
  • Listening and talking about news articles
  • Nurture
  • Staff and peers reading aloud to others
  • Personal choice of reading books in our library

Numeracy – how we are supported:

  • Rapid Maths
  • Number fans
  • Hundred square
  • Number line
  • Multiplication square
  • Cubes and other concrete resources (pens, pencils) for counting
  • Place value board
  • Days of the week
  • Months of the year
  • Calendars
  • Stopwatches
  • Challenges – group and individual
  • Calculators
  • Whiteboard and pens for workings and games
  • Board games
  • Interactive board games – Countdown
  • ICT – Numeracy workout, teaching time, teaching measure, teaching tables, teaching money, EDPAX, Sumdog
  • Concrete coins, notes for counting money
  • Textbooks – Teejay
  • Individual work folders – worksheets
  • Resources for weighing and measuring – meter sticks, scales, measuring jugs
  • 2D and 3D shapes
  • Wee Red Box mental strategies
  • Big 100 board

Health and Wellbeing - how we are supported:

  • Shared team vision – RAFA target
  • Nurture
  • Healthy snacks with occasional treats
  • Recognise healthy and unhealthy food
  • Boxall targets
  • P7 and S6 buddies
  • PE
  • Outdoor learning
  • College
  • Handwashing
  • Learning how to do everyday tasks e.g. iron, wash clothes, cook, make hot drinks, make easy hot snacks using the microwave and cooker
  • Positive mindset
  • DFS group are a club who enjoy being part of the team
  • Access to mainstream classes – improves confidence and social interactions
  • Go to the dinner hall with mainstream peers
  • G08 – safe place at break times
  • Wait our turn to speak, listen to others
  • Teachers support our needs
  • Our ideas and opinions are listened to and valued by all
  • Swimming trips – staff cheer us on
  • Sportsability events
  • Celebrating success - Picnic in the park, Celebration Day
  • Positive behaviour – golden tickets, pupil of the week, golden happygrams, golden time
  • Golden time circle - celebrates all our achievements and communicates vital information and models appropriate behaviour
  • Prefects and uniforms

Homework

We have developed a new homework and marking policy. Information will be available on the school website.

Journey towards Gold

We will continue to develop dyslexia friendly approaches towards all aspects of learning and teaching in the SLC.

Marking Code

1