The scent of jasmine, quiet melodic music and videos of the natural world are set to welcome Monday’s sensory learners to the classroom. This set up shows all the learners, no matter what their needs, they have arrived at college.
We begin each session by greeting everyone and signing a hello song and exploring a communication switch to say hello; communication is more than just spoken words. It is important that every learner’s communication be understood by others.
Our visual timetable includes photographs and objects and shows everyone the “to do” list for the session, giving everyone the opportunity to understand what to expect. Some learners will now choose to check this when they arrive or during the session.
There is always a word of the week, we use touch, listen to sound, use our vision, our sense of smell and taste (if appropriate) to explore this word.
For some learner, there are symbols and photos to match and for some there are sensory umbrellas to explore. Each session includes a creative task: we might paint with bells, textured rollers, bubble wrap or roll marbles in paint to create our own art. Maybe after this we will visit the library upstairs, re-pot plants or have a sensory game of skittles. There is usually a music activity, perhaps a singing bowl, finger piano or boom-whackers to explore or the guitar to play and listen to. The music of the Beach Boys, ABBA, the Sound of Music and Amazing Grace are the group’s top picks.
Throughout the 2-hour session together, we pause, make choices and communicate our opinions through words, spoken sounds, signs, photos, symbols or body language, as everyone works towards their individual learning plans with whatever accommodations and adaptions they need to support them on that day.
It has been an absolute pleasure to begin my tutoring career with this group. The part of my job that brings me the most joy is the magic moments when a learner finds a new way to express themselves.
Our adult learning programme is a fantastic opportunity for people to improve their skills in areas such as maths and digital skills. You can browse courses on the GoLearn website.