Blog Post

Adaptive Teaching: Empowering SEN Students for Success 

Adaptive teaching is a pedagogical approach that tailors educational experiences to meet the diverse needs of all students, particularly those with Special Educational Needs (SEN). By anticipating and responding to individual learning requirements, adaptive teaching can support an inclusive environment where every pupil can thrive. 

Unlike traditional differentiation, which often involves creating separate tasks for different ability groups, adaptive teaching emphasises flexibility within the classroom. Teachers modify their strategies to ensure all students work towards the same learning objectives, providing support as needed without lowering expectations. This approach promotes a growth mindset and prevents the capping of potential.  

Adaptive teaching offers many benefits, particularly to those with SEN. These include: 

Enhanced Engagement and Participation: Adaptive teaching strategies, such as scaffolding and the use of visual aids, make learning more accessible and engaging for all, but particularly SEN students. This inclusivity encourages active participation and reduces feelings of isolation or shame. 

Improved Academic Outcomes: By providing tailored support, adaptive teaching helps close attainment gaps, enabling SEN students to achieve their full academic potential. This approach ensures that no pupil is left behind.  

Development of Social Skills: Inclusive classrooms that employ adaptive teaching support the building of improved social interactions among students. SEN pupils benefit from collaborative learning opportunities, incidentally enhancing their communication skills and building peer relationships. 

Cultivation of Independence: Adaptive teaching encourages self-directed learning, empowering SEN students to take ownership of their education. This autonomy builds confidence and prepares them for future challenges. 

To successfully integrate adaptive teaching, you will need to look at: 

Assessing Individual Needs: Regularly evaluate each student’s strengths and areas for development to inform instructional planning. 

Flexible Lesson Planning: Design lessons that can be easily adjusted based on student responses and understanding. 

Collaboration: Engage with teaching assistants, specialists, and parents to create a fully inclusive support system for SEN students. 

Ongoing Professional Development: Attend workshops and training sessions to stay informed about effective adaptive teaching practices. 

Embracing adaptive teaching not only enhances the educational experience for SEN students but also enriches the classroom dynamic as a whole. By committing to this approach, you can ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to succeed. 

At the upcoming SEND Leadership Conference on 4th March 2025, Beccie Hawes, CEO and Head of Service for Cadmus Inclusive, will deliver a keynote titled “Adaptive Teaching for Pupils with SEN: What is it and How Do You Do It?” With extensive experience across mainstream and specialist settings, Beccie will provide practical strategies for implementing adaptive teaching in schools. Her session will equip delegates with tools to create supportive and effective learning environments for SEN pupils. 

Sensory Overload

05/22/2023

Following on from the section on sensory overload from the Autism Strategy session at the SEND Group Annual Conference last week here are my top 7 tips to avoiding sensory overload. 

  1. Noise cancelling headphones or earplugs. Some block out as much sound as possible making the environment very quiet. Others filter sound (background noise) making it generally quieter but still enabling you to have conversations.
  2. Mindfulness. Sensory overload can lead to meltdowns, shutdowns or anxiety attacks. Using grounding techniques such as mindfulness can involve quite a lot of trial and error to see what works for the individual. A widely used technique is; acknowledging 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell and 1 thing you taste. 
  3. Adults need to be aware. Staff who work with a young person need to be informed of what they find challenging. When a young person is in sensory overload, they will probably not be able to explain what is happening, it is important the adults are able to support. It may also be useful for trusted peers to know as well. 
  4. Distraction. A young person may be comforted/distracted by something such as a fidget toy, special object, an activity (colouring, sudoku etc). This distraction can be used to draw the brain away from the busy environment and allow the person to focus on their work or it can be down in a quiet space as part of grounding and calming. 
  5. A quiet space. A young person may need to have an agreed quiet space that they can escape to when things are too much for them. They could have a time out card, an agreed person/place to go to. It is important that the space should be somewhere they feel safe, or they will not be able to regulate. 
  6. Try to identify common triggers or times when it is most challenging. This could be unstructured times like breaks, between lessons when corridors are busy. Reasonable adjustments such as leaving a little earlier between lessons, not having to queue in corridors could be all it takes. 
  7. Time to recover. Sensory overload may not always be obvious but the effect it has on the brain and body can be exhausting. Allow time to rest and recover, engage in a special interest, watch or listen to something comforting, stim. These types of activities will all aid recovery from sensory overwhelm. 

It is important to remember that different things work for different people. Get to know your student, work with them, work with their family and you will find the best ways to support them.