Sensory learning: intent, implementation and impact!
Beyond your classroom!
23 March 9 am – 12 noon
Do you use all the available learning spaces in school to support you in delivering a dynamic and effective sensory curriculum?
We introduce the key elements that will extend your teaching and learning beyond your usual classroom environment.
We explore how a more diverse range of learning environments can provide hands-on and experiential learning opportunities to create a new perspective on a sensory curriculum.
We explore how to maximise these unique elements of different environments inside and outside school, utilising the particular resources and experiences they offer matched to pupils learning.
In this session, our focus will be on corridors, specialist spaces such as a sensory room, outdoor areas and the wider community.
9.00 am Admission and virtual tea/coffee to start the session!
9.05 am Welcome and warm up!
9.15 am Session 1: Where to start?
We introduce the key elements that should extend your teaching and learning to outdoor spaces.
You will learn:
why the classroom is a starting point for learning
why consolidation and generalisation are critical factors in successful learning outcomes
how to audit and maximise the use of available specialist rooms
how to use non-traditional teaching spaces in school e.g. corridors
how to evaluate the potential of your school’s outdoor space
why you should be connecting with your local and the wider virtual communities
9.45 am Breakout room chat
10.00 am Session 2: Sensory Rooms
Specialist sensory rooms exist in both mainstream and special schools. This session will support you in reassessing your use of the space and developing activities that extend and consolidate learning opportunities beyond it.
You will learn:
how to audit your sensory space
how to mix fixed and flexible resources
how to link sensory room sessions with classroom and curriculum targets
10.45 am Coffee time!
11.00 am Session 3: Outdoor spaces
Every school or unit has some outdoor space. It may be large and varied in resource provision, or it may be small and simple. We consider ideas that will work in both scenarios.
You will learn:
how to create a multipurpose small outdoor space
sensory ‘makes’ for outdoor activities
ideas for sensory horticulture
ideas for sensory water play
teaching ideas to deliver Literacy and Numeracy outside
11.30 am Session 4: The Wider Community
Our schools should not exist as isolated units. In addition to your home/school links, we should maximise the potential of local community resources and the energy offered by engagement with the online world to share, collaborate, and curate best practices in outdoor teaching and learning.
You will learn:
How to explore and make the best use of your school’s local community.
Utilising the online community offered by social media
11.50 am Q & A
12 noon Thank you and goodbyes!
This course will be appropriate for classroom practitioners from special schools and colleges, mainstream settings with specialist SEN provision and early years settings, and working with pupils with severe/complex learning needs and autism, or both.
The following resources will be available in your account for one week after the course date: a digital recording of this event, any resources shared/signposted during the session and a transcript of Zoom chat.
Each place costs £75 plus VAT
You can choose to pay by credit card for this booking. You can also request an invoice by confirming your booking by entering a Purchase Order Number on the booking form.
To make a group booking, please select the number of places you wish to book using the drop down menu in the ‘Book event’ section. Select ‘next.’ Complete the requested fields and the name and email addresses of those wishing to attend. If you don’t know the email address for any delegate, you can email this to lois@hirstwood.com later.
‘It has been one of the best courses I have attended recently! Loved the enthusiasm’
‘It was very informative and has given me lots of further avenues to explore.’
‘The trainers are able to engage the listeners in an amusing way. Questions were answered promptly and links or resources are shared immediately.’
‘Practical ideas and a renewed understanding of sensory differences’
‘Learning about creating the learning environment and expanding use of sensory resources’
