Sensory Topic Planning
Is your sensory topic planning unlocking potential or creating barriers to your learners’ access to the curriculum?
6 November 2024: Part 1 9 am – 12 noon
20 November 2024: Part 2 9 am – 12 noon
Sensory Topic Planning will help you create sensory-driven lesson plans that make literacy, numeracy, and the broader curriculum more accessible to learners with severe, complex or neurodiverse learning needs.
We introduce a structured, sensory-driven approach to topic planning based on a theme that prioritises sensory experiences for these learners. This approach caters to how learners process and respond to sensory stimuli, resulting in deeper engagement, better understanding, and improved retention of information.
We explore how environments beyond the classroom, such as outdoor spaces, can provide learners with new perspectives and experiences that enrich their understanding of a topic. By connecting classroom learning to real-world experiences, learners can deepen their understanding and apply their knowledge in different contexts.
A reflective practice interim task allows delegates to explore the ideas and suggestions raised in session 1 further. Both sessions will collaboratively create a ‘topic box’ of activities, resources, and ideas for delegates to take away and implement in their setting.
By integrating sensory topic planning into literacy, numeracy, and the broader curriculum, you will create a more inclusive and accessible learning environment in your classroom.
9 am Admission and virtual tea/coffee to start the session!
9.05 am Welcome and a warm-up
9.10 am Session 1: Getting started planning around a topic!
We start the day by sharing different approaches to planning your teaching and learning based on a topic.
Delegates will explore:
why topic-based teaching is essential for learners with complex needs/autism
how to start: with the student or the topic?
how to plan topic-related sensory activities
identifying which resources are required
where to look for inspiring and fun resources
which resources are copyrighted, what this means and where to find copyright-free materials
9.40 am Break out room activity
9.55 am Session 2: Literacy – choosing a core text
Next, we look at choosing a text that will make a great base for your chosen topic.
Delegates will explore:
how to extend the learning opportunities offered by your core text with additional literary sources, e.g. a poem or sensory story
how to identify core vocabulary within your text
practical strategies to embed core vocabulary across the day
why and how technology can support pupil’s access to learning
10.30 am Chat task
10.35 am Coffee and a mini online learning activity
11.05 am Session 3: Sensory Spaces – Vision
This session considers how your sensory room/space supports visual work derived from the combination of the topic themes and the learner’s needs profile.
Delegates will explore:
essential visual skills and barriers to these
how to match learner targets to visual activities
using projection to engage the learner
creating visual stimulation activities linked to a theme
low tech visual resources, including homemade ideas
11.45 am Session 4: Sensory Topic Planning Proforma
In this final session, we share a topic planning proforma to support your chosen topic.
11.50 am Q & A
12 noon Plenary, thank you and goodbye!
9.00 am Admission and virtual tea/coffee to start the session!
9.05 am Welcome & a warm up!
9.10 am Revision of crucial points from day one
9.20 am Session 1: Cognition – Maths
How do we approach planning for this area when given a topic such as a core text to focus on future teaching and learning?
You will learn:
how to extract core concepts from the text and match these to cognition targets
linking themes and individual interests for engagement
how to include cause and effect activities
how to facilitate topic related sensory activities to support cognition
9.40 am Session 2: Cognition – Sensory Maths
The session will demonstrate practical sensory activities that promote engagement and support the cognition curriculum.
You will learn:
how to take key concepts from the text and turn them into practical sensory activities
how to deploy technology to support both access and cognition
how to add to your ‘toolbox’ of crucial sensory ideas
how to use video to ‘capture’ activities to reflect and assess
10.00 am Break out room task
10.10 am Session 3: Beyond the Classroom
Particularly relevant at the moment, how does our planning cover teaching and learning beyond the classroom? We will consider home learning, homework, community opportunities, outdoor areas and specialist areas within school.
You will learn:
the importance of generalisation and consolidation of skills
utilising your ‘whole’ school as a resource
how to access specialist areas in school
outdoor learning spaces as teaching/learning opportunities
using your community resources
preparing for effective Home Learning
10.30 am Coffee and mini online learning task
11.00 am Breakout room task – delegates to share findings of the mini online learning task
11.10 am Session 4: Sensory Spaces – Hearing
This session considers how your sensory room/space supports auditory work derived from the combination of the topic themes, and the learner’s needs profile.
You will learn:
essential auditory skills and barriers that may be targets for learner
how to match learners’ targets to auditory activities
using sound to engage the learner
creating auditory activities using low tech resources
the best equipment to use to create sound stimulation and soundscapes
the role of auditory memory/sequence
how to help our children to ‘make’ sounds
11.50 am Q & A
12 pm Thank you and goodbye!
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.
Richard Hirstwood is passionate about enabling educators/practitioners to maximise the impact of delivering sensory learning opportunities, in a sensory room or other learning environments, with the available resources. His extensive experience is based on practical knowledge, giving him insight into what works and what doesn’t in multi sensory practice. Regular sessions with children and adults with autism and all additional needs in a variety of multi sensory and classroom settings enable him to maintain this excellent practice.
Carol Allen is an education advisor for ICT and Inclusion, currently offering specialised support to Local Authorities, schools, parents and carers and a wide range of educators worldwide. She has taught since 1980 in both mainstream schools – primary and high, and schools for students with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties. As an English specialist, she recognises that communication lies at the heart of all effective teaching. Accordingly, most of her work has centred on technology’s creative and engaging use to support communication in its broadest sense.
All the resources from this event will be in your account at online.hirstwood.com. You will access these using the email address on the booking form and your password (instructions in the joining information for creating your password.)
Here you will find:
a digital recording of the event
resources shared or signposted during the session
a transcript of the Zoom chat
your certificate of attendance
These will be available for 10 days after the event.
Each place costs £225 plus VAT.
You can pay by credit card for this booking or request an invoice on the booking form.
‘Some brilliant ideas that will definitely be great for our learners! Thank you very much.’
Thank you!! brilliant info!
‘An amazing three hours well spent! So many lovely useful ideas to use with my learners now. Thank you’
‘Brilliant training with some fantastic ideas and themes which we will use.’
‘Thank you for all the really useful links, ideas, resources, it’s been great to share the practical ideas as well as the theory!’
‘thank you for a brilliant course :)’
