Wednesday
Jun082011
Learn with Me: A “revelation” for peripatetic teachers
by 
The Land of Me | in Learn with Me
The Land of Me | in Learn with Me
Carolyn McLaren is an Early Years Teacher based at the Area Education Office, Community Wing at Colgrain Primary School in Argyll and Bute. Carolyn has been using The Land of Me with a range of children in different settings as her role as a peripatetic teacher.
N.B. A peripatetic teacher is a teacher that visits a range of schools and offers specialist support.
Carolyn works with children and staff to support good teaching and learning
practice and she says that she has found The Land of Me a revelation!
Carolyn feels that, “The Land of Me is a great tool and resource because it covers all children’s needs and it is so flexible.” She also says “it is very easy to differentiate activities so that a range of pupils can work together.”
Carolyn finds The Land of Me particularly useful for children who have English as a second language. While working one to one with a little boy who has very little English, she was delighted to see his face glow when he was shown The Land of Me. Carolyn has found that there are many ways to interact positively with The Land of Me without the need for language. This has allowed her to positively support children with language development. As well as meeting the needs of this group of children, Carolyn is finding that the “more able children are loving The Land of Me as it is extending and challenging their own use and understanding of language.”
An HMIe (an inspector of education) recently observed Carolyn working with a little boy who is non-verbal and has challenging behaviour. The inspector was really impressed with the results she was having with this little boy and was very excited by The Land of Me. The little boy is often stressed and tearful but when he was presented with The Land of Me he calmed down, watched and then joined in. He even waved for another child to join in! He stayed on task and focused while playing with The Land of Me for significantly longer than he does with other activities.
Carolyn sums up the benefits of using The Land of Me in her role as a peripatetic teacher:
• Children are given time to respond.
• There is always an opportunity to anticipate something exciting that's about to happen.
• Children are free to make their own choices.
• More than one child can benefit at a time.
• Children stay longer on task so there is more scope for interaction and collaboration.
• Children of all needs and abilities can have a positive learning experience.
• The activities can develop into other things away from the computer.
• It’s great to have something new and different!
If you are using The Land of Me in a range of settings we would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on our Facebook page or email hello@madeineme.com.
N.B. A peripatetic teacher is a teacher that visits a range of schools and offers specialist support.
Carolyn works with children and staff to support good teaching and learning
practice and she says that she has found The Land of Me a revelation!
Carolyn feels that, “The Land of Me is a great tool and resource because it covers all children’s needs and it is so flexible.” She also says “it is very easy to differentiate activities so that a range of pupils can work together.”
Carolyn finds The Land of Me particularly useful for children who have English as a second language. While working one to one with a little boy who has very little English, she was delighted to see his face glow when he was shown The Land of Me. Carolyn has found that there are many ways to interact positively with The Land of Me without the need for language. This has allowed her to positively support children with language development. As well as meeting the needs of this group of children, Carolyn is finding that the “more able children are loving The Land of Me as it is extending and challenging their own use and understanding of language.”
An HMIe (an inspector of education) recently observed Carolyn working with a little boy who is non-verbal and has challenging behaviour. The inspector was really impressed with the results she was having with this little boy and was very excited by The Land of Me. The little boy is often stressed and tearful but when he was presented with The Land of Me he calmed down, watched and then joined in. He even waved for another child to join in! He stayed on task and focused while playing with The Land of Me for significantly longer than he does with other activities.
Carolyn sums up the benefits of using The Land of Me in her role as a peripatetic teacher:
• Children are given time to respond.
• There is always an opportunity to anticipate something exciting that's about to happen.
• Children are free to make their own choices.
• More than one child can benefit at a time.
• Children stay longer on task so there is more scope for interaction and collaboration.
• Children of all needs and abilities can have a positive learning experience.
• The activities can develop into other things away from the computer.
• It’s great to have something new and different!
If you are using The Land of Me in a range of settings we would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on our Facebook page or email hello@madeineme.com.
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