Louise H

I am a classroom teacher with 23 years experience. I hold a BTEC National Diploma in Childhood Studies as well as a Bachelor Education Degree in Primary Education Studies with QTS. During my career, I have had the opportunity to work with many children who have had a range of different needs. I have a good knowledge of effective strategies and interventions to support, engage and inspire young people. I have a passion for primary education and am trained in both ReadWriteInc phonics and Mathematics Mastery. I always approach learning with a ‘I do, We do, You do’ style, giving the child confidence from effective modelling and shared practice.

How I teach students with attention and listening difficulties 

Ensuring I have the attention of the child is paramount in being able to communicate effectively. I say their name and, if suitable, gain eye contact before providing clear, brief and concise instructions to ensure attention in the first instance. I then allow the child time to process the information and would ask them to repeat it back to me so that I can see they have fully understood. I use visual support when giving instructions and am clear on the amount of time they have for the task. It’s really important to give praise to reinforce and encourage good listening as well as using positive redirection. I plan in and adapt the use of rest / natural movements breaks.

How I support students with social communication difficulties

Developing an effective relationship with parents/carers to really understand the child is paramount for children with social communication difficulties. Parents and carers will be best placed in knowing the signs of anxiety and challenging behaviours the child may present and home and if any communication has come via other external professionals. I would use social stories to develop the child’s understanding of cause and effect through ‘what if’ scenarios. The feelings and emotions that come through the social stories would then be supported by the use of self-regulation strategies. I would ensure visuals are used and ensure they show what I would want from the young person.  

How I teach maths 

I teach maths through a CPA approach, whereby I would also refer and use concrete resources and manipulatives so that the child can experience these first hand. Practical activities that engage and enthuse children will always make maths seem a desirable and enjoyable subject to learn and be involved in. Once a concept has been introduced and experienced using the ‘concrete’ resources, I would then look to introduce this in a ‘pictorial’ representation enabling the child to match their experiences with the concrete resources with the pictorial representation. Once the child is fully immersed and has understood both the C and P, then the abstract can be introduced, with the child experiencing just the numbers that match their prior experiences. 

How I teach English

Reading

Finding engaging texts that interest the young person will encourage them to be more involved and invested in the text and therefore reading in general. I pre-teach key vocabulary prior to reading the text and then would encourage the young person to identify those during the text sharing time, this encourages the child to stay forced and adds a level of competition and excitement to see who can ‘spot’ them first. Teaching and then encouraging pupils to summarise at key points will also ensure they have understood what they have read or have been read to, allowing them to become fully immersed in reading. Asking both clozed and open ended questions whilst reading will also encourage the child to think more deeply about the text and therefore deepen their understanding of what they have read, also encouraging links to prior learning, experiences and knowledge. Retelling narrative texts is also crucial as it vital links to speaking, listening and communication and also encourages the link into writing. 

Writing

Providing word banks, pre-teaching vocabulary, having writing frames and scaffolds as well as having a good modelled example will all allow the writing sessions to have a clear structure and support along the way. This means the child will feel supported and encouraged at every stage in the writing process, limiting the anxiety over a ‘blank’ page. Written tasks will be purposeful and meaningful to the young person as this creates the ‘buy-in’ to the task and reduces the reluctance to it. I use a stimulus for writing that is linked to their interests and therefore encourages engagement. 

How I help students with their well-being – anxiety or emotional behaviours

Developing a good understanding of the child through building an effective relationship with them as well as engaging in purposeful communication with adults involved enables me to understand their behaviours and feelings. I teach the young person to learn about, recognise and communicate their emotions. I empathise with a child’s emotional state and use this as a teaching tool to explore with them more effective responses. I always ensure the child has their feelings acknowledged and validated, encouraging them to feel part of the process in understanding their feelings and emotions. I share resources and ‘tools’ with the children on how to understand and explore their feelings and provide them with routines that can support them in calming their feelings if it becomes overwhelming. 

How I teach students with memory and retention difficulties 

Using lots of modelling and scaffolds (including writing frames and prompt sheets) will enable the child to ‘see’ the task and then, with support and guidance, be able to complete the small sections/chunks of learning. I provide exact repetitions and will ask the child to repeat back the instruction. Using recording apps and devices will also support the child in having their ideas played back once they have verbalised them. Effective modelling of both the learning and the vocabulary will all support the child in building up their memory and retention capacity. 

I am a classroom teacher with 23 years experience. I hold a BTEC National Diploma in Childhood Studies as well as a Bachelor Education Degree in Primary Education Studies with QTS. During my career, I have had the opportunity to work with many children who have had a range of different needs. I have a good knowledge of effective strategies and interventions to support, engage and inspire young people. I have a passion for primary education and am trained in both ReadWriteInc phonics and Mathematics Mastery. I always approach learning with a ‘I do, We do, You do’ style, giving the child confidence from effective modelling and shared practice.

How I teach students with attention and listening difficulties 

Ensuring I have the attention of the child is paramount in being able to communicate effectively. I say their name and, if suitable, gain eye contact before providing clear, brief and concise instructions to ensure attention in the first instance. I then allow the child time to process the information and would ask them to repeat it back to me so that I can see they have fully understood. I use visual support when giving instructions and am clear on the amount of time they have for the task. It’s really important to give praise to reinforce and encourage good listening as well as using positive redirection. I plan in and adapt the use of rest / natural movements breaks.

How I support students with social communication difficulties

Developing an effective relationship with parents/carers to really understand the child is paramount for children with social communication difficulties. Parents and carers will be best placed in knowing the signs of anxiety and challenging behaviours the child may present and home and if any communication has come via other external professionals. I would use social stories to develop the child’s understanding of cause and effect through ‘what if’ scenarios. The feelings and emotions that come through the social stories would then be supported by the use of self-regulation strategies. I would ensure visuals are used and ensure they show what I would want from the young person.  

How I teach maths 

I teach maths through a CPA approach, whereby I would also refer and use concrete resources and manipulatives so that the child can experience these first hand. Practical activities that engage and enthuse children will always make maths seem a desirable and enjoyable subject to learn and be involved in. Once a concept has been introduced and experienced using the ‘concrete’ resources, I would then look to introduce this in a ‘pictorial’ representation enabling the child to match their experiences with the concrete resources with the pictorial representation. Once the child is fully immersed and has understood both the C and P, then the abstract can be introduced, with the child experiencing just the numbers that match their prior experiences. 

How I teach English

Reading

Finding engaging texts that interest the young person will encourage them to be more involved and invested in the text and therefore reading in general. I pre-teach key vocabulary prior to reading the text and then would encourage the young person to identify those during the text sharing time, this encourages the child to stay forced and adds a level of competition and excitement to see who can ‘spot’ them first. Teaching and then encouraging pupils to summarise at key points will also ensure they have understood what they have read or have been read to, allowing them to become fully immersed in reading. Asking both clozed and open ended questions whilst reading will also encourage the child to think more deeply about the text and therefore deepen their understanding of what they have read, also encouraging links to prior learning, experiences and knowledge. Retelling narrative texts is also crucial as it vital links to speaking, listening and communication and also encourages the link into writing. 

Writing

Providing word banks, pre-teaching vocabulary, having writing frames and scaffolds as well as having a good modelled example will all allow the writing sessions to have a clear structure and support along the way. This means the child will feel supported and encouraged at every stage in the writing process, limiting the anxiety over a ‘blank’ page. Written tasks will be purposeful and meaningful to the young person as this creates the ‘buy-in’ to the task and reduces the reluctance to it. I use a stimulus for writing that is linked to their interests and therefore encourages engagement. 

How I help students with their well-being – anxiety or emotional behaviours

Developing a good understanding of the child through building an effective relationship with them as well as engaging in purposeful communication with adults involved enables me to understand their behaviours and feelings. I teach the young person to learn about, recognise and communicate their emotions. I empathise with a child’s emotional state and use this as a teaching tool to explore with them more effective responses. I always ensure the child has their feelings acknowledged and validated, encouraging them to feel part of the process in understanding their feelings and emotions. I share resources and ‘tools’ with the children on how to understand and explore their feelings and provide them with routines that can support them in calming their feelings if it becomes overwhelming. 

How I teach students with memory and retention difficulties 

Using lots of modelling and scaffolds (including writing frames and prompt sheets) will enable the child to ‘see’ the task and then, with support and guidance, be able to complete the small sections/chunks of learning. I provide exact repetitions and will ask the child to repeat back the instruction. Using recording apps and devices will also support the child in having their ideas played back once they have verbalised them. Effective modelling of both the learning and the vocabulary will all support the child in building up their memory and retention capacity.