CRAFT ED
Learning Skills for Life
SEN Learning Resource
This document was written in partnership with Sheila Jordan, DCCoI Education Panel member and Jill Mulligan teacher at the School of the Holy Spirit in Kilkenny DESIGN & CRAFTS COUN CIL OF IRELAND | EDUCATION@DCCO I.IE
CRAFT ED Learning Skills for Life SEN Learning Resource September 2017 This learning resource is designed for Crafts persons who are going to co-facilitate a CRAFTed programme in a school that caters for learners with Special Educational Needs (SEN). It is also of use to crafts persons who might have a learner with SEN in their CRAFTed mainstream class group. The resource will highlight some aspects to be aware of, and how advanced planning and research can help you in your preparation for your CRAFTed project. This resource has been informed by the work of Sheila Jordan (Craftsperson) and Jill Mulligan (Teacher), in the School of the Holy Spirit, Kilkenny. We are very grateful to them for sharing their experience of the CRAFTed programme in a SEN environment and demonstrating how CRAFTed can be utilised for young persons of many ages and abilities. We hope that you find this resource useful. If you have any feedback on this resource please email DCCoI Education Manager, Fiona Byrne: fiona@dccoi.ie .
CASE STUDY: School of the Holy Spirit Kilkenny “It is a beautiful school to work in, with a very positive and encouraging attitude, the project received excellent support from the Principal, teacher and SNA’s”. Sheila, craftsperson Throughout this recourse first-hand experience from a craftsperson and teacher working in the School of the Holy Spirit is used to compliment the general advice and guidelines. The School of the Holy Spirit provides an educational service to learners with SENs in Kilkenny and the surrounding areas. This class involved in this CRAFTed project was the upper primary class, who ranged from 11 years to 13 years. The school caters for students who are diagnosed with ASD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Emotional and Behavioural difficulties and other special needs. Often crafts persons might not be aware of the different diagnosis and what they mean, sometime between the teacher and craftsperson before the project can help in this regard, as well as some extra research on the part of the crafts person. See the RESOURCES section below for some helpful links.
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TIPS FOR PLANNING The success of a project is dependent on there being good communication and trust between all the parties involved. Projects should celebrate the children’s creativity being cognisant of the skill level and ability of each child, and building on their skills set as they grow throughout the project.
At our planning meeting, we agreed that the best way forward was to use the project to support the subjects and activities already planned for April/May in the class room. The theme the children were working on was Kilkenny, and the class had a visit to Kilkenny Castle and a walk by the river planned, so we decided to link the project with these two outings and build on that. The visual art curriculum strands to be used for the project were – Drawing, Print, Fabric and Fibre. The aims and objectives of the project should be agreed in advance during the collaborative planning session. They should be in line with the overall aims and objectives of CRAFTed, with consideration of the visual arts curriculum. In any school there will be a diverse range of abilities and challenge to be faced. For students with SEN plans needed to be flexible and accommodating of the different needs of each child. When introducing the children to new skills and ideas through art, time should be allowed to encourage each child to absorb and develop these skill at their own pace.
Was planning important? Yes, planning and preparation at the beginning laid the foundations for a very successful project. I think it is crucial to build a good relationship between the Teacher and the Maker based on mutual trust and respect and an understanding of each person’s role. The teacher brings their experience in the class room and their knowledge and understanding of their students. The maker brings their making and artistic skill and experience of working with children. Working together and drawing from each other’s strengths and experiences This project happened to be working with children with special needs but the model for a successful project I think is the same whether working in a
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mainstream setting or with children with special needs the basic principles are the same. Build a good partnership between the teacher and the maker, plan your project but be willing and prepared to change your plans should the need arise (and it almost always does!) celebrate the children’s creativity, be flexible in your approach. Importantly have fun and enjoy.
When planning a project consider the following: •
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Role of the Teacher/SNA/Craftsperson in the delivery of the CRAFTed programme should be clearly outlined before the ‘in classroom’ sessions begin. Ask your teacher what it is reasonable to expect from them and SNA and what is your responsibility. Ensure that everyone is comfortable and has agreed to their roles/responsibilities. Classroom layout: Know the basics: where are sinks/first aid box/toilets? Do you need to change layout? How might this affect the learners? Use of adaptive tools: for example rollers instead of brushes, adding scents to paint, SNA can advise when learners might need to used adaptive tools How to divide up your lesson: do learners need breaks, chill out time, is the structure clear to the learners etc. Speak with your teacher/SNA about methodologies for the delivery of the project. Are their indicator of understanding you can be aware of? Can you use visual aids, for example write key words on board? How can you integrate affirmational feedback (verbal/written/visual) into your lesson? Teacher/SNA should meet with Craftsperson to inform them of the needs of each learner with SEN. They can provide you with information on classroom management techniques, non-verbal stress indicators, personal interests of learners, differing abilities of learners. This way the teacher and crafts person can make notes of each child’s specific needs prior to ‘in classroom’ activities and can factor this in the different sections of the lesson plans. This also helps to avoid the passing of such information from teacher to Craftsperson at a later stage during class activities and in front of the pupils. Confidentiality is of paramount importance when discussing individual students and information shared is to be used sensitivity on a need to know bases.
Sheila’s and Jill’s experience of working with new materials in the classroom is an excellent example of why extra preparation is essential when creating lesson plans for SEN learners.
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We flagged a couple of potential issues at the planning stage, relating to the new materials we would be using when printmaking and felt making. There was a possibility of sensory issues arising because of the materials being used, for example, the feel of the wool or the smell of wet wool while felting. Sometimes it is the unfamiliarity of the materials that is the problem, there may be nervousness of new experiences. We were mindful of this and understood and discussed that for some children this may be an issue. Being aware of this we made time to explain materials and allow children to handle the wool and talked about its funny smell, we laughed about it still smelling a bit like sheep. We also found that working closely beside others can be difficult for some of the children. Sounds and loud noises may be stressful, and anything new and outside of the normal routine may cause issues with some children. This is where the partnership between teacher and maker is so important. The teacher knows their pupils and will be in the best position to flag any potential problems in the class room.
REFLECTION & REVIEW Learning from the process is a key aspect of the CRAFTed programme. Everyone involved in a CRAFTed programme learns; the teacher, classroom assistants, craftsperson and of course the pupils. Looking and Responding sessions as part of CRAFTed provide an opportunity for sharing the learning from your project. It is advisable to document your process and leave time for reflection on your experience. This is best done with your teacher and SNA (if applicable). A final report is required for all CRAFTed projects, so this process will assist with the completion of your report.
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Why document a project? For me documenting is a crucial part of any CRAFTed project from the makers point of view to record the process and evaluate what was successful and what needed to change or adapt for better outcomes. The Teacher has a record of what happened to use for future classes and as a memory aid for how and why processes happened. The children can see the journey they have come on and have actual evidence of what they have achieved over the time of the project.
Methods for documentation: There are many ways that you can document the process of a CRAFTed project; through photographs, keeping notes or a diary, classroom reflection with the learners, visual notes etc. We agreed that documenting the project would be an important part of the process and a valuable resource for Jill and the class for future work. With that in mind I suggested that the class keep a record of the ideas and activities linked to the theme of Kilkenny by making little sketches and drawings on post-it notes throughout the project. We make some sketch books from recycled paper and a twig from the garden, using new tools and fine motor skills to make the books. This would form a visual diary of the project. These methods of documentation can be integrated into your project. In fact they work best if they are! For example, see how Sheila and Jill used the visual diaries as a way for the learners to record their experiences, then used these as source material for prints and felt works, and then were able to use the journals as a way to reflect on the learning journey through the CRAFTed project: Before I first visited the class Jill and the children went on a tour of Kilkenny Castle, we had discussed this at planning stage and agreed the children would make some drawing following their experience of the castle. These drawings were used for our printing session later in the project. We used these drawings to make prints and they were the source for the children’s individual felt pieces.
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Who documents? Everyone can be involved in documenting, the teacher, maker and the SNA’s and the learners. The different perspectives are very valuable. CRAFTed was great fun and we learned many things. Mrs Mulligan and Sem made a book about our project so we will remember everything we did. We can bring our work home but there is a book in the school so everyone can see what we did for our great CRAFTed project (Pupils from SHS).
Note of Permissions for Documentation: Always ensure that permissions have been sought and given at the beginning of the project for children to be photographed/videoed and for the materials to be used for documenting and sharing the project see Image Safe Code from DCCOI for guidelines.
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES Failure can be a difficult thing for us all, but learning to fail and how to grow from our mistakes is a life skill that is useful beyond the visual arts. Learners can often find this difficult when working with new materials and techniques. Creating a space for experimentation and exploration allows time for learning without the pressure of hard outcomes. Our printing session introduced the children to some of the tools and techniques for printing, as well as new terminology and terms for those tools and techniques. Sometimes the printing didn’t work very well and the children were disappointed, but with perseverance we eventually succeeded which was a valuable lesson. Recognizing the importance of giving the children the time and space to make mistake and allow them to cope with this process. Rather than interfering, the approach was to facilitate problem solving and assist in figuring our why something didn’t work, allowing them to find solutions for themselves.
It is not just the pupils that learn through the CRAFTed projects, teachers, SNAs and makers also hone their professional skills through a project. Focusing on ‘key learnings’ from your project is a way to reinforce the knowledge gained from engaging in the project.
Was there any moment of insight or learning for you and your teacher? We both agreed the importance of recognizing and understanding that the work the children made was their work, it was about their creativity, and their learning journey. While we (adults) were excited and inspired by what we were seeing we needed to be mindful of how to demonstrate processes, skills and techniques. Helping and encouraging the children where needed, without taking over the work. What was helpful was demonstrating on our own piece of work when the children needed help so we could show a technique without doing it for the
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children, working alongside them worked well. It’s not about a right and wrong way of doing something but finding individual solutions.
USEFUL RESOURCES: General Info: The Department of Education and Skills provides and overview of provision for learners with SEN and useful resources and polices.
https://www.education.ie/en/The-Education-System/Special-Education/ The National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NCCA) provide PDF guides for different curriculum disciplines and various level of special educational needs. http://www.ncca.ie/en/Curriculum_and_Assessment/Inclusion/Special_Educational_Nee ds/Download_Special_Educational_Needs_Guidelines/Guidelines_for_teachers_of_stud ents_with_general_learning_disabilities.html The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Inclusive Education Framework provides guidance to schools on what constitutes good practice for including pupils with special
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educational needs and is designed to provide clear signposts to schools on their journey towards inclusion. http://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/InclusiveEducationFramework_1.pdf The Special Education Support Service (SESS) provides CPD Audit Tools for teachers, the ‘Inclusion of Students with SEN: A Checklist’ might also be of interest to crafts persons in planning their projects: http://www.sess.ie/cpd-audit-tools The NCSE also provide a PDF guide on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in School provides general information on Special Educational needs, how assessments are made, how students are supported and examined. It also includes views of parents as to how they feel their children should be supported. http://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Supporting_14_05_13_web.pdf
Arts Specific info: Arts and Disability Ireland is the national development and resource organisation for the arts and disability in Ireland. Their website has lots of useful information and often features project showcases and interviews with artists working with people with SEN and other disabilities. They also offer a mentoring programme for artists in association with Fire Station Studios. http://adiarts.ie/ The Kennedy Centre and The International Organisation on Arts and Disability report on The Intersection of Arts Education and Special Education: Exemplary Programs and Approaches contains a number of contributions from across arts disciplines and educational settings http://education.kennedy-center.org/pdf/Professional_Papers_Vol_1.pdf Friendship Circle is a US non-profit which aims to provide every individual with special needs the support friendship and inclusion that they deserve. The stories section of their website has lots of inspiration and arts related projects: http://www.friendshipcircle.org/ CAPE: Chicago Arts Partnership in Education Report, DeMoss & Morris, How Arts Integration Supports Student Learning: Students Shed Light on the Connections http://capechicago.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/How-Arts-Integration-Supports-Student-LearningFull-Report-CAPE.pdf
Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Castle Yard, Kilkenny R95 CAA6, Ireland education@dccoi.ie +353 56 7761804
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