Best Way to Teach SEN Students

A lot of students in mainstream schools have Special Educational Need (SEN). In previous years, SEN students were separated from the mainstream: but this is now discouraged as much as possible.

Tips for teaching SEN students

•  Take the time to find out what impact the child’s SEN has on his or her learning ability. Find out their strengths, weaknesses and background, etc.
•  Never assume that a SEN will automatically create a learning barrier.
•  Adapt your teaching style to suit the student don’t expect them to adapt to you.
•  Seat SEN students near to the front of the class to help them focus their attention.

•  Engage them in the lesson by asking them questions within their ability – make them feel involved.
• Encourage group work so that every child can learn from each other – allow SEN students a little bit more freedom to work with whom they feel comfortable.
•  Give written and oral instructions for all activities – ensure the student knows what they have to do and is following the lesson.
•  Repeat yourself or approach things in different ways if the student does not understand – be patient.
•  Break up each task into small, manageable chunks.
•  Differentiate your learning resources so that every student’s needs are met, SEN or otherwise.
•  Explore how ICT can help SEN students e.g interactive white boards, computer use, and literacy and numeracy support soft­ware.
•  Where possible, ensure that projects and assignments are skills based and that they are relevant and exciting to the learners.

Remember: Teaching a SEN student does not need to be a scary prospect. Although you may find it a test of your teaching skills in some ways, it is also a good opportu­nity to address issues such as differentiation in your teaching and assess how you can make your lesson delivery accessible to all.