Visual Bridges for Special Learners: A Complete Resource of 32 Differentiated Learning Activities for People with Moderate Learning and Communication Disabilities

Teachers and trainers running activities for people with learning and communication difficulties face the daunting task of balancing a wide range of needs, abilities and preferences, whilst simultaneously being asked to meet measured outcomes, record progress and create their own resources. This book presents thirty-two original, engaging and highly visual learning sessions. The activities have been specifically designed to develop learning skills, self-awareness and awareness of others, explore representation, language and early literacy, and cooperation and teamwork. Each session is comprehensively described and includes worksheets, learning aims and suggestions for differentiation and extension activities for either group work or individual learning. These activities will help to develop confidence and motivation by using highly visual resources to bridge the gap between language and cognition. They will be perfect for teachers and trainers running college classes and community education centres, day and residential care centres and training programmes. All the worksheets are included in colour on the accompanying CD.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. Section 1. Learning Skills; Senses, Process and Recall. Introduction. Activity 1.1. Senses: Which Sense? – A Group Warm Up. Activity 1.2. Process: A Group Tactile Discrimination Game. Activity 1.3. Process: A Sound Discrimination Activity. Activity 1.4. Process: Rhythm Bingo – Sound Memory. Activity 1.5. Recall: See, Imagine, Memorize. Activity 1.6. Recall: A Group Picture Study. Activity 1.7. Recall: Picture Prepositions. Activity 1.8. Senses: A Sensory Composition. Section 2. Cooperation and Teamwork. Introduction. Activity 2.1. Manners Bingo. Activity 2.2. Hands on the Line. Activity 2.3. Act it Out. Activity 2.4. Board Game Builder. Activity 2.5. A Flock of Poems. Activity 2.6. Team Menu Maker. Activity 2.7. Collage Race. Activity 2.8. Team Art. Section 3. Introduction. Activity 3.1. Awareness of Self and Others; First Impressions. Activity 3.2. Self Awareness: My Choices – A Picture Preference Portrait. Activity 3.3. Self Awareness: What am I Feeling? – Identifying and Labelling Internal States. Activity 3.4. Self Awareness: Understanding Me – Outside In. Activity 3.5. Self Awareness; Several Steps to Bloom – A Visual Strategy for Personal Goal Setting. 3.6. Awareness of Others: Using Preference Portraits to get to Know Others. 3.7. Awareness of Others; Situations, Feelings, Actions. 3.8. Awareness of Others: Different Perspectives. Section 4. Early Literary Skills; “The Fruit Bowl”. Introduction. Activity 4.1. (2 levels) Mark Making – Copy, Colour and Control. Activity 4.2. (2 levels). Rhythm and Rhyme, Finding and Using Rhymes to Make Poetry. Activity 4.3. (2 levels): Discuss and Describe – Language Development; Adjectives. Activity 4.4 (2 levels). Storytelling; Take a Picture, Weave a Narrative.