“Independent use of equipment and producing work of quality and quantity in the time given” is a current personal focus for Amanda.
As the learning environments and resources in subject areas differ, Amanda’s team have been observing how Amanda manages the tasks in each environment. They have taken particular notice of the methods Amanda uses to record information alongside her class mates.
Lesley Wear describes some of the information Amanda’s education team gathered as they observed Amanda managing her learning environment at high school.
These observations later contributed to the application for a new laptop for Amanda.
Figure 1 Amanda accessing the whiteboard in Art
Evaluating access in Art
In Art, the teacher presented the instructions for the lesson on the whiteboard at the front of the classroom as seen in figure 1.
The students were required to copy down the information.
As Amanda was seated with her peers at the back of the room, Amanda’s buddy copied down what she needed for herself and then Amanda copied the information from her buddy’s book.
Evaluating access in English
In English, as each student had their own text, Amanda completed the required reading alongside her peers.
For written tasks, Amanda demonstrated that she was consistently able to fulfill written tasks if she used her laptop rather than a pen (figure 2).
Amanda reflected that the use of the technology reduced fatigue and the noise of the classroom felt like less of a distraction.
Figure 2 typing was faster, even when energy was low
During these written tasks, Amanda sat at the front of her class in order to read the instructions from the board.
Amanda reflected that she will often sit further back in the class alongside her friends, but acknowledged that a seat nearer the front made it much easier to see the board and she could access information she needed more quickly.
Teaching and learning strategies and adaptations
- Encouraging Amanda to sit at the front helped her academically but was not her choice as her friends sat further back.
- Selecting typing over handwriting increased writing speed.
Useful links
- Accommodations and modifications at a glance – an overview on Family Connect.
- Assistive Technology Guidelines – New Zealand Ministry of Education website.
More information
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