Teaching Through Toys.
This course looks at the role of Switch Adapted Toys in the teaching of pupils experiencing a Learning Difficulty. A toy is seen as anything that has the potential to motivate a Learner, an item that a person uses for recreational pleasure, a plaything, something that serves for or as if a diversion, rather than for their primary practical use. Thus fans, bubble blowing machines, vibrational mats and tubes as well as light system may be included in this broad definition.
For nearly all children toys are extremely motivating. For those children experiencing learning difficulties perhaps coupled with physical disabilities and additional sensory impairments even simple toys can be made to be of great educational benefit. The trick is not necessarily in the toy itself but in how the toy is presented and how it is used.
Turning on an alligator in one session and a yapping dog in another other over a period of months is not demonstrating progress. The child that hits and switch and turns on a yapping dog is not necessarily demonstrating cause and effect skills. The child that smiles when a toy moves on activating a switch is not necessarily demonstrating understanding. The child that 'chooses' one toy from two is not necessarily demonstrating a conscious choice.
How do you switch adapt a toy? How can you make the toy operate for only a few seconds? How can you add a sound effect to accompany your switch adapted toy? How can you tell whether a child has grasped the underlying concepts so that progress can be made? What do you do after the child can turn on a barking dog? What is the best type of switch adapted toy and why? How can we use toys to teach concepts of history, geography, numeracy, literacy, etc? How can we begin to assess a child's understanding of the concepts being taught?
Through the medium of switch adapted toy play this course attempts to address these question to enable course participants to gain the most from thier practice with children.
For nearly all children toys are extremely motivating. For those children experiencing learning difficulties perhaps coupled with physical disabilities and additional sensory impairments even simple toys can be made to be of great educational benefit. The trick is not necessarily in the toy itself but in how the toy is presented and how it is used.
Turning on an alligator in one session and a yapping dog in another other over a period of months is not demonstrating progress. The child that hits and switch and turns on a yapping dog is not necessarily demonstrating cause and effect skills. The child that smiles when a toy moves on activating a switch is not necessarily demonstrating understanding. The child that 'chooses' one toy from two is not necessarily demonstrating a conscious choice.
How do you switch adapt a toy? How can you make the toy operate for only a few seconds? How can you add a sound effect to accompany your switch adapted toy? How can you tell whether a child has grasped the underlying concepts so that progress can be made? What do you do after the child can turn on a barking dog? What is the best type of switch adapted toy and why? How can we use toys to teach concepts of history, geography, numeracy, literacy, etc? How can we begin to assess a child's understanding of the concepts being taught?
Through the medium of switch adapted toy play this course attempts to address these question to enable course participants to gain the most from thier practice with children.
Description of course
The Teaching Through (Switch Adapted) Toys course looks at the use of switch adated toys in the curriculum and begins to formulate a theory of good practice. The course details how to create your own switch adapted toys from everyday battery operated toys that can be purchased readily from local toystores. It also discusses which items make better switch adapted toys for use in an educational setting and why.
The course does not focus on specific toys as such items are transient: the toys available for purchase today will not be available in six months time. Rather, the course looks at the issue involved in working practice and implementation, at addressing cognitive milestones such as object permanence, cause and effect, and Object Constancy, and at targets and objectives.
A section of the course is devoted to practical ideas for working with toys that move beyond the 'let's switch the toy on and see what it does' stage.
For further information on this course why not take a look at the Teaching Through Toys page.
The course does not focus on specific toys as such items are transient: the toys available for purchase today will not be available in six months time. Rather, the course looks at the issue involved in working practice and implementation, at addressing cognitive milestones such as object permanence, cause and effect, and Object Constancy, and at targets and objectives.
A section of the course is devoted to practical ideas for working with toys that move beyond the 'let's switch the toy on and see what it does' stage.
For further information on this course why not take a look at the Teaching Through Toys page.
Course Outline
Participants should aim to arrive between 8:30 and 9:30 for registration and tea/coffee. The course will commence at 9:30 prompt and the presenter will not delay for late comers. Times below are an approximate guide to the day and may vary considerably. Where the course is closed to outsiders, times may be decided by the booking agency.
At the close of the course at approximately 3:30 pm, participants may leave or stay for further tuition dependng on the requirements of the venue and at the discretion of the course tutor. Additional assistance and support will be given to course attendees by e-mail in the weeks following the course as necessary.
The course will describe and detail the creation and use of switch adapted toys, cover their implementation, as well as demonstrating a variety of ideas for their use in the Special Needs environment. By the close of the course at approximately 3:30 pm, participants should have some good ideas how to improve the practice with toys in their environment.
08:30 Arrivals. registration. Tea and Coffee (until 09:30)
09:30 Introduction to Switch Adapted Toys. What is a toy? Good vs not so good and why.
09:45 Creating Switch Adapted Toys
10:15 Working with USB toys
10:30 Break
10:45 Timing Toys: How , when and why
11.15 Switches - good practice with toy use: Switch rules, Learner control, Wireless switch control of toys
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Targets and Objectives
13:30 Addressing Cause and effect, Object Permanence, Object Constancy
14:15 Ideas for toy use across the curriculum
15:30 Q & A Finish
After the course closes, there may be time for further study (depending on the requirements of the venue and at the discretion of the course tutor) for those that wish to remain. However, this will be purely voluntary and all course attendees are free to leave at the official close of course at 3:30
At the close of the course at approximately 3:30 pm, participants may leave or stay for further tuition dependng on the requirements of the venue and at the discretion of the course tutor. Additional assistance and support will be given to course attendees by e-mail in the weeks following the course as necessary.
The course will describe and detail the creation and use of switch adapted toys, cover their implementation, as well as demonstrating a variety of ideas for their use in the Special Needs environment. By the close of the course at approximately 3:30 pm, participants should have some good ideas how to improve the practice with toys in their environment.
08:30 Arrivals. registration. Tea and Coffee (until 09:30)
09:30 Introduction to Switch Adapted Toys. What is a toy? Good vs not so good and why.
09:45 Creating Switch Adapted Toys
10:15 Working with USB toys
10:30 Break
10:45 Timing Toys: How , when and why
11.15 Switches - good practice with toy use: Switch rules, Learner control, Wireless switch control of toys
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Targets and Objectives
13:30 Addressing Cause and effect, Object Permanence, Object Constancy
14:15 Ideas for toy use across the curriculum
15:30 Q & A Finish
After the course closes, there may be time for further study (depending on the requirements of the venue and at the discretion of the course tutor) for those that wish to remain. However, this will be purely voluntary and all course attendees are free to leave at the official close of course at 3:30
Course Objectives
Course Participants will be able to …
- differentiate between toys that are good for educational use and those that are not so good;
- create a switch adapted toy;
- understand how to switch adapt a USB toy;
- time switch adapted toys;
- promote good practice in the use of switches with toys;
- develop targets and objectives for Switch Adapted Toys;
- address early cognitive milestones through the use of Switch Adapted Toys;
- develop new ideas for working with Switch Adapted Toys to suit the needs of
individual Learners.
What level of ability does the course address?
Any switch user with any level of Physical Disability and or Learning Difficulty who is motivated by toys.
It begins by addressing the needs of the Learner experiencig the most profound learning difficulties and develops through the day to the Learner who is using scanning as his/her primary means of access.
This course is suitable whether working at any age with children or adults.
It can be tailored to specific client groups.
Skill level of attendees
People attending this course need not have any previous experience of working with toys or of switches.
Experience with working with learning difficulties is useful but also not essential.
Experience with working with learning difficulties is useful but also not essential.
Requirements
There are no special requirements. for those wishing to attend this course.
What does it cost?
The cost of the (open) switching course is just £99 per person.
Establishments wishing to host their own course should contact TalkSense.
A booking form is available for download here.
Please read the Terms and Conditions for all courses here.
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