TTS Educators' Podcast

Mark Loveday is joined again by Emma Jordan to discuss the understanding around social communication skills. Emma highlights the challenges that practitioners face and offers insights about actions to take. 

Emma and Mark talk about the role of play in language development and practitioners can learn how to support support children in primary years. Emma also touches on pre-teaching language skills and resources to support practitioners.  

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Mark Loveday is joined by Emma Jordan, a specialist speech and language therapist and co-service lead for the children's speech and language therapy service in Worcestershire. 

In this episode, Emma explains the role of early intervention in education and identifying speech and language needs early. Emma also highlights the impact of communication on social and emotional health. 

Practitioners can learn more about the tools for early identification of communication needs, being aware of children’s hearing capabilities and creating effective learning environments.  

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited. 

Mark Loveday is joined by Beccie Hawes for a final episode, to focus on building inclusive environments for children with autism. Beccie discusses how crucial it is to support children at the earliest opportunity and the role of “inclusive by design” in a classroom setting. 

The episode highlights asking children what they really need, rather than making assumptions as adults, and finding out what are non-negotiables to make every learner comfortable in their learning. Practitioners will learn about different ways to equip a room and make sure that choice is available to help foster independence, offering a “buffet of sensory tools rather than a menu”.  

Teachers will understand that the way they teach rather than what they teach is equally as important. Beccie gives a real-life example of a teacher being brave and changing up a lesson that was going wrong, and how they fixed it, as well as what small things might put autistic children off in a classroom. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, host Mark Loveday is joined by Beccie Hawes to talk about the boundaries of social interaction in autistic children. They discuss the assumption that children must have friends where in fact that they may prefer being alone to self-regulate and be comfortable as observers. 

Mark and Beccie discuss collaborate play based approaches so children can interact in their natural way whilst interacting in meaningful, real-life situations. Beccie gives an example of how she teaches “reading the room” and giving a child the space to step back and assess their environment via a more therapeutic approach.  

Practitioners can learn how “wondering aloud makes the invisible visible” and “what do do if”, to help offer tailored approaches to autistic children, whilst finding ways to get them to engage with the world around them. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Mark Loveday is joined again by Beccie Hawes to discuss communication challenges in young children with autism and how they might struggle with recognising social cues and fast paced environments.  

Mark and Beccie discuss verbal and non-verbal children and highlight that they process and communicate in different ways, as well as providing meaningful communication attempts to different children. 

Practitioners can learn more about providing structure and creating routines to foster effective communication, as well as the roles of Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Mark Loveday is joined by Beccie Hawes to discuss what is autism, how does it manifest itself in children and how many forms of the condition there are. 

In this episode, Beccie explains her role at CADMAS and their role in supporting SEN children, as well as giving real-life examples of how autism can show-up in everyday life situations. 

Practitioners can learn more about thinking more broadly about neurodiversity and the importance of highlighting the needs of a child, rather than using a label as a one-size-fits-all approach. There is also advice for parents considering seeking diagnosis for their child and misconceptions. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited. 

Mark Loveday is joined by Arran Smith for a final episode, to focus on inclusive environments for SPLD children. Mark talks about how he has rolled out support in his own educational setting and the role of upskilling staff to deliver an effective education to SPLD children. 

The episode highlights Arran’s view of inclusive environments and offers considerations as to whether a classroom is kitted out effectively and has the look and feel for SPLD children to feel comfortable in. Arran also touches on how less is more when it comes to creating an inclusive environment and not being afraid to ask questions to improve the overall provision.  

Practitioners will learn about tools for supporting children, such as illuminated mark making writing boards and sensory tents, as well as the role of supportive agencies that could offer external support. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

In this episode, host Mark Loveday is joined by Arran Smith to discuss how SPLD children view the world around them and how this should be championed as a strength. Arran talks about understanding an individual’s differences and strengths and developing skills. 

Mark and Arran discuss examinations and coursework, noting that the education system as it is, is not a one size fits all approach to pedagogy. They talk about fostering a culture for success in pupils and being mindful of being present as an educator and what impact this can have. 

The conversation turns to the importance of making time to praise and reaffirming things that have gone well in the classroom to ensure the child understands their achievements. Arran gives a direct example from his own life of receiving praise and how this interaction stayed with him until today. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Mark Loveday is joined again by Arran Smith to discuss the crucial role of assistive technology such as apps, software and tools to support children. They discuss technology enabling children to break down barriers and be part of a more inclusive environment. 

Arran questions why assistive technology was rolled out to children during the pandemic to improve their learning but then rolled back following the end of lockdown. They also talk about free or low-cost resources that could be useful for teachers and parents to consider for their children. 

Mark and Arran discuss how to repurpose technology for multiple uses to suit school budgets better, as well as valuing teachers with better resources. They also talk about why a skill like typing isn't taught, but writing is, highlighting the need to prepare children for adulthood in the modern world, where technology is so prevalent. 

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.

Mark Loveday is joined by Arran Smith to discuss specific learning challenges (SPLDs) and the associated diagnostic labels, focussing on how to better support pupils. 

In this episode, Arran explains how multi-sensory structured teaching supports processing information and aiding learning, as well as the importance of early diagnosis. 

Practitioners can learn more about whole-brain learning and not just focussing about book work, but a broader learning delivery to support all pupils. Arran and Mark also talk about the Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR) cycle, as well as the importance of connecting broader ideas together to help deliver quality education in the classroom.  

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(The views expressed throughout this podcast are the speakers' own, and TTS does not take responsibility for the views and guidance highlighted as part of this recording.)  

Please note: When referencing the speakers views, theory and work for development of your own materials, please ensure academic reference of the speaker is cited.