The Access Network: Access English meeting write-up

This meeting featured two teachers who, having successfully tested Flashmeeting in their schools, were participating in their first online conference.

During the hour-long session it was interesting the extent to which teachers of Access units and pupils could meaningfully share resource ideas and practice, despite working at very different schools.

Below is a list of some of the points of discussion. Below that are some links:

The structure of Access 3 English, particularly ways of encouraging 'reluctant' students to choose a text for their Personal Study
Focusing on non-fiction texts with above pupils
Strategies for facilitating Access 1 - Respond to imaginative texts
Reading programmes for teenage boys and how to find room for this during an Access course
Online books and online supporting material for physical books
Promotion of Access English to pupils whose school friends are working towards their Standard Grade English folio and exams
Creating an exam-like atmosphere when pupils are working on NABs
Using Standard Grade texts with an Access class
Shared reading using, for example, big books
Using sensory stories with Access 2/3 classes and then getting them to create their own which could be 'read' to local nursery, pupils with PMLD etc
Reading texts which have a PSE theme, for example 'There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom' to confront inappropriate behaviour
Downloading stories from the Web and copying on to iPods or mp3 players, including copyright concerns
Teaching staff recording themselves or pupils using mp3 player voice recorder
Texts which appeal to those who are 'on the fringes'
Installing 'text-to-speech' software to assist pupils to access all on-screen text, and to listen as they type
Building stories visually using Clicker 5
Finding out a pupil's reading preferences
Preparing students for the Literary Study NAB
Delivering aspects of the course in a cross-curricular way eg one focus for Social Subjects (Organising and Presenting Information) and Language Study.