Collaborate to Accommodate Learner Needs

Coaches should help educators use technology to create personalised and accessible learning environments and help them to coach students to create their own learning goals and be aware of their work preferences in order to achieve their goal.

ISTE states that coaches ‘should collaborate with educators to provide accessible online or virtual learning environments that use technology in the classroom to deliver content, personalise learning and manage student progress towards learning objectives. These environments, if planned for and supported, should maximise student learning and engagement, such as differentiation, assistive technologies, building motivation to learn by stimulating interest, multimodal content delivery, fostering learning awareness of their work preferences, and recognition of how academic work aligns to personal goals.’ 

We all have different learning preferences and coaches can help educators by supporting them in the use of tools to reflect these differences. When we are learning we are moving towards a goal, and it is important to reflect on our goals and on our progress. Power Apps can be used to create a coaching platform for recording skills, knowledge, goals, plans and reflections, and coaches can help educators to encourage goal-setting and reflection in students.  

When working towards a goal, some children and adults do not present their best efforts in written form. Dictate in Microsoft products is one option as it captures the speech of the student into written form, Another option is Flip for students who prefer verbal communication. 

If coaches have helped educators with knowledge of different tools for learning and pupils know how to access material that is most suitable for them, then educators can create learning menus of hyperlinked articles and videos for student choice.