New solution to misophonia in the school environment
According to Vitoratou et al. (2023), around 18% of the UK population may be suffering from misophonia. This condition could be characterised by a negative emotional reaction to certain sounds, such as chewing, tapping foot, and typing (Jastreboff and Jastreboff, 2002 cited in Palumbo et al., 2018).
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Due to patients experiencing emotions like feeling trapped and helpless (Vitoratou et al., 2023), it often contributes to a reduced quality of life, also regarding academic performance (Edelstein et al., 2013 cited in Palumbo et al., 2018).
Some of the potential treatments for misophonia include distress-tolerance, compassion training, and acceptance-based treatments (Schneider and Arch, 2015 cited in Palumbo et al., 2018). However, all of the above suggest that the patient will not get the desired results until they change their approach to the issue and make progress. This could be especially problematic when working with pupils who might feel too overwhelmed by the sound even to consider this kind of treatment. Simultaneously, very popular recently ear defenders block out not only unwanted noise but also teachers which might lead to the feeling of exclusion.
Last year, we launched a product that might be the new solution to this problem. WhispEar is designed to work within ear defenders with specially curated speakers. These are connected to a transmitter and a microphone either attached to or held by the teacher so the only sound students are exposed to is their teacher’s voice. The speakers could also be removed and used only as a way to enhance the teacher’s voice while the headphones could act solely as protection from outside noise.
Right before the launch in September, we carried out research the aim of which was to find how effective our tool was. We gave the teaching aids to about 30 people from the education sector across the UK for them to test the tools out in school and university environments. The objectives were focusing on distraction and focus levels.
Out of the sample group, not one participant declared a lack of improvement with most participants describing their experience with WhispEar as significantly better, compared to working without any aid. Some of the feedback responses included:
“The children have really enjoyed using them and they work really well. We just loved using them within class… The concentration from the children was much better and the room was much calmer and quieter. It was a great behaviour management tool also. I used them in group work as well as when I read the class read. The attention was much better.”
“I gave it a go during my lectures and it really helped me focus, I loved it! First time I've focused for more than 20mins.”
“It makes such a difference as X is more engaged and I find it so much easier to keep him on task.”
WhispEar seems to be the answer for people suffering from misophonia and focus issues. This applies to both those who seek long- and short-term solutions, as it could provide temporary aid while the patient goes through, for instance, distress-tolerance treatment. The respondents of the research mentioned above highlighted the practicality of the speaker placed inside the ear defender and the positive effect the tool had on their focus levels and attention span. The product has proved to be particularly useful in school environments where young students are exposed to plenty of outside stimuli, especially noise.
To ensure accessibility, the education sector is entitled to a substantial discount on School Supplier Shop.
References:
Palumbo, D. B., Alsalman, O., Ridder, D. D., Song, J., & Vanneste, S. (2018). Misophonia and Potential Underlying Mechanisms: A Perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, v. 9, p. 953 [online].
[Accessed: 31st of January 2024]
Avaialble at: National Library of Medicine.
Vitoratou, S., Hayes, C., Uglik-Marucha, N., Pearson, O., Graham, T., Gregory, J. (2023). Misophonia in the UK: Prevalence and norms from the S-Five in a UK representative sample. PLOS ONE v. 18(3), p. e0282777 [online].
[Accessed: 31st of January 2024]
Available at: PLOS Journals.
Google AI for teachers
To create fun lessons AND have a life can be a difficult task 😅. What if we told you we knew a few shortcuts to that? We explored Google AI and gathered the most useful features. Read on to find out how to reduce your workload 👇.
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1. Text analysis - this includes sentiment analysis, entity analysis, entity sentiment analysis, content classification, and syntax analysis. Free for the first 5,000 units per month for most features. Content classification remains free for 30,000 units a month.
2. Text-to-Speech - let your students listen to a read while you grade some papers. It sounds natural and has human intonation. No need to spend time recording yourself, either. Free for the first 4 million characters.
3. Speech-to-Text - convert your thoughts and ideas into notes by uploading 60-second recordings. Free for the first 60 minutes per month.
School capacity and SEND students
On the 21st of March, the government published data on school capacity in the school year of 2022/23. Some of the data is quite interesting if you ask us. Find out why 👇
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General data
- 17% of primary schools and 23% of secondary schools were at or over their capacity.
- In the school year of 2015/16, this figure was at 14% for secondary schools. This means it rose by nearly 10%.
SEND
- There were around 148,000 special school places, including 60,000 primary places and 88,000 secondary places.
- There were around 152,000 special needs pupils registered.
- Approximately 58,000 in primary and 94,000 in secondary.
- This means that in secondary education, there are around 6,000 more special needs pupils than the schools can accommodate.
Keep students engaged
Time for the bane of classes - lack of student engagement. How to fight it? We leave a few tips below! 👇
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1. Give a reason - make it clear that if they don’t do a task, there’s a possibility you will find out; make the task individual so they can’t rely on anyone else and have to put the effort in.
2. Stop - sometimes all your students need is just a few seconds to redirect their attention to you, especially when they’re tired or overwhelmed with the amount of information presented to them. Or maybe the sudden stop of the “background noise” (that’s you) will make them think something happened.
3. Keep asking questions - again, students who know they may be asked try to stay focused. U can do it after various activities like completing a task, a discussion or listening to another student.
4. Mental breaks - ask your students to do something that requires little to no mental effort, like moving around a bit (can be while they’re still sitting down) or drawing on the side of their notebooks. Maybe play a quick game if you have enough time. As little as 30 seconds can be enough to stop your students from drifting away.
5. Keep the content engaging - either through engaging multiple students’ senses or even creating the content with you.
6. Surprise! - do the unexpected. The weirder, the better; anything from coming up with a silly, catchy phrase to mimicking a T. rex. Bonus points if you can turn the phrase "into a cue to engage with you". Or just turn the lights off.
AI for Teachers
AI is not that new anymore. It’s becoming an integral part of many parts of our lives (with various outcomes). Here, we list a few of the biggest AI resources for teachers!
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1. Curipod - generate lessons, quizzes, ideas for quick breaks and more in up to a few minutes. Lessons can contain interactive activities, as well. You can also automatically translate content to another language (note: in the free version you get only 20 credits/month while translating 1 slide costs 1 credit).
2. Eduaide.ai - first, you need to know that in the free version you have 15 prompts a month. Besides, it’s a tool for pretty much everything teaching, from lesson content to admin tasks, to feedback, to building assessments.
3. ChatGPT - you can ask it to play the role of a student or a parent and it will point out weaknesses in your arguments, helping you refine them.
4. TeachMateAI - report writer, activity ideas, concept explainer and many more features in the free version.
5. Canva Magic Write - can write paragraphs of text for you in a few seconds. Note: this feature is available only in the free version 💷.
6. In general, every AI - not every answer AI gives is factual. You can use it with your students to practise critical thinking.
Academy Trust CEO Training
The National Institute of Teaching launched a programme that will prepare future trust CEOs. Here’s the most important information! 👇
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Training:
- 12 months long + 3 month aftercare
- Hybrid-learning based
- Fully-funded
- Based on the multi-academy trust leadership development for CEOs
- Starts in September 2024
Includes:
- Four 2-day in-person conferences
- Three 5-day immersion experiences
- A maximum of 18 hours of self-study
Participants must:
- Have significant experience in many schools as leaders
- Be a CEO or have sustained exposure to the role
- Have experience in system leadership
Adaptive Teaching
Adaptive teaching has many benefits, like improved learning outcomes and student engagement. How to do it in practice? We have a few tips! 😁
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1. Rephrase - say it again but differently. Maybe a word or two were a barrier?
2. Deconstruct - when you show an example of a task done well, don’t forget to tell pupils why it’s good and how to get there.
3. Highlight - draw attention to the key points.
4. Group - divide pupils into groups randomly, without assuming anyone’s abilities, and let them learn from each other before they try to complete a task on their own.
5. Explore/situate - you can use prompts, pictures, videos, or start a discussion before explaining the subject to show a bigger picture.
Ofsted and CQC SEND Inspections
This week, our subject are Ofsted and CQC’s inspections on how SEND students get prepared for adulthood.
The inspections will:
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- Happen between spring and summer 2024.
- Consider all stages of education.
- Identify both examples of good practices and reasons for concern.
- Examine aspects like employment, independent living, community inclusion and health.
- Take up to 8 days, where both on-site and off-site parts can take up to 4 days each.
- Not name any area unless it agrees to be identified.
Local leaders will be notified 10 working days in advance of the on-site visit.
However, surveys for parents, partners and young people with SEND will go live on the day of notifying the area.
The results of all inspections will be published in autumn and are said not to contain any judgement of areas and providers.
Teacher Apprenticeships
Not long after the ITTECF, the government announced that those without a university degree could start their career through apprenticeships, as well. Here are the key points:
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- Duration: 4 years.
- Suitable for both those who want to work at primary and secondary schools.
- No degree is needed.
- Fully funded - apprentices do not have to pay for the course, they get paid for their work, too.
- Apprentices will receive qualified teacher status.
- Recruitment starts in autumn 2024.
- Apprenticeships start in 2025.
Changes in teacher training 2025
1. SEND More content from adaptive teaching and updates in the framework to improve inclusivity.
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2. Tools
ECF lead providers will create diagnostic tools for ECTs to reflect on their knowledge and experience.
3. Subject
ECF lead providers will create more materials focusing on specific subjects.
4. Mentors
Mentor training will take only 1 year.
5. Oracy
More emphasis on developing pupils’ oral language skills. This point contains a clause that teachers should consider the individual circumstances of students, especially while working with SEND pupils.
3 Tricks for Inclusive Schools
1. Immersive lessons
Not every student learns at the same speed and in the same way. Use
... pictures and videos, or even better - learning through practice, play and experiments.
2. Stimuli and noise protection
Some children struggle with focus due to under- or overstimulation. Solution? Very popular a while ago fidget spinners, moving chair or ear defenders.
3. Talk, talk, talk…
Different doesn’t mean worse - you know it but some pupils may not. Make sure your behaviour carries the right message and soon you’ll notice a difference in how children talk about each other, too.
