Richard Hirstwood shows you how a sensory classroom can support practitioners in implementing a sensory curriculum, personalising it to meet the needs of learners and reflecting the five interrelated areas of engagement within the UK government’s Engagement Model: exploration, realisation, anticipation, persistence and initiation.

 We look at barriers to learning and show you how these can be minimised by clever use of simple resources to create safe, multisensory spaces in your classroom to suit all learners.

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Creating inspiring sensory classrooms

    • Introduction and course structure

    • Course outline

    • Your expectations of this course
  • 2

    Module 1: Why do I need a sensory classroom?

    • A. Why do I need a sensory classroom?

    • B. Pre-formal learners

    • C. Semi-formal Learners

    • D. Learners with Autism

    • E. Mainstream schools

    • Key Points and Reflective Practice
  • 3

    Module 2: Classroom Organisation

    • Introduction

    • A. Available

    • B. Accessible

    • Key Points and Reflective Practice
  • 4

    Module 3: Environmental barriers to learning in the classroom

    • Introduction

    • A. Glare

    • B. Shadows

    • C. Fluorescent lights

    • D. Visual clutter

    • E. Flooring

    • F. Classroom layout – including ‘islands of learning’

    • G. Furniture

    • H. Colour coding and contrast

    • I. Clear floor spaces

    • J. Distractions

    • K. Hanging things

    • L. Controlling Sensory Input

    • Key Points and reflective practice
  • 5

    Quiz

    • Quiz
  • 6

    Conclusion

    • Conclusion

    • Evaluation form

Pricing options

Explain how different pricing options might be valuable to different segments of your audience.

Instructor

Hirstwood Training Founder

Richard Hirstwood

Richard Hirstwood is the founder of and lead consultant for Hirstwood Training. He is passionate about enabling educators/practitioners to maximise the impact of delivering sensory learning opportunities, in a sensory room or other learning environments, with the resources available to them. He has developed innovative ways of delivering key skills and competencies via face to face training; coaching sessions; and hands-on work with teachers and teaching assistants; as well as creating bespoke portfolios of training videos for more than a hundred individual schools and settings. His extensive experience is based on practical knowledge, giving him insight into what works and what doesn’t in multisensory practice. Regular sessions with children and adults with autism and all additional needs in a variety of multisensory and classroom settings enable him to maintain this level of excellent practice.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to the staff, parents and children from the following schools for their enthusiasm and permission to let us film them in action!

Kemball School, Stoke on Trent, United Kingdom

Nelson Park School, Napier, New Zealand

Fairhaven School, Napier, New Zealand

Thank you to Glenwood School, Benfleet, United Kingdom for letting us share shots of their tremendous classrooms.