Author: Alastair Fielden
Alastair Fielden 
19.12.17More SEND CPD Training Needed
Home-schooling has been in the news again recently, this time relating to the number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) who are home-educated, and it brings to mind personal experiences of when this had to happen in our household for similar reasons to those that one of the parents gave in the news report. … Continued
Alastair Fielden 13.12.17Choosing Online Teacher Training
The internet has removed many obstacles to training, especially for those of us who are strapped for time. Online teacher training, or rather, training for teachers via an online service, is at last being seen by the profession as a valid method of CPD delivery. Online training, like any other type of training, covers the … Continued
Alastair Fielden 07.12.17Life Skills For Pupils
Alastair Fielden, Connect’s education consultant discusses how our virtual reality platform C-Live can be used to develop life skills for pupils. For many young people, whether or not they have SEND, the prospect of moving into work and finding a role for themselves beyond the walls of education is a daunting if not, for … Continued
Alastair Fielden 29.11.17Connected Learning
The availability of technology for online learning has been around for well over a decade. The Anytime Anywhere Learning initiative that came out of the USA some years ago gained traction in the UK. This approach gives schools the room to develop their vision for extending and enhancing access to learning opportunities beyond the school … Continued
Alastair Fielden 22.11.17Supporting Pupils With SEND – Looking beyond the ‘label’
During my teaching degree a group of us decided to put a pamphlet together about Special Needs. We all had various reasons for our interest in SEN and wanted to inform our colleagues. With input from one of our lecturers, we drafted the content from a mix personal and general experiences. The aim was to … Continued
Alastair Fielden 14.11.17It Takes A Village To Raise A Child
Mental health in schools has been given a lot of consideration with The Prime Minister stating in January that 1,200 secondary schools were to receive Mental Health First Aid training, while Prince William raised the issue of mental health when he talked about his own experiences. The charity Young Minds states, “1 in 10 children and young … Continued
Alastair Fielden 10.11.17How Do Small Groups Benefit Learners?
With increasing class sizes in many schools across the UK, it is understandable that many parents and carers may be anxious about how their offspring are coping in larger classes. It is not surprising that small group sessions, catch-up programmes and intervention strategies are being employed both in and outside of school time in an … Continued
Alastair Fielden 03.11.17Remember, Remember!
Learning relies heavily on our short-term or working memory. Some pupils seem to struggle with carrying out and completing tasks, while other pupils seem to have very few problems. Among the different reasons for struggle, working memory issues are a contributing factor. Picture working memory as a mental ‘note pad’ in which we hold a … Continued
Alastair Fielden 27.10.17Research Supports Writing Ideas
In my articles on encouraging reluctant writers over the past year or so, I have proposed various activities that can stimulate, motivate and assist our young writers with this process. These ideas emerged out of the need to support students of various ages, some with specific difficulties and/or memory issues which affected their writing processes, … Continued
Alastair Fielden 04.10.17The Assistive Side Of Ed Tech
We jump in our car, turn it on and expect it to get us from A to B without needing to understand its internal workings, unless one happens to be into vehicle mechanics. Most of us approach the use computing devices in the same way; we turn it on, expect it to work and call … Continued
