Inclusion case study
Use of symbols as a communication tool
Evergreen School, Warwick
What have you been doing at Evergreen School regarding communication using symbols?
'We use it to promote self-awareness. We use it within their independence so that they are able to communicate what they need for an activity, what they might like for an activity, whether that is within our learning opportunities, whether that's in their choosing time. we're always promoting their communication and enabling our students to feel a sense of independence and a sense of being listened to.'.
Jenii Sorbie - Class Teacher
What is the impact of using symbols for communication?
'We are giving them a variety and a broad range of vocabulary through symbols and the grid within our school environment.'
Jenii Sorbie - Class Teacher
Example of a student using communication symbols to explain a worry
'Having the symbols on that aided learning display meant that they were able to tell us exactly what they were worrying about. It meant then we could communicate with them.'
Jenii Sorbie - Class teacher
How do you promote democracy using communication symbols?
'We have also used symbols to support with our British values, particularly with democracy. Actually, today in school, we are voting for our school council representative. Symbols will get used throughout the whole process of our school council'
Becky Gee - Class Teacher
How does communicating with symbols support your story massage initiative?
'Because he was able to go and get the symbols to bring it back to us, which is, again, it just shows how symbols, especially for our pre-verbal, really enable them to get across their message of how they're feeling or what they're missing out on. It gives them that chance to show us because, again, we wouldn't have known that was what was upsetting that child.'
Jenii Sorbie - Class Teacher
How does communicating with symbols support literacy?
'I've also absolutely loved using symbols when doing literacy work, but typing it up. So not always work produced by the teacher, but work that is produced by the pupils or students. One common example is when they've typed up weekend news and that they can see that when they get a spelling correct, then the correct symbol comes up. So they understand, Oh, I have chosen the correct word there because that symbol matches what I was thinking in my head. So it's a really brilliant tool for them to be able to use as well and help them with their understanding.'
Becky Gee - Class Teacher
How can you use communication symbols to convey understanding?
'We would ask the students, what is the Flamingo doing? And then they would have the response, the Flamingo is. And then we would use a variety of symbols so that the children could communicate or the students could communicate what the Flamingo is doing at that time by choosing and pointing to one of these or using eye gaze to look at a specific one.
Lisa Cleveley - Assistant Headteacher
What are the benefits for teachers in using communication symbols?
'The benefit of us using symbols as a teacher personally, I think it enables me to check their understanding. It enables me to get their voice. It enables me to ensure that what I am delivering, they've understood.........'
'I think I would personally find my job really hard to do because I wouldn't be meeting those students' needs without that.'
Jenii Sorbie - Class Teacher
What is a total communication environment?
'Symbols really become their way of communicating, being able to read, being able to understand where they're going, and that just keeps building through symbols and grid'
Jenii Sorbie - Class Teacher
How can learners express themselves using symbols?
'It's just always building those opportunities for symbols, concrete objects, to support their learning, communication. It's very set with everything I do.'
Jenii Sorbie - Class Teacher
What advice would you give to other teachers in embedding communication symbols?
'The advice that I would give to other teachers and other teaching staff that have not developed their use of symbols yet is just get around schools that use it and see lots of different experiences. I still love going to different classes, and it's just always refreshing to sit back and see how someone else is using symbols alongside any other practice
Becky Gee - Class Teacher
What is 'Rebound therapy', and how do you integrate symbols in it?
'A visual prompt just helps them to visualize what it is, the instructions is, and also processing to go along with the verbal. In rebound therapy, we have used symbols. We introduced them at the beginning. It's a reinforcement of the instructions and the verbal prompts that we are giving them. It just helps them to visualize what we are asking them to do.'
Rachel Hollyoake - Teaching Assistant
What is the grid approach?
'We start with core words on the left-hand side, which are the same regardless of the activities that you're doing. Learners that are just starting out to use symbols, we'll start with a grid that looks similar to this, which is 12 cells with these three same core words. And then as they become a bit more confident, we introduce a few more symbols into it to create a 20-cell grid. That can then build up to a 30-cell or 50-cell as and when students become more confident with it.'
Lisa Cleveley - Assistant Headteacher
The use of symbols in the playground
'For one of our students, it's very important to have the now and next. To support them and to keep them regulated, that they know what's happening'
Nazia Aslam - Teaching Assistant
