CPD affects our job satisfaction and students' learning

Case Study: 'It has a massive effect on our job satisfaction and students' learning'

Andrea Slade teaches at Epping Forest College and has a dual role at Newham College.

"I teach students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. We prepare them for both life and work. It was with this in mind that a colleague told me about a sharing day, run by a local project called Inclusive Communication Essex (ICE).

It was about finding ever-more inclusive forms of communication. They work with agencies ranging from social services to the NHS across Essex. I went as part of my CPD [continuing professional development] and I was so impressed with what I learned that I immediately embedded it into my work. I'm now coordinating inclusive communication for my whole department for two hours a week.

Among the tools I use is an 'object-of-reference bag'. One student who has no form of communication has traditionally found it impossible to use symbols or communication boards. But this bag has three balls – green for 'yes'; red for 'no'; and yellow for 'I don't understand'. He is able to use them to respond to questions directly.

Another example is a laminated shopping list. This consists of a laminated board with strips of Velcro. I made pictures of food, also with Velcro on, and the idea is for students to look at the recipe I'd created in visual format and they work out what ingredients they need to cook it. They stick the relevant symbols on to their board and take it to the shops to buy the food and then make the dish. It's all about being visual.

Another task I wanted the students to do more often was to make drinks for the rest of the group. They couldn't seem to work with a list so, again, I made up another laminated Velcro resource. Down one side of the board is everyone's photo and along the top are symbols of drinks. The student is able to ask each person what they want and to put a token on the board, then make up the drinks.

Perhaps the most useful concept I learned during the day was the communication passport – something I came back to college saying I wanted everyone to have. It's an A4 ring-bound book that is all about the person and their views and preferences, with an emphasis on communication. It says everything from 'I have problems understanding X' to 'The best way to ask me questions is X'.

Next, I got involved with the Molenet project, which focuses on mobile learning. As part of my CPD, I learned about how to get students using mobile technology, such as Flip camcorders to create photo albums, and I've got students to use the technology to transfer their communication passports to become computerised and therefore more accessible wherever they are.

I've just been nominated for a Beacon award for my approach to inclusive communication. It just goes to show how amazing CPD can be. You never stop learning, and although people in further education have always known that, now it's at the forefront of our minds all the time. Because we have to record what we've learned, it's something that's embedded into our everyday work and that has a massive effect not only on our job satisfaction but on students' learning."