PMLD Life Skills: Dual coding

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Authors

Issue Date

2025

Educational Level

ISCED Level 0 Early Years Education
ISCED Level 1 Primary Education
ISCED Level 2 Lower Secondary Education
ISCED Level 3 Upper Secondary Education
ISCED Level 4 Post-secondary non-tertiary education

Curriculum Area

Geographical Setting

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Abstract

Context: The study focusses on enhancing the educational experiences of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) through a specific lesson study. Conducted in a school with a focus on Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disability (ISEND), the study aimed to develop life skills in pupils who have profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). The emphasis was placed on using dual coding - the combining of verbal and visual instructions to facilitate learning key tasks.

Aims: The primary aim of the study was to determine effective strategies for teaching life skills, specifically making toast, to improve the independence of students with SEND. The research also sought to establish a solid pedagogic foundation for these teaching strategies while investigating the transference of learned skills to contexts beyond the school environment.

Methods: The lesson study was structured over several weeks. In the initial weeks, a team was formed to identify pupils and agree on the study's focus following an analysis of the school's primary needs. Subsequent weeks involved observational assessments of students, debriefing sessions to analyse findings, and iterative lesson planning, culminating in the completion of observations and conclusion of findings by week six.

Findings: The findings indicated that providing explicit verbal and visual instructions facilitated the incorporation of information into students' long-term memory. Pupils showed significant responsiveness to clear instructions and structured learning tasks, resulting in greater independence in completing life skills tasks.

Implications: The study exemplifies the role of structured pedagogical frameworks combined with dual coding in supporting children with SEND. Other educators may learn from the effectiveness of task-oriented and visual instructional methods in enhancing skill retention. Additionally, the research suggests that implementing lesson studies as a professional development strategy could yield insights into child learning progression and serve as an intervention when student progress stalls. The potential for skills learnt at school to be translatable to home environments remains an avenue for further exploration.

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Keywords (free text)

inclusion, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) , profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) , life skills , dual coding , explicit instruction

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