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Session 1. Understanding Needs in Educational Terms
Objective. Describe a pupil's learning needs in observable, respectful, educational terms, use person-first language, and refer to specialists with a factual note instead of a diagnosis.
When a pupil struggles, the first words we choose decide what happens next. 'Lazy' ends the search; 'finds long written tasks very slow' starts one. This lesson gives you a way of looking that stays close to what you can see and hear, keeps the pupil's dignity, and prepares a clear note for a specialist. You will not be asked to find out what is 'wrong' with anyone. You will be asked to describe, to try something, and to ask for help early and with facts.
Key ideas
What 'special educational needs' means
- A pupil has a special educational need when they need something additional or different from what most pupils in the class need in order to learn. It describes what the school must provide, not what is 'wrong' with the child.
- Needs can be small or large, short or long term. Many pupils have needs that no doctor has named; many pupils with a diagnosis need very little extra in your subject. Always ask what THIS pupil needs in THIS lesson.
- Course 8.6 (Differentiation & Inclusion) taught barriers and general scaffolds. This course goes deeper into pupils whose needs have been identified or are likely to be, and into the plans and partnerships around them.
Educational language, not medical language
- A teacher describes what can be seen and what helps: 'Aziz reads about one word in three wrongly, loses his place, and understands well when I read the text aloud.' That sentence is useful in tomorrow's lesson.
- A diagnosis belongs to qualified specialists: a doctor, psychologist, speech therapist or defectologist. Do not tell parents or colleagues 'I think he is autistic' or 'she has ADHD'. You can be wrong, and a guess can hurt the family.
- Your job is different and just as important: notice, record, adjust your teaching, and ask for assessment through the proper route.
Person-first and strengths-first
- Say 'a pupil with dyslexia', 'a pupil who uses a wheelchair', 'a pupil with special educational needs'. Avoid 'the dyslexic', 'confined to a wheelchair', 'slow', 'abnormal', 'difficult child'. Some people prefer 'autistic pupil'; ask the pupil and the family which they prefer.
- Begin every description with strengths: Jasur draws maps beautifully; Malika remembers every story. Strengths are not a courtesy. They are the way into the lesson.
- Words set expectations. 'Lazy' ends the search for a cause; 'finds long instructions hard to hold in mind' opens it.
Observe, record, try, refer
- For about two weeks, write short dated notes: the task, what the pupil did, what helped. Ask parents and last year's teacher what they have seen. Facts, not opinions.
- Try two or three classroom adjustments for four to six weeks and note the effect. Then ask your head of studies, school psychologist or district specialist for assessment through your school's route, and write a short factual note.
- Do not wait when there is a safety concern or a sudden change: a pupil who cannot see the board, seems not to hear, or suddenly withdraws needs a prompt check and a conversation with the family. Keep all notes confidential and share only with those who need them.
From noticing to asking for help
The ladder from seeing to labelling
Think of three rungs. At the bottom is an observation: 'Aziz read 6 of 20 words correctly in the paragraph.' The middle rung is an inference: 'He is not trying.' The top rung is a label: 'He is a problem reader.' Busy teachers often jump to the top in a second. The habit to build is to stay on the bottom rung when you talk or write about a pupil, and to say clearly when you move up.
A simple test is whether another adult standing next to you could see or count the same thing. Counting words, minutes and times a week gives you a sentence you can share with parents and specialists without hurting anyone, and it shows whether your help is working.
Referral is a conversation, and you keep teaching while you wait
A good referral note is short: what you see, since when, in which lessons, what you tried, what happened, and the question you want answered. Add a strength. Give a copy to the family and keep one in a safe place. Ask when you may expect a reply.
In many places specialist services are stretched and a reply can take weeks or never come. You still teach the pupil. Keep using adjustments that help, because they cost little and do not depend on a name for the difficulty. If you ever see signs of danger or sudden change, speak to your head of studies the same day.
Examples from the classroom
Three rungs in a Grade 4 lesson
Scene. Malika teaches Grade 4 Uzbek in Samarkand. After a reading round she writes in her notebook, 'Aziz is weak.' Her mentor asks her to rewrite it as something countable. She writes, 'Aziz read 6 of 20 words correctly and stopped twice; he retold the story well.' The second version tells her what to try next: read to him first, then ask him to retell.
Insight. Observation sentences point to action; labels close the discussion.
Two weeks of small notes
Scene. Jasur, Grade 7 mathematics in Tashkent, notices that Madina rarely starts tasks. For ten lessons he writes one line after class: the task, when she started, what helped. The pattern is clear: she starts within a minute when the first step is written on the board. He also asks her parents what they see at home and brings both to the school psychologist.
Insight. Short dated notes turn a feeling into evidence anyone can use.
The five-line note
Scene. Dilnoza in Bukhara worries about a Grade 2 pupil who does not answer when called from behind. She writes, 'Since September; in 4 lessons I called his name from the back and he did not turn; he follows when I face him. I seated him near the front. Please advise on a hearing check.' She shows it to his mother before sending it to the head of studies.
Insight. A factual note names a question and a first step, never a diagnosis.
Common pitfalls
- Writing 'probably dyslexic' or 'has ADHD' in a note, which is a guess dressed as a fact.
- Waiting for a specialist's report before changing anything in your own teaching.
- Telling classmates or other parents about one pupil's difficulty.
- Keeping notes on loose papers or in a shared chat where others can read them.
Rewrite the Label and Write a Learner Snapshot
- Open the Activity Kit: six SAMPLE teacher comments, such as 'He is slow' and 'Hyperactive'. Alone (5 min): underline every label, guess or judgement.
- Pairs (12 min): rewrite each comment in three parts: what I see, what might help, a strength to build on. Use only things another adult could also observe.
- Trios (8 min): compare rewrites and agree three rules for the language used in your staffroom and in written reports.
- Part B, alone (15 min): draft a learner snapshot for a real pupil from your class, using initials only: strengths, barriers I see, what helps, what I still do not know, who I will ask. Swap with a colleague, who underlines any label or guess.
- Pairs (12 min): turn the snapshot into a five-line referral note for the school specialist: what I see, since when, what I have tried, what effect, what I am asking. Check it contains no diagnosis.
- Alone (8 min): write your school-based task from the Kit.
Your facilitator will guide you through this activity in the session.
Questions to discuss
- Which words in the sample comments sounded most natural in a staffroom? What did they hide?
- What was hardest to leave out of the referral note: the guess about the cause or the wish for a quick answer?
- What would you protect in your own school, such as where notes are kept and who may see them?
Reflect
- Which label have you used or heard about a pupil this term? What could it be replaced with?
- For whom in your class would a two-week observation note change what you do?
- What is the referral route in your school, and do all colleagues know it?
Try it tomorrow
- Choose one comment you wrote or said this week about a pupil and move it back down to the observation rung.
- Write one dated line after each of the next three lessons about one pupil: task, what happened, what helped.
- Ask your head of studies who the referral route is for hearing, vision and learning concerns, and write the answer where you will find it.
Further reading and links
Describe what you see and what helps, begin with strengths, never diagnose, and refer with a factual note.