Practical Activities

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Practical Activities

• Laboratories and Workshops and enabling strategies
• Field Trips or Work Placements and enabling strategies
• Presentations and enabling strategies

Health and Safety Issues

Adaptations for Assessment 

Description of Practical Activities

Practical activities enable the student to put into practice the theory and/or skills they are studying, often in a practical environment.

There are many different activities which have practical elements, for example, field work, work placements, presentations, working in laboratories and workshops. These elements often involve two common factors:

• a change in the learner’s environment;
• a range of activities that requires careful planning and clear identification of the purpose of the placement, trip or practical.

Practical sessions allow learners to:

• demonstrate and extend their skills;
• collect specimens;
• carry out experiments;
• demonstrate their subject knowledge;
• apply theory in practice;
• demonstrate their awareness in applying health and safety regulations.

Skills/abilities required for Practical Activities:

• Attention
• Manipulation
• Observation
• Communication
• Mobility (may be essential in some contexts)

All learners are likely to want as much information as possible about the different aspects of the practical activity, whether it is a field trip, work placement, working in a laboratory or workshop. Be prepared to provide answers to the following questions:

• What does the activity involve?
• Is it a requirement of the course?
• How can I prepare?
• How much will it cost to participate?
• What do I need to take with me?
• How will it be assessed?
• What happens if I’m unwell and cannot attend?

Inclusive design of practical learning activities ensures that the diverse needs of a wide range of learners can be met without compromising educational standards. Teachers and trainers should consider how laboratory work, workshops, field trips, work placements etc will be carried out by disabled learners well in advance of the planned sessions and try to remove any potential barriers to engagement.

The following examples highlight some strategies for practical sessions that will enable learners to engage effectively. In some (rare) circumstances, you may need to negotiate an alternative to the practical – so long as the learning outcome can be achieved through the alternative activity.

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Laboratories and Workshops

Prior to the learners’ first practical based session, ensure that they have been offered the opportunity to disclose a disability in confidence. All of your course/promotional literature should highlight the importance of students disclosing their disability, with the emphasis on the course team’s commitment to flexible practices which meet the students’ needs

Enabling strategies

• Discuss possible modifications in advance. The disabled learner will be aware of their own abilities and may have experience to share from previous education.
• Discuss adaptations to equipment with all concerned in advance. Modified apparatus is available and often simple adaptations can be made to existing equipment. The internet can be a good source of information about good practice.
• Consider allowing the use of tape recorders where students find it difficult to take contemporaneous notes. This could benefit students with physical and sensory impairments as well as dyslexic students.
• Display instructions visually in addition to giving them orally in noisy laboratory environments.
• Prepare a clear, accessible outline for all learners which provides as much information as early as possible.
• Provide a detailed description of the practical activity and what it will involve.
• Carry out a risk assessment, if necessary.
• Will the learner need the help of an assistant?
• Check in advance that the location of the practical activity is accessible.
• Check routes to the location of the practical activity are accessible for wheelchair users and learners with mobility difficulties.
• Check for heavy doors, dropped kerbs and uneven ground.
• Check transport arrangements.
• Evaluate how long the journey to the location of the practical activity will take and ensure that the scheduling of the sessions allow sufficient time for travelling by those with mobility difficulties;
• Allow sufficient time for all learners to move between the teaching venue and the location of the practical activity.
• Evaluate how long the learners will be outside?
• Will extra time be needed if the practical is outside and it rains?

There are many ‘low tech’ ways of modifying and adapting equipment or activities that may be used in practicals e.g. auditory displays of visual materials, talking thermometers, tactical displays of visual information, beakers with raised markings, clamps, hand held illuminated magnifiers.

Check out the JISC TechDis Technology Database for examples of available equipment.

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Work placements and field trips

A work placement is defined as `a planned period of work based learning or experience, where the learning outcomes are part of a course or programme of study’.  Where a work placement is an integral part of the course, the institution should consider the needs of disabled learners at the course planning and approval stage. Institutions have a responsibility to anticipate the needs of disabled learners and to make adjustments in advance where these are reasonable.

Field trips require the same sort of preparation and early consideration of issues for disabled participants.

Enabling Strategies

• Focus on the talents and capabilities of the disabled learners rather than on their disabilities, when arranging work placements. The learner’s needs must be discussed but the best way to do this is by seeking/offering solutions.
• Ensure physical access to work placements. This might include transport arrangements for people unable to access public transport or the accessibility of the workplace itself for people who have mobility difficulties, or accommodation for a guide dog to accompany the learner.
• Identify any equipment that the learners may require whilst on work placement.  Look at what equipment the disabled learner currently uses and then make appropriate arrangements for this equipment to be available at the place of work.
• Ensure communication in the workplace will be accessible to those with sensory impairments. This might mean providing Sign Language Interpreters for deaf students or ensuring that information can be presented in a range of formats such as Braille or large print.
• Negotiate appropriate working hours with the placement provider. This helps students whose disability limits the length of time they can undertake activities.
• Make sure that disabled learners had the opportunity to discuss their concerns about disclosure of disability and matters of confidentiality.
• Conduct an access audit of the work place or site to be visited.
• Provide a named contact for each learner.
• Provide a list of staff and technical support who will remain available to learner on work placement.
• Provide the names and contact details of designated staff with responsibility for the learners’ experiences.
• Provide a list of Health and Safety issues applicable to the work environment. Are these available in a variety of formats?
• Where possible, allow learners to choose their work placements, where possible.
• Are placement providers aware of relevant learners’ requirements?
• Are all parties clear about who is responsible for making and funding reasonable adjustments?
• Have learners had an appropriate briefing and guidance in advance of practical sessions or work placements?
• Are learners clear who they should contact if problems arise when on work placement?

To improve all learners’ preparation for work placements make sure the following checks have been completed before the placements starts:

• Has the access to all work placements, including transport arrangements, been checked?
• Has the learner access to any equipment that he or she needs while on work placement?
• Can you provide written materials in alternative formats for disabled learners e.g. Braille versions, electronic versions, large print etc? Remember! Do not make assumptions about which format learners with particular disabilities will need – check with them beforehand.
• Have strategies been put in place to enable learners with learning difficulties to access and understand complex instructions?
• Are course related materials available in different formats?
• Have placements for learners with mental health difficulties or those who experience fatigue been given extra consideration? For example, do you need to negotiate any reasonable adjustments such as different start times or rest breaks?
• What arrangements have been made for support workers, sign language interpreters, or personal assistants?
• Do you have a support system which gives the learner ongoing support from the start of the placement?

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Presentations

An oral presentation is a talk given to a group in which learners present their views on an issue or topic based on their readings or research. There may be specific requirements learners may need to meet and these should be detailed in their course outline or study guide. A presentation may be made as an individual or as part of a group.

When learners are expected to give a presentation as part of their assignment, make sure that you give provide them with guidelines on giving effective presentations.

Enabling strategies

Learners will need to know:

• The purpose of the presentation;
• The length of the presentation;
• How to present effectively;
• The criteria by which they will be judged;
• The weighting of the assignment and/or criteria.

Provide learners with a detailed brief with examples of good practice:

• Limit the time and/or number of slides;
• Use san serif fonts;
• As a rule of thumb, use font size 24 in PowerPoint slides

• Do not use lots of different fonts, choose one and just change the size for headings and sub headings;
• Keep it simple (KIS); do not mix templates; be consistent;
• Aim for a maximum of seven bullet points per slide;
• Use only one graphic image per slide;
• Practice the presentation in advance before delivering it;
• Remind learners to prepare their presentations early and make them available via the institution’s intranet or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) as this can be a very effective way to improve accessibility to courses for disabled learners.

JISC TechDis offers good advice on creating accessible Presentations using PowerPoint.

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Health and Safety Issues

Regular risk assessments should be undertaken to ensure the health and safety of ALL learners. They should also ensure the health and safety of disabled learners and their peers in relation to the engagement of the disabled learners in the activity.

• Check that systems are in place to prevent obstructions, spillage and other hazards that could be particularly dangerous to disabled learners.
• Check who is directly responsible for the safety of disabled learners?
• Who is the reserve person in case of illness or holidays?
• Find out what procedures are in place to monitor learners on medication using equipment during the practical activity.
• Ensure safety notices are in accessible formats and are clearly displayed in appropriate positions.
• Check instruction/workshop manuals and health and safety documentation are made available in accessible formats.
• Make sure operating buttons, taps, switches and containers of hazardous materials are clearly labelled and or provided in raised relief or Braille when necessary.
• Does standard protective equipment and clothing, safety glasses, protective gloves, laboratory coats, masks, etc need to be adapted to meet disabled learners’ needs?
• Check that alarms and safety devices are available in both auditory and visible forms.

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Assessments

Remember that people with the same impairments may need different adjustments to practice to enable them to engage with the assessment process and demonstrate their learning.

When assessing your learners, be very clear about exactly what it is you are testing. For example, in asking learners to write an essay in an exam, are you testing the learners’ knowledge and understanding of the topic, or the ability to write clearly and precisely? Decide what you are assessing and how many marks are apportioned for each element (knowledge or good writing, memory or understanding)

Consider why you are assessing in a particular way, and whether another method may be more inclusive. In some cases, the exact format of the assessment is critical to the demonstration of the intended learning outcome. For example a course in hairdressing would require a practical demonstration of competence; but, where possible, allow your learners to have a choice about how they demonstrate their knowledge and skills; in other words allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and skill in a variety of formats.

There may be occasions where you have provided the disabled learner with an alternative assessment (e.g. a blind learner may need to give their answers orally rather than in writing). In such cases, you should ensure the integrity of the alternative and make sure that the disabled learner is judged on their ability to meet the criteria – providing neither a disadvantage nor advantage over other learners.

Adaptations for Assessments

• Some students may rely on equipment to meet the needs of the assessment, whether in a formal examination environment, or the less formal setting in which assignments are prepared for continuous assessment.
• Consider how much time will be needed for completing assignments.
• Some disabled learners will need extra time to complete their assessments.
• Some disabled learners who are working in a group may need extra time to complete the assignment.
• Can work be dictated onto tape or can the student give an oral presentation instead?
• Will the learner require an assistant or a scribe?
• Students with visual difficulties may require examination papers in formats such as Braille, tape or enlarged print.
• The questions and/or titles of the assignment may need to be provided on disk.
• A tape recorder, computer, scribe or assistant, may be needed to enable a disabled learner to complete their assignment.
• Be clear about the role and involvement of equipment or an assistant; ensure that the student maintains control and is fully responsible for producing their assignments.

Click here for Adjustments for Assessments taken under Examination Conditions

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