tts Kitt to Support Learners with Special Educational Needs User Guide

tts Kitt to Support Learners with Special Educational Needs User Guide

Introduction

Kitt, the companion robot, has been specially designed with a range of functions and features that will support all learners, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

As the content on each Kitt can be curated by the teacher or individual child, Kitt is the perfect way to scaffold learning with one universal resource. Children can interact and work with Kitt to create their own videos, photos, or audio files that will support them through the learning process, help them to build effective learning skills, and allow them to capture and record their learning. In addition, adults have the opportunity to upload files to Kitt that children can access independently to differentiate and support learning and promote well-being.

In this guide, we explore the features that make Kitt inclusive and accessible and the different ways that Kitt can be used to support learners with SEND.

All of the functions, features, and possibilities make Kitt the perfect inclusive learning companion!

Kitt’s functions and features

Inclusivity lies at the heart of Kitt’s design.

With many different functions and features that can be tailored and personalized, such as vibration and voice prompts, Kitt becomes an accessible learning companion for children across a spectrum of needs.

Photographs, Audio, and Videos

Children can use Kitt to take photographs or record videos and audio. They can capture their learning, record reminders and prompts, or share their thoughts. As these are stored on Kitt, children can revisit and review them independently and share their recordings to showcase their learning.

By plugging Kitt into a computer, adults can easily upload files that can also be listened to or viewed on Kitt. These could be supportive learning resources, such as reminders, audiobooks, explanations, modeled examples,
well-being prompts, or a learning stimulus. Individual resources can be chosen and specifically shared to scaffold and differentiate an individual child’s learning.

Voice Prompts with Double Touch

Within Kitt’s menu, there is the option to turn voice prompts on or off. When voice prompts are on, Kitt will read the name of the button when it is touched and read the names of the menu options as you scroll through. This will also activate a double-touch function that enables children to hear their selection with one press and select with the next.

Timer

Kitt’s timer can be easily set within the menu, enabling children to monitor and plan their own learning time.

Alarm Clock

Children can set their own alarms for key routines during the day to help build independence.

Vibration

From the menu, Kitt’s vibration feature can be turned on or off. When it is turned on, Kitt will vibrate to offer sensory feedback when touched or lifted up or when buttons are touched.

Screen Brightness

Kitt’s screen can be set at three different levels of brightness.

Volume

Kitt’s volume can be easily changed, depending on the sensory preference of the child or the noise level of the learning environment.

Companionship features

Kitt also has a number of companionship features that help children build a relationship with Kitt. Educational research shows that children’s engagement levels are higher when working with a humanoid robot rather than on a screen.

These companionship features include:

Kitt Wakes Up and Gets Sleepy

When switched on, Kitt will greet children by saying, “I’m just waking up. Let’s go.”

Kitt will let children know when it is time for a battery charge by saying, “I’m getting a little bit sleepy.” Kitt’s body will also turn blue.

Light

Kitt will respond when the light gets brighter by putting on a pair of sunglasses. This feature can be adjusted in the menu.

Dressing Kitt

There are little magnets on Kitt’s back that allow Kitt to be dressed so children can “look after” their robot. For example, students can put a coat on Kitt to go outside or put pajamas on him for bedtime.

Blended Learning

Kitt can safely travel home with your learners to support learning both inside and outside of school.

All of Kitt’s recordings can be accessed, watched, listened to, and deleted on Kitt, and as a nonconnected device, Kitt helps reassure parents that no information is being shared through unwanted channels.

Kitt’s Eyes

Kitt’s eyes will move and change to show engagement when listening to a child. Kitt has lots of different eye animations to observe, such as when it’s touched.

Touched, Picked Up, and Cuddled

Kitt responds to being touched, picked up, and cuddled by changing color and through different eye animations.

Play Mode

Selecting the play mode will disable the touch buttons so children can freely enjoy playing with and dressing up Kitt.

Personalized Learning

Every child can have their own personalized learning experience with Kitt.

If children have their own Kitt, adults can collate and share personalized learning resources and activities that can both support children to make progress toward specific SEND outcomes and also help to differentiate and scaffold classroom learning. With their own robot, children will build a rapport with their Kitt.

Supporting SEND learners

In this section, we explore different ways that Kitt can support learning across the curriculum, help children develop their learning skills, support well-being, and facilitate learning beyond the classroom. As children and adults spend more time with Kitt, they will find many more possibilities for ways to work with their personal learning companion.

Building Independence and Confidence

Kitt can play a valuable role in helping children become confident, independent learners.

• By collecting audio, images, or videos, Kitt will become a hub of supportive learning resources for children to use independently.
• Prompts or step-by-step guides can be recorded onto Kitt and listened to as many times as needed to help children who find it difficult to remember task instructions.

Providing learning prompts in this way can support children to build their independence, achieve success with learning activities, and believe that they can meet their goals!

Organizational Skills and Routines

For many children, it can be challenging to keep track of everything they need to do or remember throughout the day. Routines and timetables can be a particular area of anxiety for some, and having advanced warning can really help. As we try to build children’s organizational skills, Kitt can be used to help children plan and review their day.

• Children can record a checklist of things they need to remember or a key routine such as getting ready for school. They can listen back to this for support rather than needing prompts from an adult.
• Kitt could also be used to record a daily timetable. Children can either review this throughout the day or use it at home to help prepare for the day.
• Children can set an alarm using Kitt’s alarm clock to remind them about an important event during the day, such as attending a meeting or going to a club.

Kitt provides children with a fun, supportive companion they can use as they develop key life skills!

Modeling and Practicing

Children need many opportunities to repeat, revisit, and apply new knowledge and skills in order to learn and remember. Kitt can improve the quality and quantity of practice both in the classroom and at home.

• As the resources on Kitt can be curated by the teacher, they can be tailored to specific areas for an individual child. Kitt will become a personalized hub of resources and activities that children can independently use to support their learning and increase opportunities for practice, such as images, rhymes, videos, explanations, or modeled examples. Children can review these as many times as they like and practice regularly to help them make progress toward their goals.
• Engaging in learning with a robot might offer the perfect motivation for children to practice their learning more often.
• As Kitt does not require Internet connectivity or access to a device, it is really easy for children to take Kitt home and continue practicing there.

Kitt is endlessly patient. Explanations, instructions, and activities can be recorded and played back infinitely if required without needing additional support from an adult or peer.

Recording Learning

Some children really benefit from being able to record their work in different ways. As children can so easily record audio, video, and take photographs using Kitt, they can truly take charge of capturing their learning.

• For children who find writing challenging, Kitt offers an alternative way of expressing themselves. Kitt can be also be used to scaffold writing, with children first capturing their thoughts orally and then listening back as they write.
• Children can review their prior learning recorded on Kitt and use this as a starting point for next steps.
• Recordings and images can also be easily uploaded to a computer for the purposes of teacher assessment and feedback.

By recording their own learning, children will build their independence and be able to celebrate successes, helping to build self-esteem and confidence.

Attention and Concentration

Kitt and its different functions offer an engaging way to support children who find concentration and attention challenging in the classroom.

• Children can set Kitt’s timer to help them focus during tasks and be in control of managing their own learning time.
• Adults can also record task instructions to help children who find it difficult to remain focused on multistep tasks. Children can listen back to these as many times as they like to be guided through the task one step at a time.

Motivation

The audio and visual feedback that children receive while learning with Kitt can be engaging and motivating for many learners.

• Kitt’s timer will help children stay motivated with a task or activity. While the timer is on, Kitt’s body will light up blue to illuminate the student’s learning.
• Technology can help increase children’s engagement, and children may be more motivated if they are asked to complete an activity or record their learning using Kitt.
• Children’s work can be easily shared, showcased, and celebrated on the interactive whiteboard by simply plugging Kitt in to the computer.

Memory

As Kitt can record and store audio, video, and images, children can use these captures to support and aid memory. We often need to see or hear something multiple times for us to remember.

• Children can use the audio record function to help them remember and rehearse things, such as tasks for the day, presentations, or even lines for a performance.
• Using Kitt, children can revisit and review instructions, recordings of learning, or explanations as many times as they need to retain the information.

Language and Communication

A key aspect of supporting children’s language and communication is to provide as many opportunities as possible for children to encounter language. Kitt can help increase the opportunities for children to listen, hear, explore, and practice speech and language throughout the day.

• Making and listening to audio recordings will help children use their spoken language to broaden their vocabulary and develop their listening skills.
• Children can easily listen to and experience many different types of modeled language on Kitt through audiobooks, nursery rhymes, poems, and so on. This will help immerse children in rich language throughout their day.

Emotional and Well-being Support

As well as supporting with academic areas of learning, Kitt can become a child’s well-being buddy.

• Children can use Kitt to capture and record how they are feeling throughout the day. They can then share this with an adult as part of a social and emotional session if needed.
• Kitt could become a hub of well-being resources and emotional regulation strategies for children to use. These could include breathing exercises, mindfulness resources, calming music, audiobooks to listen to, or videos to watch.
• For individual children who benefit from a link to home throughout the school day, Kitt could become a personal well-being resource. Children can upload pictures of family or record messages from adults at home that they can listen to or look at when needed.
• School staff can record messages onto Kitt about positive events of the day or things they are proud of so that children can share these at home.
• Children can also play with and look after Kitt as a relaxing, well-being activity including making different outfits or taking Kitt on adventures.

Kitt can be used to complement existing well-being strategies used in the classroom and help children access and practice these.

Learning at Home

As Kitt does not require Internet connectivity or access to a device, children can continue their learning by simply taking Kitt home with them.

• Instructions, resources, and activities for home learning can be recorded and stored on Kitt. This can help motivate children and enable them to learn at home independently without requiring a lot of additional adult support.
• Children can use the recordings they make at school to help them complete activities at home. This might also help adults understand the best way to support their child. For example, children could record themselves explaining a new mathematics method during the lesson and then watch this with an adult at home.
• Kitt can also be used to record homework activities, such as listening to a story and responding to questions, recording reading, or taking a picture of work completed on a whiteboard. When Kitt is taken back to school, teachers can easily download these files.

Pupil Voice

Capturing and listening to the thoughts and feelings of children with SEND is so important when planning for their provision. It can sometimes be hard for children to express themselves, but technology can help. Children might find it easier to talk to and record their thoughts onto Kitt so that they can share them, for example, at SEND review meetings.

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