Help learners get ideas down on paper with Clicker
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Do you have pupils who have lots of ideas but struggle to get them down on paper?
They may be great listeners who are eager to answer questions and contribute insightfully to classroom discussions, but written tasks don’t capture what they know and want to share.
This is a common issue for learners who struggle with writing. It’s not that they don’t understand the lessons or lack ideas, it’s simply that the mechanics of writing make it hard for them to express themselves.
Clicker supports struggling writers by removing some of the cognitive load of writing, enabling them to focus on what they want to say.
Here are some of the tools you and your learners can use to transfer their ideas from brain to page.
Voice Notes to capture ideas in the moment
When a learner is talking enthusiastically about a topic, they can capture those ideas in the moment with a Voice Note. It’s easy to record a Voice Note by simply clicking the microphone icon in the Clicker Document ribbon. Once the recording is finished, a speech bubble icon is added to the Document.
Recording ideas like this helps learners to hold on to their thinking. They can listen to the recording as many times as they need to while writing, reducing the pressure on memory. This also gives pupils the opportunity to rehearse their sentences before typing them. They can think about what they want to say first, and then focus on spelling, punctuation, and capital letters once they have decided what they want to convey.
Up to six colour-coded Voice Notes can be added to a Document, which can guide learners through longer pieces of writing. Teachers can also record Voice Notes for learners to remind them of ideas they discussed previously, or key things they need to remember as they build their piece of writing.
Organise ideas with Clicker Board
Your learner may have lots of ideas about a topic but not know how to put them together into a coherent structure.
If a learner is working on a complex piece of writing, or needs to follow a specific format, they can organise their ideas using a Clicker Board.
Clicker Board is a visual planning tool to help pupils prepare for writing. Pupils can create their own Clicker Boards and arrange them in a way that makes sense to them or use a pre-made writing planner from LearningGrids to help them stick to a specific outline.
The Writing Frames & Planners category for instance, is full of Clicker Boards that are specifically designed to help learners structure writing for specific purposes such as advertisements, persuasion, and reports.
This way of planning means learners can record their ideas in whatever order they have them in and then move them around into a logical order later. Voice Notes and images can also be added to a Clicker Board, making it even easier to capture and arrange ideas.
Once a learner is ready to move from planning to writing, they can access their Clicker Board in the Document as a diagram, an outline, or convert it into a supportive Word Bank.
Keep writing momentum going with the Predictor
Once your learner has captured their ideas and organised them into a logical structure, it’s time to start writing.
Having ideas recorded and a plan to follow may give learners an initial boost, but it’s still common for them to get stuck during the task. How can we encourage them to move forwards independently, rather than immediately asking an adult to help?
The Predictor is an excellent tool that helps learners carry on writing when they start to feel unsure.
As a learner types, it offers suggestions for the next word in the sentence, meaning they don’t have to pause to try and think of what to say next.
Unlike most predictors, Clicker’s Predictor offers ‘sounds-like’ suggestions. As seen in the example below, this means that learners receive relevant suggestions even if they don’t know the accurate opening spelling patterns of a word.
You can also increase the level of support from the Predictor with pictures and speech feedback.
If a learner has started writing, but isn’t sure what to add next, or if they’re about to start and feel intimidated by the empty page, the Predictor gives them the intuitive nudge they need to keep going.
Give point-and-click access to relevant vocabulary with Word Banks
Providing a Word Bank removes the pressure of trying to remember specific vocabulary or spell tricky words. It can also be a great tool to prompt thinking and spark ideas.
You can create custom Word Banks for specific topics or lesson objectives or explore the extensive collection of pre-made options on LearningGrids.
Proof and check work with speech feedback
Learners who have trouble with writing often find it difficult to check their own work.
In Clicker, learners can listen to their writing read aloud in a clear, realistic voice. This helps them identify errors such as misspelt words, missing punctuation, or sentences that are confusing or too long. This is a fantastic way to encourage learners to self-correct and proactively review how their writing is taking shape.
Sometimes issues with written work can stem from not reviewing it throughout the writing process, so having support with proofing and checking is a great way to help learners improve their writing without relying on adult support.
‘‘I can get all of the things that are inside of me out, I can write now, and I couldn’t before.”
This is what a pupil at Chapel Allerton Primary School had to say about her experience using Clicker.
With the right support in place, every child can be a writer.
If you would like to learn more about how Clicker helps learners achieve writing success, you can read these blog posts:
- Quick wins with Clicker’s writing support tools
- LearningGrids: Reading and writing resources for adaptive teaching
- A writing journey with Clicker’s writing grids
Or watch these webinars:
