Cyril Jackson is an East London based Primary school with a fantastic inclusion and SEN programme that uniquely caters to children’s individual needs. Cubetto was used in an inclusion classroom to help children on various points on the autism spectrum deal with sequencing. While some students could understand the underlying concept of programming, for most it was about focus on practicing consecutive instructions and actions.
Institution: Cyril Jackson School
Location: UK
Age group: 7 to 9 ASD Inclusion Class
Group size: 6 to 8 children
Session leader: John Galloway, ICT and Inclusion Educational Specialist
“The Cubetto Playset is a brilliant concept – a highly accessible introduction to programming that looks like a retro toy. Easy to get started yet offering challenge and complexity at many levels. A welcome addition to the toolbox for inclusive classrooms.”
How did Cyril Jackson incorporate the Cubetto Playset into their program?
Cubetto was used on issues of executive functioning for children with ASD. It involves such undertakings as following directions, telling stories, making a schedule, and establishing priorities. We used Cubetto to help students overcome this challenge.
What particular aspect of Cubetto worked well for this activity?
Having the actual instructions as tangible elements, rather than just the robot, really worked well. It gave instructions a physical dimension and not just the outcome. Having Cubetto generate a specific sound for each specific instruction also really helped with focus. That was fantastic.
And what about the challenges involved?
The challenge is always attention and focus. Children are often able to understand these ideas, but find it difficult to concentrate or express these notions, which they were able to do with Cubetto.
Would you recommend the Cubetto Playset to another school or teacher?
Yes, I would. i think it would be an excellent addition to the toolkit for any inclusion classroom.
“One of the greatest challenges we face during inclusion activities is focus. The staff was surprised at how effective Cubetto was at achieving this goal by combining sight, sounds and touch into a single sequencing toy.”
How did students respond?
They were in awe. I had never seen them all focus so intently and pay such close attention to what was happening. This alone is an incredible response.
How did staff members respond?
The staff were equally impressed and surprised at the way children focused. And it goes without saying that how easy the setup was, meant this could be a resource that can be quickly implemented in many classrooms.
