There are so many uses for post it notes … this is just one example

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But have you considered them as an extra tool in your SEN kit?

Students with Irlens syndrome benefit from coloured overlays, coloured glasses and coloured worksheets. Some students refuse to wear tinted lenses and depend on overlays. These students have developed coping strategies which work most of the time, but when they get stuck what do you do? If a concept needs a bit of extra explaining I usually grab a bit of standard white paper and run through it one-to-one. Obviously having coloured exercise books and paper would be great, but day to day teaching (and changing classroom) make this tricky.

So, what to do?

Well, you could write on white paper, then keep putting the overlay on top as you explain each step. It works, but it is a bit of a faff and draws attention to the fact the student uses an overlay. However, if you know a student benefits from coloured filters, keep a pack of appropriately coloured post-it notes to hand. The coloured background should quieten the movement of the writing on the paper, the note can be stuck in their book immediately and they don’t have to copy anything out.

Disclaimer: I am not an Irlens specialist. Post-it notes come in so many colours, however you may not find a perfect match to your students preference. This is about helping out in a mid-class situation, not replacing diagnosed resources.