Bring resources to life with the personal touch – PENpals, PENfriend and ClassroomPEN

Anyone in education knows that every pupil is different, and learns in a different way. And for SEN teaching, making the curriculum as accessible as possible in an appropriate format is essential.

Our products are SEN-friendly, sturdy, practical, and simple to use, and re-use, making them an economical and sustainable option. The stickers are even waterproof (we do know of cases where they’ve been used to label the contents of plant-pots in gardens). Every label holds a very generous 60 minutes of audio, retrievable instantly. We also have Talking Phonics Magnets, Story Mountain and other audio A3 posters.

You can record your voice (or indeed learner’s own voices, or the sound of caregivers or teaching assistants) on durable sticky labels. Add speech, or sound effects, or music, or narration to objects like lunchboxes or water bottles, shoes and clothing, photographs and albums, songbooks, notebooks – the list is endless. Or bring the curriculum to life, no matter what the subject, by using the labels on posters, displays, textbooks, models and equipment.

It's usual to respond better to familiar voices, so if resources can be brought to life with the sound of someone that pupils know, they’re much more likely to pay attention and to retain the information. It also makes for a much more multi-sensory experience in the learning environment. After all, what’s more fun than hearing your own voice? (Hands up all those of us who remember the excitement of cassette tapes and hearing our own voice for the first time!)

For those whose first language isn’t English, or who are dyslexic, there are over 1,500 dual language books and 500 eBooks available, using fonts that are shown to be dyslexic-friendly. The books can be used to build vocabulary, for bedtime stories, on journeys, on a rainy day, or just for the sheer joy of listening to a story or reading along.
PENpal, PENfriend and ClassroomPEN also introduce the concept of ICT in a teaching environment in a very gentle way, in a format that’s different from a tablet, or a Smartphone, or a laptop. (Although many of our products can also be used with those devices.) They can be used to develop oracy skills, and we also have other innovative resources like our Kamishibai storytelling theatre. The PENfriend also gives you access to thousands of books in the RNIB’s library.  

Come and see our products for yourself at the TES SEN Show, from 4 to 5 October 2019, at the Business Design Centre, London.

Find out more about the TES SEN show at https://www.tessenshow.co.uk/london.