Plus/Minus Form

In my work as a special education teacher at a hospital school for children with epilepsy, I meet pupils aged 6–11 from all over the country who are being treated or assessed for epilepsy. The pupils have a complex relationship to their seizures, with many also experiencing other epilepsy-related difficulties. Many pupils with epilepsy struggle with additional cognitive, emotional and behavioural difficulties (Karl Otto Nakken, 2010). Each pupil comes up against individual challenges, and in a well-adapted teaching programme it is these challenges that must be taken into account. 

On the whole it is the parents and the pupils’ regular schools that provide us with information about the children. However, I wish to shine the spotlight on structured conversations directly with pupils. Research shows that adults define children’s feelings differently than what children themselves express (Holmsen, 2004). In structured conversations, it is the pupils themselves who decide what is important in terms of their experiences (Bredland, Linge, & Vik, 2002). By making use of such conversations, the pupils gain a sense of being seen, heard and taken seriously. At the same time, as a special education teacher I am given the opportunity to chart how the pupils themselves perceive their difficulties and their regular school days. This information will also be used in the handover meetings we have with the regular schools.

For many pupils with epilepsy, regular school days are filled with negative feelings of what they cannot cope with or do. Getting pupils to acknowledge their strengths is the beginning of developing their self-confidence. Some sense of ‘I can…’ is also necessary for pupils to be able to develop academically and socially at school (Torhild Linnea Reigstad, 2003).

In 2004, I developed a visual conversation tool – the plus/minus form. This is a conversation tool that has been of great benefit in conversations with pupils. On the form, there is a plus column which contains what the pupil enjoys, and a minus column which contains what the pupils perceive as negative. The tool maintains a fixed structure, visual concretisation, and is a simple, readily understood form for both teachers and pupils to relate to.

The form is intended to provide an overview of how the pupils experience the various subjects at school, in addition to breaktime and homework. Additional conversations focus on getting information from pupils about what they perceive as negative and the reasons for this, with this as a solution to establish a positive change. It is also important to see the pupil’s strengths and use these in making accommodations in the regular school day.

Example

On the basis of the information I had from her parents and school, this pupil was somewhat social but resistant to and struggled with going through with the initiatives that were put in place to improve her social functioning during breaktime. On the basis of what the pupil says here, she finds it difficult because she is tired. Here, feedback to the regular school was that the pupil needed several breaks during the school day so that she would be able to receive help/guidance at breaktime in order to improve her social functioning.

Example 

Here, the pupil expressed that reading aloud in class was problematic, and that he spent the entire school day thinking about this. During the whole day, his mind was on his Norwegian lessons. We raised this in a handover meeting with his school. His class teacher saw this as useful information, would make changes to their arrangements, and would talk to the pupil when he returned to school. There was then hope that he would be able to focus on the academic content of the Norwegian classes.

It is also conceivable that by virtue of being a visual aid, the plus/minus form makes it easier for pupils with epilepsy to return to where they previously left the conversation. Many of these pupils have attention difficulties which make it hard for them to stay focused over time or due to seizures. They often become easily tired or distractible, or lose concentration. The plus/minus form makes allowances for seizures and breaks in the conversation. The conversation can be continued from where it left off – a good starting point to build up and facilitate a sense of being able to cope.