What does the SETT acronym refer to? Identify and briefly explain each of its parts. How can this framework be applied to students in need of AT devices and services?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

SETT (student, environment, tasks, and tools) refers to a framework developed by Zabala (1995, 2005) that is designed to assist families and educators in making decisions regarding assistive technology for children. This framework has four different parts. The first part of SETT refers to the student. The framework poses questions that allow individuals making decisions to determine what the child's needs are. What does the child need to do? What are the child's special needs? What are the child's current abilities? These are important questions to answer as they will allow families and educators to get a solid picture of the child's current levels of functioning and help them develop the most appropriate solution to close the gaps in functioning and ability. The second part of SETT focuses on the environment the child is in. What materials are currently available to the child in the environment? What is the physical arrangement and are there any special concerns that need to be addressed? What is the instructional arrangement and are there going to be changes made? What resources are available to the individuals supporting the child in the learning environment? These questions must be answered to ensure that the services the child is receiving with the educational environment are appropriate and comprehensive. The third part of SETT refers to the tasks we are asking the child to complete. What activities take place in the environment? What activities support the child's curriculum? What are the critical elements of the activity that the child is asked to do? How might the activities be modified to fit the specific needs of the child? How might technology support the child's active participation in the activity? The final part of SETT refers to the tools available to the child in the learning environment. What no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech devices should be considered? What strategies might be used to increase student performance and participation? All of these questions should be answered as they will allow educators and service providers develop the most appropriate plan to accommodate the child in the learning environment