What is a Cosmo Switch? A Cosmo Switch, created by Filisia, is a unique and highly responsive Bluetooth switch device designed to enhance accessibility and interaction for individuals with a wide range of motor abilities and special educational needs. The Cosmo Switch is a versatile tool that can be used to promote independence, learning, and communication and aims to empower individuals with diverse needs by providing a highly adaptable, engaging, and robust interface for interacting with the digital world and participating in inclusive learning, therapy, and play. The switch device is designed for easy activation, regardless of motor abilities and lights up in a variety of colours, providing engaging visual feedback with every press. This visual element is motivating and helps with visual discrimination. LGfL recently worked with Cosmo at an LGfL school to explore the integration of a switch device into teaching and learning opportunities.

Lime Academy Ravensbourne.             

Lime Academy Ravensbourne is an all-age special school which is part of the Lime Trust and based in Havering.

The school strives to ensure that every pupil has access to a bespoke learning pathway delivered through a multi-sensory approach. Working in multi-agency teams and in partnership with parents and carers, the school has developed a strong, holistic approach to learning. All staff work hard to ensure that pupils have access to a creative and purposeful curriculum that develops independence and promotes pupil voice.

Lime Academy Ravenbourne is a strong learning community with pupils at the centre, ensuring that the school's vision, 'Putting Learners First ', is fulfilled at all times

LGfL and Cosmo began support by leading a staff session demonstrating the switch device and its functionality as part of a whole-day staff training inset. This gave staff the opportunity to experience using the switch devices in a hands-on way, whilst having fun with the multitude of learning opportunities provided within the Cosmo switch app.

The staff inset session was an opportunity for staff to have fun with the switch device as well as plan its use as part of their learning opportunities with pupils. Using the devices, staff were able to explore music with touch, interact with the fireworks display activity, sample the interactive storytelling element of one of the activities and play a colour-matching game. This colour matching activity involved observation skills as well as a bit of physical activity, trying to touch a colour switch as it lit up in the quickest time possible.

Cosmo switch in action.

The school implemented the use of the Cosmo switch devices across the whole school after this initial training session.

Staff were supported through one-to-one training by some key staff members in drop-in sessions after school, self-exploration by staff members, as well as some targeted in-class support with a lead teacher demonstrating which switch activities would support the pupils' learning focus for that term.

Staff soon became proficient in using the devices and accessing the range of activities on the app, finding suitable targeted activities that matched the curriculum and individual learning aims. 

Pupils showed a real sense of application and enjoyment using the switch devices, especially as the cause and effect activities were engaging, colourful and easy to access.

The favourites at Limes Trust Ravensbourne were:

• Any of the touch or toggle activities to play music or activate a response.

• Fireworks: Press for a colourful fireworks display with sounds.

• Rainy Day: Experience soothing rain sounds.

• Summer Beach/Winter Wonder: Press to hear seasonal sounds.

• Fish Tank: Different fish appear with each press.

• Bubbles: Pop and count colourful bubbles.

Staff fed back that the intuitive design of the activities designed to work with the Cosmo switch made integrating the devices into classroom practice simple, as well as creating independence amongst students.  

There were also added collaborative activities that pupils could engage in that developed turn-taking as well as cooperation skills. There were many activities that encouraged social interaction and collaboration skills, such as - 

• Take turns pressing switches to keep a melody going.

• Competing in teams to hit your colour before time runs out.

• Playing a team game by pressing matching switches to score points.

• Teams race to press the correct switches first.

• Press switches as they light up to score points.

                   

Busy Things is an educational platform available via the LGfL platform that offers a wide range of interactive games and activities for primary school children. It's designed with accessibility in mind, and this includes compatibility with switch devices, making it a valuable resource for students with special educational needs (SEN) and those who require assistive technology.

Busy Things activities are built to be navigated using standard accessibility features like switch control or scanning.

For very early learners or those focusing on cause-and-effect, many Busy Things activities provide immediate visual and auditory feedback when a switch is pressed. This helps children understand that their action (pressing the switch) directly leads to a reaction on the screen.

A key strength of Busy Things is its ability to be customised by teachers. This applies to switch access as well. Within the Busy Things platform, a teacher can:

• • Adjust the difficulty of games to suit a child's cognitive and physical abilities, which can impact the speed of scanning or the complexity of choices presented.

  • Choose specific activities or simplify options within an activity to reduce visual clutter and make switch navigation easier

  • Provide clear visual cues for where to focus, aiding users who rely on scanning

Examples of how switches might be used in Busy Things activities: 

• Mudball shootout: A user might use one switch to aim a cannon and another to select the force, or use single-switch scanning to choose both parameters.

• Balloon tree: The user scans through balloons with numbers on them and presses their switch when the correct number is highlighted to match the dots on the monkey's board.

• Letter line up: The user scans through letters and presses the switch to select them in the correct sequence.

The implementation of the Filisia Cosmo Switch at Lime Academy Ravensbourne has demonstrably enhanced the school's ability to provide a truly inclusive and engaging learning environment. By integrating this versatile switch device, the school has empowered pupils with diverse motor abilities and special educational needs to actively participate in their learning journey.

The initial staff training and ongoing support were crucial in ensuring staff proficiency and confidence in using the Cosmo Switch. This led to its widespread adoption across the school, with both staff and pupils quickly identifying favourite activities that fostered cause-and-effect understanding, sensory engagement, and collaborative skills. The intuitive design of the Cosmo Switch activities, coupled with the school's existing play-based, multi-sensory pedagogical approach, seamlessly integrated the device into the curriculum. This is further bolstered by the compatibility of the Cosmo Switch with platforms like Busy Things, expanding the range of accessible and customizable learning opportunities for students. Ultimately, the Cosmo Switch has played a significant role in fulfilling Lime Academy Ravensbourne's vision of "Putting Learners First" by providing a robust, adaptable, and enjoyable interface for interaction, communication, and independent learning.

Find out about other Cosmo school case studies here