How Positive Looking Increases Engagement and Participation
Schools and specialist settings are continually looking for practical approaches that improve engagement, participation and outcomes for children and young people with visual impairment, CVI, SEND and complex needs.
Over the years, one of the most frequently reported outcomes from the Positive Looking Programme has been increased engagement. Educators consistently describe children becoming more attentive, more motivated to participate and more actively involved in learning experiences.
Why Engagement Matters
Engagement is the foundation for learning.
Before a child can access new information, develop skills or build independence, they first need opportunities to notice, attend to and engage with the world around them.
For many children with visual impairment, CVI, SEND and complex needs, engagement cannot be assumed. It often requires thoughtful planning, meaningful experiences and environments that support visual access and participation.
Positive Looking was developed to help educators understand how visual skills develop and to provide practical strategies that can be implemented within everyday learning experiences.
How Positive Looking Develops Visual Skills
Positive Looking provides educators with a clear framework for developing visual skills such as:
- Visual awareness
- Visual attention
- Fixation
- Tracking
- Scanning
- Visual perception
Rather than relying on isolated activities, the programme encourages practitioners to embed visual development within meaningful learning opportunities across the curriculum.
This structured approach allows staff to identify a child’s current level of visual functioning and select appropriate activities that promote engagement and build confidence.
What Practitioners Have Reported
Many schools using Positive Looking describe significant changes in children’s participation and engagement.
One teacher reported:
“Since implementing Positive Looking, our pupils show increased visual engagement, improved attention and greater confidence accessing learning activities.”
Another school leader reflected on the wider impact:
“Positive Looking has transformed our whole-school approach to vision. Staff have a greater understanding of visual skills, children are more engaged in learning and vision is now embedded throughout the curriculum.”
These outcomes highlight an important principle: when staff understand how to support visual development, children are more likely to engage successfully within learning environments.
Creating Vision-Friendly Learning Environments
Positive Looking also encourages practitioners to examine the learning environment itself.
Research and practice consistently highlight the importance of creating learning environments that reduce unnecessary barriers and enable children to engage more effectively with learning opportunities.
Research led by Professor Rachel Pilling and Gwyn McCormack highlighted the importance of carefully planned, accessible learning environments in supporting engagement, participation and learning outcomes for children and young people with complex needs. The research emphasised the value of meaningful activities, responsive adult support and environments that are adapted to meet individual visual and sensory needs.
These principles are reflected not only in Positive Looking but also in Marvin’s Story Time Show, which offers a practical and engaging way of developing many of the visual skills nurtured through the Positive Looking Programme. By combining storytelling, visual engagement, interaction and meaningful experiences, Marvin’s Story Time Show creates opportunities for children to participate, communicate and engage with learning in ways that are motivating and accessible.
Simple changes can have a significant impact, including:
- Reducing visual clutter
- black backgrounds and black surfaces, wearing black
- Improving contrast
- Presenting materials more clearly
- Creating opportunities for visual exploration
- Matching activities to individual visual needs
These seemingly small adjustments can help children focus their attention more effectively, reduce competing visual information and increase meaningful participation in learning activities.
Schools using Positive Looking frequently report that improvements to the visual environment result in greater attention, participation and confidence.
As one teacher explained:
“Our classrooms are now far more vision friendly. Visual clutter has been reduced, high-contrast resources are used consistently and pupils appear more attentive and engaged.”
The Positive Looking framework supports educators to look beyond individual interventions and consider how the wider learning environment can either support or hinder engagement. By creating environments that are visually accessible and responsive to individual needs, practitioners can increase opportunities for participation and successful learning.
Building Staff Confidence
Improved outcomes for children often begin with increased confidence amongst staff.
The Positive Looking Programme and the Positive Looking Course provides educators with practical tools, observation guidance and achievable strategies that can be applied immediately within their own settings.
As understanding grows, practitioners become more confident in recognising visual needs and adapting learning experiences accordingly.
One school leader commented:
“Positive Looking has given staff the confidence to support vision impairment and CVI within everyday classroom practice, not just during intervention sessions.”
Looking Beyond Engagement
While increased engagement is often the first change educators notice, the benefits frequently extend much further.
Schools report improvements in:
- Participation
- Communication
- Independence
- Confidence
- Access to learning
- Progress towards individual outcomes
By creating opportunities for children to engage more effectively with their environment, Positive Looking helps establish strong foundations for learning and development.
Final Thoughts
Engagement is not simply about capturing a child’s attention. It is about creating the conditions that enable meaningful participation and successful learning.
The Positive Looking Programme continues to support schools, local authorities and specialist services in developing visual skills, building staff confidence and creating more inclusive learning environments for children and young people with visual impairment, CVI, SEND and complex needs.
These outcomes align with research led by Professor Rachel Pilling and Gwyn McCormack, which highlighted the importance of meaningful activities, accessible learning environments and responsive support in promoting engagement, participation and successful learning outcomes for children and young people with complex needs. These principles underpin both the Positive Looking Programme and Marvin’s Story Time Show, where children are encouraged to actively engage, communicate, participate and develop visual skills through meaningful and motivating experiences.
Further Reading
Research led by Professor Rachel Pilling and Gwyn McCormack explored how accessible learning environments, meaningful activities and responsive support can positively influence engagement, participation and learning outcomes for children and young people with complex needs.
Read the research article here
Find Out More
If you would like to learn more about the Positive Looking Programme, explore the programme and discover how it is helping educators improve engagement, participation and outcomes for children and young people across the UK and internationally.
