Support participation and build confidence
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8’
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Encourage sustained participation
Encourage sustained participation
Discuss with students what will support their participation and motivation.
Build these suggestions into your teaching practice.
- Establish clear classroom routines.
- Teach strategies to help students them when they get stuck.
- Break work into short manageable chunks.
- Give positive, timely feedback.
- Brief students about changes to routine.
- When changing classroom layout, provide a plan of new layout and when it will happen.
- Provide easy access to quiet spaces for working or winding down.
- Schedule brain breaks.
- Notice avoidance tactics or increasing anxiety, implement supports quickly.
- Offer leadership opportunities based on knowledge of student's expertise and interests.
- Connect learning to student's interests.
- Foster tuakana-teina relationships where students support each other.
Chunk tasks and time to increase motivation
Chunk tasks and time to increase motivation
Breaking tasks into smaller parts and setting deadlines can be a useful approach for many students.
Visual timers can help students keep track of the time and increase motivation.
Use social stories to support social skills
Use social stories to support social skills
Recommended approach:
- target a single behaviour
- the target behaviour is concrete (e.g. simple positive behaviours or communication goals rather than subtle or complex social skills)
- matched to the student’s language and cognitive skills
- used in every day settings
- presented on multiple occasions.
The National Autistic Society UK website provides a fuller description of social stories and comic strip conversations.
Useful resources
Useful resources
Positive steps for social inclusion
Read time: 8 min
A guide to supporting social inclusion.
Publisher: National Down Syndrome Society
Managing behaviours
Read time: 8 min
Practical advice for teachers and support staff.
Publisher: National Down Syndrome Society
Next steps
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Identify needs and how to provide supportShow suggestions for Identify needs and how to provide support
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Key areas to supportShow suggestions for Key areas to support
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Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8Show suggestions for Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8
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Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13Show suggestions for Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13
