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Date
14 April 2024
Link
inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/dyspraxia-and-learning/support-participation-and-confidence

Support participation and confidence

Support years 1-8 students to be confident, active participants in the classroom and community.

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Create a predictable environment

Create a predictable environment

Create predictable routines to reduce anxiety and allow students to manage themselves independently

Use predictable routines and systems

  • Use class and personalised timetables so that students can anticipate transitions and manage themselves independently.
  • Support routines with visuals.
  • Teach and model how to use planning and scheduling tools.
  • Make visuals and resources easy to find by using clearly divided zones, for example a maths resources zone.

Signal and manage transitions and changes

  • Use timers, timetables and visuals or task boards to clarify tasks and transitions.
  • Talk through last minute changes that may be startling to students.

Encourage sustained participation

Encourage sustained participation

Discuss with the student what will support their participation and motivation.

Build the suggestions into your teaching practice.

  • Use your knowledge of students’ cultures, interests and strengths to create opportunities for them to take the lead.
  • Foster tuakana-teina relationships and create a class culture where students support each other.
  • Make sure stories of success get back to the students’ parents and whānau.
  • Act quickly on any concerns about a student’s wellbeing.
  • Recognise avoidance strategies and provide support and encouragement.
  • Give ongoing prompts and positive feedback and provide students with strategies to help them when they get stuck.

Support gifted students

Support gifted students

Recognise and cater for gifted learners whose special abilities are masked by their dyspraxia. 

See the Ministry of Education’s information on twice-multi exceptional learners on the Gifted Learners, Tukuna kia rere website.

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Source: Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

Source:
Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga

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Build student motivation

Build student motivation

Professor Kirby describes how to help students build confidence by giving specific feedback, supporting students to set their own goals and identify steps to achieving them.

Video hosted on Youtube http://youtu.be/4mOwc7A1iAM

Source: dystalk (UK) (opens in a new tab/window)

No captions or transcript

Source:
dystalk (UK)
http://youtu.be/4mOwc7A1iAM

Develop social skills

Develop social skills

Some students may need targeted teaching of social skills. For example, ākonga with dyspraxia may have difficulty picking up non-verbal cues or may lack self-awareness of personal hygiene issues.
  • Define one or more social behaviours the student needs to learn, in measurable terms.
  • Sensitively raise self-awareness of personal hygiene issues.
  • Share examples of good communication techniques.
  • Use a range of teaching techniques, for example, structured discussions, social stories.
  • Help students to generalise skills through role-play and video modelling.
  • Practise skills in structured teaching settings and then in everyday situations – the student may need help to do this.
  • Check the student can use the new skills in different situations.

Use problem-solving strategies

Use problem-solving strategies

Stonefields School supports students to develop strategies for “getting out of the learning pit” when they get stuck in their learning.

Video hosted on Youtube http://youtu.be/RC1rNb6eLbg

Source: visual active (opens in a new tab/window)

View transcript

Source:
visual active
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-5KRUHaVhO9a9F0_9fmywA

Useful resources

Useful resources

File

Dyspraxia: Secondary school classroom guidelines

This resource outlines difficulties that children with dyspraxia may face in their learning, and provides strategies for overcoming them.

Publisher: Dyspraxia Foundation

Download PDF

Developmental dyspraxia

Developmental dyspraxia: A resource for educators

This booklet examines how dyspraxia can influence learning and provides strategies teachers can use in the classroom.

Download PDF (1.4 MB)

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8”:

Return to the guide “Dyspraxia and learning”

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Dyspraxia and learning

How to use this site

Guide to Index of the guide: Dyspraxia and learning

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This is a Ministry of Education initiative​​​​​​​. We shape an education system that delivers equitable and excellent outcomes.

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