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Date
11 September 2025
Link
inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/dyspraxia-and-learning/support-processing-and-organisation

Support processing and organisation

Provide a range of support and visuals to help years 1-8 students to be independent learners.

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Support organisation with visuals

Support organisation with visuals

Help students to be able to locate resources, plan their work, and organise their thoughts with visuals.
  • Label key areas of the classroom and resources with visual and text labels.
  • Use charts, visual calendars, colour-coded schedules, visible timers and visual cues to increase the predictability of regular activities, transitions between environments and activities, and changes in discussion topics.
  • Make graphic organisers and flow charts available to support breaking tasks into chunks, and thinking and planning in all curriculum areas.

Help students to complete tasks successfully

Help students to complete tasks successfully

Create an environment where students can complete tasks.

  • Provide instruction in short segments (for example, teach → student activity → teach → student activity).
  • Provide students with a checklist with tasks broken into smaller segments. Highlight key parts of the task.
  • Before beginning a task, have students explain their understanding of what they are doing (they can do this with a buddy).
  • Give positive feedback to students who start promptly.
  • Check on student progress frequently.
  • Ensure that all materials and resources are accessible.
  • Help students to develop an action plan outlining the key steps required to complete difficult tasks.

Help ākonga to learn and process new information

Help ākonga to learn and process new information

Students with dyspraxia may require extra time to process and learn new information.

 

 

 

  • Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas and relationships using visuals, mind maps, 3-D manipulatives, outlines, flow charts and real objects.
  • Give students multiple opportunities to engage with new ideas.
  • Provide extra time for students to think and process before responding in a discussion.
  • Use mind maps to brainstorm ideas and make connections.
  • Provide opportunities for students to use their whole bodies to make connections and build understanding. For example, drawing large chalk circles on the ground or using hoops for venn diagrams.

Useful resources

Useful resources

Website

Miro

Miro offers multiple ways to mind map and organise information for free.

Publisher: Miro

Visit website

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: Supporting ākonga Māori

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  • How to use this guide

Strategies for action:

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