Create structure in a flexible environment
A well-organised and highly structured classroom minimises the impact of cognitive demands to process and interpret new information.
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Walk in your student’s shoes
Walk in your student’s shoes
Take a walk around the classroom. Use all your senses to consider how the classroom might look, sound, and feel to your student.
Consider:
- routines and ways of working
- how you will make timing of assignments and assessment tasks manageable
- the practical challenges for students, such as timetabling, and managing their time
- how the student will find and access resources
- how the classroom is laid out
- where to create a quiet place for students to work
- where your student can go if they need to calm down, and what your student needs for a calming space.
Build routines
Build routines
Consistent routines reduce stress and anxiety for students.
Develop simple routines, which are used daily to support successful learning and transitions with the students.
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Provide a predictable environment
Provide a predictable environment
Create predictable routines to reduce anxiety and allow students to manage themselves independently.
- Use personalised and class timetables
- Clarify expectations and teach appropriate behaviours
- Signal upcoming transitions
- Talk through last minute changes that may be startling to students
- Use task boards to break large tasks into components
- Develop strategies for times of anxiety
- Share key information across the school for example with staff, leaders and relief teachers
Create structure in a flexible space
Create structure in a flexible space
Set up your environment to minimise students’ cognitive load.
Providing support for students' specific needs enables them to work more independently.
Closed Captions
Minimise distractions
Minimise distractions
Minimise auditory and visual distractions to help diminish the confusion and frustration some students experience, and maximise their ability to focus on the task at hand.
Reduce visual distractions
- Strategically place the student’s seat away from distractions, such as doorways and windows.
- Clear the student’s desk of everything, except the lesson at hand.
- Put away (or out of view) teacher’s equipment and books competing for a student’s attention.
Reduce auditory distractions
- Seat student closest to where you present information.
- Seat student next to students who do not distract others.
- Provide nonverbal cues that are familiar to the student to help them stay focused and working quietly, for example: use hand signals, move close to student.
- Create quiet spots in your classroom.
Useful resources
Useful resources
Environment
A checklist for setting up a classroom environment that considers routines and structure, and reduces sensory overload.
Publisher: POPFASD
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13”:
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Guide to Index of the guide: FASD and learning
Understand:
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