Class Walk throughs

Last week we had the opportunity to get critical feedback from colleagues around our class layouts and how our class represents our students.

Here are some of the changes I would like to make

* streamline or minimise movement to resources e.g. by splitting white boards into house groups so that everybody don't have to go to the same spot to get white boards.
* Have a visual prompts for must do's and can do's - visual timetable instead of just writing on the board.
* Share students learning e.g. through photos or displays
* Strengthen PB4L matrices with photos of the children demonstrating the right thing.

I read an article about visual timetables that was interesting and motivates me to streamline my visual timetable more, especially around including brain breaks or down time.

Artcle by:
Lynn McCann, 18th June 2017, URL Reference ,Get your visual timetable right

Not all teachers understand the true purpose of a visual timetable – they let the child know what’s going on and in what order, but are also an important teaching tool. The main teaching opportunities include:

Memory and recall skills

Seeing the structure of the day can improve memory skills for children who think better in pictures than verbal language. Instead of absorbing a list of verbal words, they can utilise their visual memory to remember what will be happening and in what order.

Organisational skills and independence

The child should be managing their own timetable. That means self-checking what they should be doing and where they should be, and taking off symbols and putting them in the ‘finished’ pocket themselves.

Start by ensuring that the visual timetable is pitched at the right level for the child by using objects of reference, photos, symbols and words that will make sense to them. Print them out on cards and laminate them, so that they can be reused each day. Remember to include timetable cards that represent sensory breaks and reward activities, so the child isn’t anxious about when these will take place.

Once the cards are finished, make sure that the timetable is accurately set up with part or all of the day’s activities every day. This presents an ideal opportunity to teach the child(ren) how to manage removing the symbols after each activity is completed. The finished activity symbol should then be posted in a box or envelope to indicate the ending of that activity and commencement of the next.

A pivotal strategy

Over the years I’ve worked with some pupils who were at risk of being excluded for their behaviour. When a visual timetable was used to show them their lessons, ‘calm or choice times’, sensory breaks – and most importantly, when home time was due – alongside other strategies, it had a huge impact in helping the child to navigate the day, reducing their stress and anxiety levels and thus reducing their challenging behaviours.

Honestly – visual timetables can sometimes be a pivotal strategy that makes all the difference for a child.
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