Creating an environment that’s conducive to helping children with diverse learning styles and needs requires teachers to be structured, consistent, creative and reinforcing. Our special educators share their top six classroom management strategies to make learning an adventure in an inclusive classroom.
- Establish a buddy system: Pair students together and ask the neurotypical child to assist their neurodivergent buddy with specific tasks or skills, like opening their textbook to a particular page, or walking them to the school bus.
- Use visuals: Use images and pictures to establish, explain and connect ideas and help students retain information.
- Keep it simple: Use simple instructions that children can understand and carry out.
- Provide movement breaks: Offer kids brief mental and sensory breaks from prolonged activities. Moving their bodies engages them in physically and helps them use both sides of the brain.
- Engage the senses: A letter song (hearing and singing), letters with pictures (hearing and seeing), writing on sand or clay (seeing, touching, feeling), hopscotch with letters instead of numbers (kinaesthic/ movement and seeing) are examples of multisensory teaching that engage more than one sense at a time and make learning more fun.
- Celebrate every success: As a teacher, you’re also one of your students’ biggest cheerleaders. Help them believe in their potential by recognising even the small accomplishments. Use clear, specific praise for good work and behaviour to motivate them to keep on carrying on.