No matter how hard educators work, and how good they are at what they do, few feel like they’ve got it together. Never mind that so many carve out additional time for extracurriculars, class preparation and planning, meetings and professional development. Educators deserve a lot more credit. Not just from those around them, but from themselves too.
They also deserve easy access to best practices, to help them work as smart as they do hard. That’s especially true when it comes to maintaining a classroom that works for neurodivergent students.
Make your classroom inclusive
Getting this right requires individualization and accommodations. Here are four practical suggestions to help make all your students feel engaged:
- Use peer-based learning. It’s an evidence-based strategy that involves pairing autistic students with a fellow classmate who is comfortable with the subject being taught. This provides the student with focused attention and support, without requiring a ton of oversight from you. It can work well for a variety of lessons.
- Infuse the student’s interests. Creating materials specific to the student’s passions can reinforce learning naturally. It will bring presentation materials to life for your student, without requiring a lot of extra time. Let’s say you are giving a pop quiz. Consider creating an individualized word template for a student who likes Minecraft, with images of characters added throughout. You may even find that the new materials work well with all your students.
- Test and learn. If an accommodation isn’t working, try subtle variations before discarding it altogether. Start with one small change and keep track of its effect. Recording a little data on what was adjusted – successfully or unsuccessfully – will save you time in the long run. You’ll learn more about the student’s profile with each iteration.
- Sharing is caring. Speak to the student’s family and previous teachers. They’re likely to have great ideas for effective accommodations. They may even have materials you can use. And do the same for others teaching your current and former students – it will make a profound difference.
Educators are far too hard on themselves. Practical, inexpensive ideas like these can make a difficult job easier, and educators more confident.