Transitions Made Easy With Video Priming

Spring is the time to consider students who will be transitioning to a new classroom or building in the fall. Transitions can create extreme anxiety for some students as they anticipate unfamiliar people, places and routines.  Video priming is an evidenced based practice that can be used to ease the transition process  A virtual tour can be created by recording video of the unfamiliar location. Viewing the video repeatedly in a safe environment, allows the student to become familiar with the new location. This will help to reduce anxiety and allow for a more positive transition.

Tips for creating a video for priming:

1. Get parent permission for any students included in the video.
2. Use a tablet or smartphone to easily collect video. It is best to hold the device horizontally.
3. Take photos and video clips from the student’s perspective showing the key people and places they will see that first day of school.
4. Interview key people to familiarize the students with names, faces and voices.
5. If possible, identify the morning routine of where to enter the building and the sequence of expectations.  Having some predictability will also help reduce anxiety.
6. Use an app to edit the video directly on the device or transfer to a computer.
7. Create a video that is informative, yet not overwhelming. Keep it short (1-4 minutes).

The video can be shared with parents to allow viewing over the summer months.  A general video can be posted on the school website.  A video created for a specific student can be sent home on a DVD or thumb drive (USB) or shared using Drop Box, Google Drive or an unlisted YouTube link.

If your student is not interested in viewing the video, consider editing the video to incorporate special interest images that they can look for throughout the video. Remember to keep it short and simple! The goal is to help your student feel calm and encouraged…not more anxious and overwhelmed.

Not familiar with editing technology? Ask around, there are probably colleagues or students around who can help you.

Examples

Kindergarten- To help a preschooler transition to kindergarten, the kindergarten teacher presented her calendar time lesson using a book that was sent home over the summer.  The parents were encouraged to sit with their child to pause the video after each question allowing their child to respond to the teacher. This familiarized the child with the daily lesson and acquainted the child with the face and voice of the new teacher.

High School- Video and still shots of the school were combined to create a virtual tour. Although students were able to tour the building during a spring field trip, the video allowed the students to review the video as often as needed over the summer to feel a little more comfortable when they started high school in the fall.

Around Town Round Up-- Structured Work Systems

We love Structured Work Systems! They are a great way to make work expectations more predictable so students know what they will be doing in a given location or in a given time frame. This is a strategy we suggest regularly to our teams to build student independence or to increase classroom structure. Often, teachers spend a great deal of time planning wonderful activities for instruction but are frustrated when students engage in escape behaviors during work times. Structured Work Systems can be an effective way to reduce escape behaviors because students get a better understanding of how much work needs to be done, what work they will complete, when the work will be finished, and what comes next. The Structured Work System needs to be directly taught and once students have mastered the format, teachers have the flexibility to assign a variety of tasks. Students succeed because they know what to expect and teachers succeed because students are more compliant!

There are many different ways you can set up a Structured Work System in the classroom. Today's Around Town Round Up has gathered Structured Work Systems from throughout the Miami Valley to provide ideas for teachers as they implement this strategy.

Matching Structured Work Systems

Matching Structured Work Systems are a good starting point when implementing this strategy. Here is a great video illustrating this system:

Here are two examples of a Structured Work System for a student. The system on the left is in the general education classroom contained within a study carrel. The system on the right is in a resource room.

Traci Parker
Forest Elementary, Troy

Another example of a Structured Work System contained within a study carrel:

Jennifer McGowan
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

 This Structured Work System incorporates a student's special interest in football for their matching icons.

Carrie Prickett
 Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

This structured work system makes great use of affordable plastic crates to create a shelf for the work and a finished basket. 

Christine Scarborough
Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia

Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

 We love how this classroom has multiple structured work systems and how they have used file cabinets to hold work and as a physical barrier between stations.

Incorporating reinforcement into a structured work system is a great way to keep students engaged and motivated. These teachers provide edible reinforcement after each work task is completed:

reinforcers in magnetic spice tins
Beth Young
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield

reinforcers in pill box
Brittany Bush
Spinning Hills Middle School, Mad River Local Schools

This student uses a visual contract to choose reinforcement before starting his work. The colored tokens on the contract correspond with his work folders. For more information on visual contracts check out our post on Reinforcement Systems!

Lisa Bauer
Northmont Middle School, Northmont

For this Structured Work System, students choose a reinforcing item and place it in the bottom bin.

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

For some students, an icon is used at the bottom of the Structured Work System schedule.

Rick Wical
Ankeney Middle School, Beavercreek

Christine Scarborough
Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia

This is a great use of IKEA's Trofast shelving system. Students complete the work presented on the First-Then schedule and place it in the shelf on the right when finished.

Carrie Prickett
 Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

Forced Choice Structured Work Systems

For some students, choosing their activities can also be a way to help them with compliance and increase motivation to complete work. Using the forced choice method, the teacher presents the student with several acceptable options and the student chooses what they want to do. A variation of this method could be presenting students with a set of tasks and allowing them to choose what order to place them in the Structured Work System before getting started.

Jared Taylor
Simon Kenton Elementary, Springfield

Traveling Structured Work Systems

In some classrooms, teachers have students gather their tasks using an icon schedule. This helps students work on transitions and can also be an effective way to incorporate a Structured Work System even when a designated location is not available. Here is a great video example of a Traveling Structured Work System:

Marisa Calhoun
Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek

Brittany Sword
Valley Elementary, Beavercreek

Advanced Structured Work Systems

Older students or students who are ready to move beyond the Matching Structured Work Systems still benefit from the Structured Work System strategy but may need this support to grow with them. For these students, teachers can use an Advanced Structured Work System. Here is a video with some ideas: 

For some students, a sequence of activities can be laid out in order of completion. 

Vicki Gomes
Miami East Intermediate, Miami East

Toni Mallott
Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

For some students, work may be contained in a binder, in folders, or in this example a plastic envelope.

Jennifer Jette
Vandalia-Butler HS, Vandalia

The concept of Structured Work Systems can be generalized to instruction during 1:1, small group, or large group times. These teachers use a Structured Work System to present activities to be done during direct instruction times. 

Christine Scarborough
Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

For more ideas of activities that can be done during Structured Work Systems check out our Taskbox Time posts!

Regulation Rendezvous-- Calm Down Strategies

Self-Management can be extremely challenging for many of the students we coach on. It is essential that strategies for managing emotions and behaviors are directly taught and regularly practiced. many teams use a variety of strategy reminders to help their students apply them in the moment. Today's Regulation Rendezvous shares a variety of sequences and options for calming students who are struggling to manage.

In some classrooms, teachers have taught a specific sequence of strategies to help students calm down. We love how this team used a Spongebob special interest to make their sequence visuals!

Christine Scarborough
Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia

Rachel Hatton
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Other teams have taught different strategies and provide students with a visual way to select what strategy to use in the moment. These visual supports can be extremely helpful because many students find communicating to be more difficult when feeling overwhelmed. 

Students can select from objects,

Stephanie Forman
South Vienna, Northeastern

Pictures,

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools 

Angela Crum
Parkwood Elementary, Beavercreek

or from a list of strategies depending on the level of support needed during difficult moments.

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Mitch Duncan and Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

Remember, students may need more support when overwhelmed than they would typically need and how their options are presented should reflect that.

Visual supports can also be used to help students be more mindful when managing emotions and solving problems. 

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

Around Town Round Up-- Instructional Visual Supports

Research has shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorders demonstrate strength in visual learning. In fact, they can process visual information up to 2X faster than the neurotypical individual.  In contrast, research has shown that individuals with ASD take .4 to .9 seconds longer to process auditory information.  Visual supports make auditory information visual. In the classroom the use of visual supports can significantly benefit your students. Visual supports supplement verbal instruction, clarifying the information for the student and increasing comprehension and therefore are an important component to planning engaging lessons for students with ASD. Today's Around Town Round Up has tons of great examples of instructional visual supports that we have seen across the Miami Valley. 

Visual Supports for Math Instruction

Using consistent visual supports during math instruction help students understand expectations, provide communication options, and remind students of steps necessary for solving multi-step problems. 

This visual support can be used for counting objects and selecting the corresponding number. The teacher has flexibility in providing a variety of objects while remaining consistent in how students respond which makes expectations more predictable. 

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

The visual support below provides students reminders for the steps that have been directly taught for telling time. Similar supports can be used for counting sets of coins, solving word problems, or calculating equations.

We love these great visuals for preschoolers to practice their graphing skills. 

Darlene Hays and Andy Krickenbarger
Anthony Wayne Preschool, Darke County ESC

Visual Supports for Reading and Phonics Instruction

Using consistent visual supports during ELA instruction can make learning phonics and reading skills more hands-on and engaging. They can be used for a variety of skills including name sequencing, phonics, and reading comprehension. 

This student can sequence flashcards on a velcro board or trace tactile letters for her name. 

Deanna Mullins
Kiser PK-8, Dayton Public Schools

This team uses carpet squares to make velcro boards for their letter flashcards.

Casey Lathrop and Katie Bigelow
Brookville Elementary, Brookville

Students practice CVC segmenting and spelling skills using these visual supports.

Sandy Beck
Broadway Elementary, Tipp City

Ginny Dowd's Phonics Dance is found in many of the classrooms we visit. We love the unique ways teachers display their Phonics Dance visuals.

Kathy Timmerman
Fairbrook Elementary, Beavercreek

Mallory Normile
Broadway Elementary, Tipp City

These visual supports from Unique Learning System/News-2-You are excellent for providing communication options, illustrating vocabulary, and answering wh-questions about a monthly topic. 

Jennifer McGowan
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

We love how picture symbols have been added to this word wall to help illustrate the sight words.

Toni Mallot
Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg

Visual supports are a great way to help students remember higher level concepts and content-related vocabulary.

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

Megan Kelly
Beavertown Elementary, Kettering

Visual Supports for Writing Instruction

These reusable name boards are a quick and easy way for students to get daily practice on writing their name. 

Darlene Hays and Andy Krickenbarger
Anthony Wayne Preschool, Darke County ESC

Visual supports can also be used for students who struggle with fine motor skills but continue to

Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

Rubrics are also a great visual support to help students understand expectations. Check out this great writing rubric using examples.

Megan Kelly
Beavertown Elementary, Kettering

Visual Supports for Science and Social Studies

Science and Social Studies concepts can often be difficult for our students to visualize. Using visual supports can make these concepts easier to understand and more engaging for students. 

Visual supports can be used to illustrate I Can Statements. 

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

This teacher does a wonderful job of using a variety of visual supports for story illustrations, science concepts such as the food chain, and social studies concepts such as geography and map skills. What a great way to engage students in their learning!

Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

This group project combined art and used stickers and picture symbol labels as visual supports. What a wonderful way to display student learning!

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River Local Schools

For more examples of wonderful visual supports check out our previous blog post for Supporting Content Instruction.