Support participation and build confidence
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8’
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Encourage sustained participation
Encourage sustained participation
Discuss with students what will support their participation and motivation.
Build these suggestions into your teaching practice.
- Establish clear classroom routines.
- Teach strategies to help students them when they get stuck.
- Break work into short manageable chunks.
- Give positive, timely feedback.
- Brief students about changes to routine.
- When changing classroom layout, provide a plan of new layout and when it will happen.
- Provide easy access to quiet spaces for working or winding down.
- Schedule brain breaks.
- Notice avoidance tactics or increasing anxiety, implement supports quickly.
- Offer leadership opportunities based on knowledge of student's expertise and interests.
- Connect learning to student's interests.
- Foster tuakana-teina relationships where students support each other.
Chunk tasks and time to increase motivation
Chunk tasks and time to increase motivation
Breaking tasks into smaller parts and setting deadlines can be a useful approach for many students.
Visual timers can help students keep track of the time and increase motivation.
Use social stories to support social skills
Use social stories to support social skills
Recommended approach:
- target a single behaviour
- the target behaviour is concrete (e.g. simple positive behaviours or communication goals rather than subtle or complex social skills)
- matched to the student’s language and cognitive skills
- used in every day settings
- presented on multiple occasions.
The Fact Sheet 15 – Social stories explains the specific purpose of each strategy and provides research based suggestions of how and when to use them successfully with students.
NB. These approaches were orginally created to support students with ASD. However teachers and families of students with Down syndrome have also found them very helpful.
Source: Autism Spectrum Australia (opens in a new tab/window)
Useful resources
Useful resources
Positive steps for social inclusion
Read time: 8 min
Publisher: National Down Syndrome Society
Including pupils with Down syndrome – Primary
Read time: 47 min
Publisher: Down's Syndrome Association
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8”:
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Identify needs and how to provide supportShow suggestions for Identify needs and how to provide support
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Key areas to supportShow suggestions for Key areas to support
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Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8Show suggestions for Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8
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Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13Show suggestions for Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13
