Top Ten Takeaways From Teaching At Wolf

Leah Valentine, Special Educator

This is my fourteenth year teaching at the Wolf School, and every year I learn a great deal from the people I work with and the professional training we receive.  Our staff regularly shares their knowledge both proactively and during brainstorming sessions, as we work together to target specific goals. We also have had so many incredible outside educational and therapeutic specialists come to Wolf over the years and teach us valuable skills and best practices in many developmental areas. Some of the strategies we have learned are consistently reiterated, shown to be successful, and have stood the test of time. In an effort to share some of them (knowing this is not new information for many, but reminders are always good), here is a list of ten takeaways that I have learned at the Wolf School that support positive guidance and interaction with Complex Learners.

10. Tap into their strengths and interests.

If a student is great at karate or loves trains and dinosaurs, incorporate those topics into conversations and lessons to further engage them. Pair the karate moves with math operations, read about dinosaurs to strengthen comprehension, and write about comparing their favorite trains.

9. Give choices.

When kids have a say in planning and executing activities, they are more connected to the activity. Sometimes, even small decisions, such as working on the table or floor, using markers or crayons, choosing this book or that one, can help to get an activity started. Larger choices, such as the order of activities, the number of tasks, or the amount of time spent on something, help develop planning and decision-making skills. 

8. Mantras work!

Modeling positive self-talk and repeating mantras can help get kids to approach complex tasks. Phrases like “we’ve got this,” “teamwork makes the dreamwork,” and “one step at a time” can encourage kids to try challenging things. If you model using reassuring phrases like “I can handle this” or “I am so frustrated, but I am going to take a breath and try again,” kids will imitate you and use them during hard times.

7. Externalize worry thoughts.

Thinking of worry thoughts as things that are separate from you can empower you to acknowledge them as not a part of you but as things that you can control. We can park them, make them float away, or defeat them. There are many ways to help in this area for people of all ages and stages.

6. Always remember the bottom of the pyramid.

Wolf staff members often refer to a developmental pyramid of learning. Most educational goals target the middle and top layers; however, the bottom of the pyramid has the building blocks that must be in place before those skills can develop. We have to start with the base of the pyramid and ensure the sensory systems are developed enough to target more complex skills. It is worth investing the time and effort to promote growth sequentially and developmentally.

5. Think big to small and small to big.

Breaking a task down into the small skills needed to complete the task and practicing each skill sequentially to achieve the larger task works. For example, packing up at the end of the school day requires a lot of skills! Breaking down that big task into its parts and practicing each skill individually, then combining them one step at a time, and eventually fading the assistance, leads to success!

4. Model thinking and planning.

Thinking out loud and planning together helps develop these critical executive functioning skills. Talking about the order of plans, remembering items, gathering supplies, and referring to past experiences to be better prepared for repeating them, models how we can organize and plan our lives to be more efficient and enjoyable. There are many executive functioning resources available for parents that offer strategies you can implement to support your child’s development.

3. Wait to talk about conflict.

This concept is repeated by professionals in many areas. It is both scientifically proven and important for everyone to understand. When emotions are high, we cannot process information efficiently. The logical, decision-making part of our brain goes offline when we are upset. This is why it’s critical to talk about an argument, meltdown, or difficult time long after it is over. When everyone is calm that is when you can try to agree on what both parties can do differently next time.

2. Use visuals.

Pictures, drawings, visual timers, and schedules with photos or clip art help kids comprehend plans and expectations. Using a small portable whiteboard to write or draw a simple plan has been a game-changer for me as a teacher. Kids like to know what to expect and see a first/then, or a 1-2-3 plan; they also love to check boxes! Other visuals that are very helpful include photographs that show what a “clean” desk looks like, or a “packed” backpack, so they can refer to it when they are cleaning or packing and try to match the picture. 

1. LESS LANGUAGE!

This is number one by far, and it is easier said than done! To help children process language, streamline your words into meaningful, concrete phrases or short sentences. Adding gestures to concise phrases helps make language visual, and after you speak, wait a few extra seconds before talking again or expecting a response. Communication throughout the day happens during busy times with many distractions.  All of the sights and sounds surrounding kids occupy parts of their attention. Heightened emotions also lessen their ability to comprehend. Using fewer words is very helpful in easing the load to communicate successfully. Instead of saying, “We are going to finish up snack, then have math here in the classroom before we go to the gym for Move to Learn.” Instead, try, “Finish snack (gesture to snack table), next is math (gesture to desks), then to the gym (gesture out the door toward the gym).”

These ten “takeaways” are described very briefly! There are a lot of great resources available that explain them further and provide the research, theory, or science behind them. Please reach out if you would like specific resources in any area. Our faculty team at Wolf is always happy to help and provide information or references!