Have you heard of 'sabotaging your class schedule?'
I know, it sounds barbaric, but bear with me.
Image Credit: Adobe StockSchedules are part of everyone's life. As special education teachers, our job is to prepare kids for the unexpected. One of those 'unexpected' things could be schedule changes.
When can I start sabotaging my class schedule?
I usually start out at the beginning of the year (around September), changing one little thing. It'll be... a work task or a class activity. Get the support staff involved and get the general education teachers involved and work on just one thing.
For example, maybe there is picture day that's kind of a big thing to start off with. But usually, that's what hits first. Or there's an early release, and we will change our schedule with the early release times. The first change....it's the most challenging part!
How can I prepare my students for changes?
We introduce the schedule change with the class schedule. I talk to the class about the change a few days ahead of time, we go over a social narrative, and I tell them:
After we do the schedule change, you guys will get to come back and get a break / rewarded / positive reinforcement.
In addition to praising and prompting throughout the event. We use timers, first then and token systems to make it through the change. Then by October, we're prepared for the many changes to that month.
It could be another early release, or it may be a Halloween party. The schedule for testing months and holiday months is going to be whack. It's hard when things are wack. The kids struggle, and their inner clock is saying "no, we're supposed to be having snack now not going to P.E."
Have you had any success with sabotaging class schedules? Have you heard of doing this strategy before?
If you found class schedule sabotage useful, let me know in a comment or send me an email: ohsokolo@gmail.com
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