Over the next few blog posts, I plan on writing tips for supporting children with various special educational needs in mainstream classrooms. All children are different and what works with one child may not work with another.
Every class has at least one child who always forgets to put up their hand, constantly shouts out the answer or asks 5 questions before you’ve even managed to step foot into the classroom. Children may shout out because they are used to lots of attention at home and therefore don’t see that there are 30 other children in the class. Or they have to battle it out for attention at home and crave it more in school. Here are some tips to support this child;
- Be consistent – if you don’t want children to constantly shout out answers then don’t accept answers from children who shout out. (Yes of course this is easier said than done) But when you sometimes allow answers from children that shout out then you are sending mixed messages and children will chance it.
- Use lollipop sticks – when you ask a question, explain that you are going to pick a name from the jar and that throughout the day you will ask everyone a question. (The children can see this as a fair system)
These are from Teachers Pet.
- Talk cards – if you have 1/2 children who are constantly shouting out or coming to you with questions and problems then give them 3 talk cards. The child keeps these on his/her desk and has to choose when to use them.
- Circle time – have a chat about shouting out and why it isn’t very nice (some children have louder voices, some children will never get a chance to speak etc.)
