Learning Context

The learning community within my classrooms will be very different next year. One of my students is moving from the middle school into the high school and I've got a new student starting as well. Our room was moved (And rumor has it that it might move again) as well. Communication plays a role within this learning context as well and we need to improve. But that's just the physical aspects of the environment. I want there to be change within the mental aspects of this environment.

Within this context, I've chosen to focus on academics and functional skills. While these topics are quite broad, I will narrow the focus for each as I discuss the needed improvements. An Adaptive Life Skills classroom needs to look at how academic skills are used in day-to-day activities. Rather than complete a page of addition and subtraction, I want my students to add up a shopping list. Rather than filling a shopping list, I want my students to make the shopping list first.

While both of these tasks seem pretty straight forward (And I believe that they are), the difficulty lies in underestimating our students ("He can't do that!"). This means that I want to challenge my students. If you don't think a student can do something, try. If they can't do it, analyze the task and work toward aspects of the task that the student can complete. If they can complete the task, then we need to raise the bar.

Specifically, I want my students to become more independent in the execution of these tasks. When it comes time to go shopping in the community, I want them to plan and do (The shopping). When they can do that, raise the bar and help them reach their new goal.
Part of the approach to this goal will be to recognize that individual pieces will not make sense until the student gets a vision of the complete task. This may (Or may not) take some time to achieve, but I think we can do it. My staff and I must be able to hold their attention between each small task until they recognize the larger task that we're striving towards.

If we take a specific example (Going to store for snack items), I believe that I can illustrate my point. The first step in this process would be to generate a list of items. Each student might be asked to list three items that needed to be purchased. Once three items were chosen, each student would make their own list (Perhaps typing this on the computer or cutting pictures out of the newspaper). Once each list was finished, a trip to the store to pick up these items (Perhaps recording their prices as well) and then purchasing the items (Using the Dollar More strategy). Once back to class, the students would need to put the items away.

This task could be presented to the students in a number of ways. On Monday, the students could be gathered and a list of needs generated (Perhaps as part of Calendar). On Tuesday, each student would create their list (Handwriting? Typing? Cutting and pasting?). On Wednesday, the class goes shopping (Recording prices) and then returns to class and puts the items away (Another functional routine).

My class may do some of the above, but they haven't done all of the above. Tying these skills together into a functional routine needs to be established. Once again, communication and teamwork are the keys to success.