During this time where you are supporting your student's learning, you may need guidance on where to start! Here are three tips and tricks to structure your child's day and embed supports to build success during Distance Learning.

A schedule will help your child know and prepare for what is coming. Using visuals to support early readers is beneficial. There are many types of visual schedules, but remember the following:

• Teach the schedule up front- Go over the schedule with your child first thing, daily if needed. Teach your child what each activity entails, and what the expectation is to be considered "done" with each activity.

• Mirror their school schedule- You can ask your child’s teacher (or your child) what their school schedule is and have a similar schedule at home. You could have lunch and “recess” at the same time your child normally does these activities during the week.

• Make the schedule work for you & your child- If you need to work from home at a certain time, that might be a good time to give your child a quiet break or an activity they can do independently.

• Use a schedule format that works for your child– Some students use picture schedules or written schedules depending on their level. Use a schedule that is best for your child and know that a written schedule on a piece of paper works during this time!

• Make it consistent, but give room for flexibility- It is important to maintain structure and routine (especially during uncertain times), but it’s okay to allow for a little flexibility. If there is something you need to do for work on a certain day, you can tell your child ahead of time that there will be no “school” that day.

• Use timers- Timers help students know how long activities will last or when their preferred items will return. You could use a kitchen timer and set alarms on your phone. This benefits your child because they can see how much time is left and it helps keep you on track too!

Being realistic about how long your student can maintain during tasks will increase the likelihood of success. It is good to remember that there are many supports/structures/built in reinforcers that may not naturally be in your home. So start at a place where you know your child will be successful, and build from there.

• The District's Curriculum and Instruction Division has recommended the following regarding time of daily instruction:

  • Grades TK‐2: approx 10‐15 minutes per subject area per day

  • Grades 3‐5: approx 25 minutes per subject area per day

  • Grades 6‐8: approx 30 minutes per subject area per day

And even within that amount of time, we may need to break it down even more.

• • Work/Break Schedule - within your academic time/tasks, you may need to set "mini-goals" (ex. "Let's do three problems, then you can take a quick break")

  • Accommodate - Some accommodations that might increase success with learning:

    • Provide assigned tasks in small segments or in step-by-step manner.

    • Follow a less desirable task with a desirable task to increase motivation to complete the first task.

    • Allow the student to choose among materials to use (write with a pen or a marker).

    • Provide the student with a selection of assignments and allow him/her to choose a minimum number to be completed .

    • Reduce the amount of information on a page if it is causing a visual distraction for the student (fold/cut paper in half, write one problem on white board, etc.)

It can be so hard to motivate children to do school work, especially in the home environment, so allowing your child to work for something desired can help. We all work for reinforcement! Adults work for a paycheck, so give your child the opportunity to work for something reasonable that they want. Here are some ways you can have a token economy (a system for your child to work for what they want) at home:

• Offer appropriate reinforcers/rewards– Make sure it is something your child wants to work for and is reasonable for you to give to your child. For example, if your child likes Lego, allow them to work for a few minutes of playing with Lego (set the timer!). Make sure whatever you offer as a reward is motivating. If they aren't working for it, they may not really be motivated by it, or the paycheck isn't big enough!

• Give them the reinforcer/reward right away- If your child has done the work you asked them to do, make sure they get their reward/reinforcer right away. This helps to keep your child doing their work consistently because if they have to wait for it, they are less likely to do their work the next time.

• Give Attention to the Behaviors You Want to See - we sometimes give more attention to the “bad” behaviors (those we don’t want to see) than the appropriate behaviors. Even if its not positive attention (like reprimands), sometimes it can actually reinforce those inappropriate behaviors and make them more likely to happen. Be sure to give more attention to the good behaviors (e.g., being on task, following directions, using their words) instead.

Make sure you also set realistic expectations for yourself! Utilize technology and online resources when you aren't quite sure how to teach a skill, set your schedule to balance your work/life needs, create academic connections to household activities, and take advantage of all the resources many educational and children-based companies are offering for free in this time of Distance Learning!