Create structure in a flexible environment
A well-organised and highly structured classroom minimises the impact of cognitive demands to process and interpret new information.
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Walk in your student’s shoes
Walk in your student’s shoes
Take a walk around the classroom. Use all your senses to consider how the classroom might look, sound, and feel to your student.
Consider:
- routines and ways of working
- how you will make timing of assignments and assessment tasks manageable
- the practical challenges for students, such as timetabling, and managing their time
- how the student will find and access resources
- how the classroom is laid out
- where to create a quiet place for students to work
- where your student can go if they need to calm down, and what your student needs for a calming space.
Build routines
Build routines
Consistent routines reduce stress and anxiety for students.
Develop simple routines, which are used daily to support successful learning and transitions with the students.
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Create structure in a flexible space
Create structure in a flexible space
Set up your environment to minimise students’ cognitive load.
Providing support for students' specific needs enables them to work more independently.
Closed Captions
Useful resources
Useful resources
Environment: For learners with FASD and other complex learning needs
A checklist for setting up a classroom environment that considers routines and structure, and reduces sensory overload.
Publisher: POPFASD
Agree guidelines for behaviour
Agree guidelines for behaviour
Develop a class treaty/norms/rules with the students.
- Agree on clear, concrete rules that are the same across all classes.
- Display the rules in the classrooms.
- Use picture cues.
- Review the rules with students regularly.
- Role-play classroom rules.
- Use consistent vocabulary when teaching and reinforcing rules across all classes.
- Be consistent when applying the rules.
- Apply agreed consequences immediately when a rule is broken.
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13”:
Return to the guide “Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and learning”
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How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: FASD and learning
Understand:
Strategies for action:
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Identify needs and how to provide supportShow suggestions for Identify needs and how to provide support
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Support self-regulation and positive behaviourShow suggestions for Support self-regulation and positive behaviour
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Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8Show suggestions for Helpful classroom strategies years 1-8
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Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13Show suggestions for Helpful classroom strategies years 9-13
