K-12

Are you looking for hacks to teach kids to take pride in their school work? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the learner to use a pencil grip (e.g., three-sided foam rubber, etc.) to assist in appropriate positioning of the pencil or pen.

2. Give the learner additional time to perform schoolwork to achieve increased accuracy and quality.

3. Embody appropriate handwriting at all times.

4. Assess the appropriateness of tasks designated if the learner continuously fails to finish tasks with minimal accuracy.

5. Talk regularly with the learner to monitor task performance.

6. Organize their surroundings to give the learner increased chances for help or assistance on academic or homework (e.g., peer tutors, seat the learner near the teacher or aide, etc.).

7. Assess learner performance in an assortment of ways (e.g., have the learner give oral explanations, simulations, physical demonstrations, etc.).

8. Give sufficient repetition and drill to assure minimal accuracy of tasks (i.e., require mastery/minimal accuracy before moving to the next skill level).

9. Make sure that all educators who work with the learner keep consistent expectations of accuracy and quality.

10. Give the learner shorter tasks while increasing accuracy and quality expectations.

11. Select a peer to work with the learner to give an acceptable model for the learner.

12. Do not expect mastery too soon after introducing new information, skills, etc.

13. Consider using assistive technology designed to help students to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to concentrate. Click here to view list of assistive technology apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for ways to motivate kids to be prepared for learning experiences? If so, keep reading.

1. Praise those students who finish their tasks at school during the time given.

2. Make sure that failure to be prepared for designated learning activities results in loss of the chance to take part in learning activities, or give a failing grade for that day’s learning experience.

3. Get the learner to create a routine (schedule) and utilize a weekly schedule. Get the learner to create a chart for daily school tasks to be finished.

4. Make sure that homework is designed to drill learning activities rather than introduce new information.

5. Give the learner a book bag, backpack, etc., to take homework tasks and learning materials to and from home.

6. Do not require the learner to learn more information than they are capable of learning at any time.

7. Find resource staff members from whom the learner may receive additional assistance (e.g., librarian, special education teacher, other staff members with expertise or time to help, etc.).

8. Make sure the learner knows that tasks not finished and turned in on time must still be finished and turned in late.

9. Give the learner written instructions to follow for all designated learning activities.

10. Make positive remarks about school and the importance of finishing tasks.

11. Plan the learner’s time at school so homework will not be appropriate if they take advantage of the school time given to finish tasks.

12. Make sure the learner has all the learning materials appropriate to finish school tasks (e.g., pencils, paper, erasers, etc.).

13. Conference with the learner’s parents to discuss appropriate ways to help their child with school tasks.

14. Limit learning materials needed.

15. Introduce the learner to other resource persons who may be of help in doing homework (e.g., other teachers, the librarian, etc.).

16. Show assignments/tasks in the most attractive and exciting manner possible.

17. Give individual assistance to the learner to help them prepare for designated learning activities (e.g., time set aside during the day, study hall, after school, etc.).

18. Give the learner a list of appropriate learning materials for each learning experience of the day.

19. Give the learner structure for all academic learning activities (e.g., specific instructions, routine (schedule) format for tasks, time units, etc.).

20. Make sure that the learner knows the relationship between unacceptable behavior and the consequences that follow (e.g., forgetting to finish their school tasks will result in a low grade).

21. Consider using an education app to help the student sharpen their organizational skills. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for interventions for kids who have trouble completing classroom tasks? If so, keep reading.

1. Organize their surroundings to give the learner an increased chance for help or assistance on tasks (e.g., peer tutoring, instructions for work sent home, frequent interactions, etc.).

2. With the learner, chart those tasks that have been finished within the time given.

3. Get the learner to record the time it took them to finish each task to accurately determine how much time is spent on each task.

4. Show one task at a time. As each task is finished, deliver reinforcement along with the presentation of the next task.

5. Get the learner to use a timer to finish tasks within a given period.

6. Create challenges in designated tasks to increase interest and motivation (e.g., cooperative learning strategies, etc.).

7. Give an incentive statement along with an instruction (e.g., “On occasions where you finish your classwork, you may go to lunch.”).

8. Create task rules (e.g., listen to instructions, wait until all oral instructions have been given, ask questions about anything not grasped, make sure you have all the appropriate learning materials, and begin the task when you are sure about what you are supposed to do, etc.).

9. Make sure that the learner knows the relationship between unacceptable behavior and the consequences that follow (e.g., failure to perform or finish classroom tasks will result in a low grade).

10. Inspect the learner’s classwork when they are finished so you can be sure that everything is finished.

11. Praise the learner for beginning, working on, and finishing tasks.

12. Take proactive steps to deal with a learner’s refusal to perform a task to prevent contagion in the classroom (e.g., refrain from arguing with the learner, place the learner at a carrel or other quiet space to work, remove the learner from the group or classroom, etc.).

13. Let the learner have additional time to finish class tasks or homework.

14. Show the learner that work not done during class/work time will have to be done during other times (e.g., recess, break time, leisure time, before/after school, lunchtime, etc.).

15. Follow up a less desirable task with a highly desirable task. Make the learner finish the first to begin the second.

16. Give the learner step-by-step written instructions for finishing class tasks.

17. Consider using an education app to help the student sharpen their organizational skills. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for ways to teach students not to bring inappropriate items to school? If so, keep reading.

1. Designate the learner learning activities that would require interactions with a respected role model (e.g., older learner, high school learner, college learner, community leader, someone held in esteem, etc.).

2. Give the learner intelligent, accurate information about drugs and alcohol rather than using sensationalized scare tactics.

3. Give many chances for social and academic success.

4. Urge the learner to excel in a particular area of interest (e.g., give information to the learner, give personal and professional support, sponsor the learner, etc.).

5. Provide frequent contact with the learner during school hours (e.g., follow up on details of earlier communications, keep a direction for conversation, etc.).

6. Lead and direct the learner. Do not lecture and make requirements.

7. On occasions where logical consequences from peers happen (e.g., criticism, loss of friendship, etc.) because of the use of drugs or alcohol at school, bring the consequences to the attention of the learner.

8. Connect with parents, agencies, or appropriate parties to inform them of the problem, identify the cause of the problem, and discuss potential solutions to the problem.

9. Be a resource for parents by providing information on agencies, counseling programs, etc.

10. Minimize the emphasis on competition and help the learner realize that success is individually defined.

11. Provide sufficient supervision at all times and in all areas of the school (e.g., hallways, bathrooms, between classes, before and after school, school grounds, etc.).

12. Be willing to take the time to listen, share, and talk with the learner.

13. Boost your own professional knowledge of laws and treatment about drug or alcohol use and abuse.

14. Provide anecdotal records of the learner’s behavior to check patterns or changes in behavior.

15. Give appropriate reading content (e.g., magazines, novels, etc.) at school that is of interest to the learner, so that they will not bring unacceptable reading content to school.

16. Teach the learner to be happy with their best effort rather than perfection.

17. Teach the learner alternative ways to deal with requirements, challenges, and pressures of the school experience (e.g., deal with problems when they arise, practice self-control at all times, share problems or concerns with others, etc.).

18. Consider using a classroom management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

19. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

20. Consider using Alexa to help the student learn to behave appropriately. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.

21. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.

22. Consider using a socio-emotional learning app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

23. Consider using an emotional intelligence app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

24. Consider using a school counseling app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for hacks for improving your students vocabulary? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the learner to divide cards that tag objects, persons, places, etc., in their surroundings into different categories (e.g., function, color, size, use, composition, etc.). Spotlight the similarities and differences between things as they change categories (e.g., a ball and an apple may be red, round, and smooth; but you can only eat the apple, etc.).

2. Name a category and have the learner find things within the category. Present new words that belong in the same group.

3. Spotlight words that have an assortment of meanings and use them properly in various contexts.

4. Get the learner to keep a vocabulary notebook (image or word) with definitions of words whose meanings they do not know.

5. Develop a list of new words that the learner will encounter while reading a given task. Have the learner (or select a peer to help the learner) look up each word and practice saying it and using it in a sentence before reading the given task.

6. Give the learner fewer weekly vocabulary words. As the learner shows success, slowly increase the number of vocabulary words from week to week.

7. Get the learner to give as many adverbs as possible to go with a given verb (e.g., run – slow, fast, crooked, etc.).

8. Praise the learner for using an increased speaking vocabulary: (a) give the learner a concrete reward (e.g., privileges such as leading the line, handing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the learner an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

9. Get the learner to take part in role-playing to foster the use of new vocabulary (e.g., set up an imaginary restaurant and have the learner and peers play the roles of customers, servers, cook, etc., varying the time of day and the occasion).

10. Send home new vocabulary words and urge parents to use them in learning activities and general conversation.

11. Leverage unique situations to teach new vocabulary. Typically, a learner will retain information learned in a novel situation better than information learned during a regular routine (schedule). The uniqueness of the situation will also enable the learner’s memory skills when you give a reminder to help the learner recall the vocabulary (e.g., “Remember yesterday during the fire drill when we talked about __ ?”).

12. Encourage the learner to help them respond with sufficient vocabulary (e.g., Learner says “that thing.” The teacher responds, “What thing, what is it doing?” etc.).

13. Daily, examine previously learned vocabulary words and their meanings. Get the learner to incorporate previously learned vocabulary words into daily conversation and learning activities.

14. To emphasize new vocabulary, write the new word on an envelope and put images inside that do and do not go with it (e.g., arctic – polar bears, snow, parrots, palm trees, etc.). Get the learner to remove the unacceptable image and explain why it does not belong.

15. Utilize a large purse, box, bag, etc., with objects inside (e.g., various shaped blocks, pieces of fruit, school supplies, etc.). Have the learner to reach into the container and to ascertain what each item is by describing how it feels before seeing it.

16. Get the learner to keep a notebook of all new vocabulary words to call upon for daily conversation and learning activities.

17. Utilize hands-on learning activities to teach vocabulary by constructing objects and/or organizing manipulatives (e.g., under the heading “fruit,” give actual pieces of fruit; under the heading “school supplies,” give actual school learning materials, etc.).

18. On occasions where teaching new vocabulary and engaging in conversation, be sure to use vocabulary that is within the learner’s level of comprehension.

19. Utilize visual aids whenever possible when introducing new vocabulary.

20. Get the learner to tag all the objects, persons, places, etc., in their surroundings that they can. Then have the learner point to the item in their surroundings as you tag the items they were incapable of naming. The things the learner was unable to label will comprise a foundation for new vocabulary to be learned. Learning activities to foster the growth of expressive vocabulary should focus on the things the learner pointed to but could not label.

21. Provide the learner a sequence of words or images and have them name the category in which they belong (e.g., objects, persons, places, etc.).

22. Praise those students in the classroom who use an expanded speaking vocabulary.

23. Consider viewing our list of vocabulary building apps.

Are you looking for ways to teach students to take notes during class? If so, keep reading.

1. Teach the learner that instructions or lectures should be written in the form of notes when they are presented.

2. Get the learner to practice legible manuscript or cursive handwriting during simulated and actual note-taking learning activities.

3. Get the learner to keep their notes organized in a folder for each subject or learning experience.

4. Inspect the learner’s notes before they begin a task to ascertain if they contain sufficient information for the task.

5. Give the learner an outline or questions to be finished during the presentation of instructions or lectures.

6. Give the learner samples of students’ notes of classroom instructions or lectures that have been given so that they may learn what information is appropriate when taking notes.

7. Make sure the learner is in the best place in the classroom to receive information for note-taking (e.g., near the board, teacher, or other sources of information).

8. Make sure that supervision of the learner’s note-taking can easily be given.

9. Get the learner to prepare for tests using the “Who, What, Where, On occasions where, How, and Why” method. The teacher should then test this same information.

10. Show instructions and lectures clearly and loudly enough for the learner to hear.

11. Give the learner both oral and written instructions.

12. Pair the rate of delivery of the instructions and lectures to the learner’s capacity and ability to take notes.

13. Give instructions and lectures in sequential steps to enable learner note-taking.

14. Consider providing the student with a notetaking app. Click here to view a list of the best of the best notetaking apps.

Are you looking for ways to help students who stutter? If so, keep reading.

1. Praise the learner every time they answer a question or make a spontaneous comment class.

2. Listen to the learner when they display anger. Converse with the learner about appropriate ways of dealing with these feelings.

3. Teach the learner ways to repeat or rephrase a misinterpreted message rather than continuing to repeat the original message with the same error patterns.

4. Give the learner a list of sentences and urge them to read these at a slow rate.

5. Attempt to give the learner your full attention so they will not feel a need to hurry or compete with others for attention.

6. On occasions where the learner is dysfluent during a conversation, explain that this happens to everyone at times.

7. Praise the learner’s moments of relative fluency and emphasize that these occurred during moments when they were speaking slowly and easily.

8. Utilize a private signal (e.g., raise a finger, touch earlobe, etc.) to urge the learner to use a slow speaking rate during classroom learning activities.

9. Record the learner so they may listen to and assess their own speech.

10. Empathize with the learner and explain that they are not less valuable as a person because of their dysfluency. Place emphasis on learner’s positive attributes.

11. Get the learner to practice techniques for relaxing (e.g., deep breathing, tensing and relaxing muscles, etc.) that can be employed when they start to speak dysfluently.

12. On occasions where the learner experiences a severe episode of dysfluency, respond by paraphrasing/repeating the content of their message to confirm that the message has been grasped.

13. Consider using a language arts app. Click here to view a list of recommended apps.

14. Consider using a language development app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for ways to teach students to respond appropriately to redirection? If so, keep reading.

1. To lessen the need for redirection in academic situations, require the learner to check all work for errors prior to handing in tasks.

2. Make sure that redirection in academic and social situations is delivered in the most positive manner possible.

3. Get the learner to rephrase the instructions to make sure the learner understands the task or learning experience.

4. Praise those students in the classroom who respond properly to redirection in academic and social situations.

5. Connect with parents (e.g., notes home, phone calls, etc.) to disseminate information about the learner’s progress. The parents may reinforce the learner at home for responding properly to redirection in academic and social situations at school.

6. Make sure that the learner knows that redirection is designed to help them succeed rather than as a form of punishment (e.g., use statements such as, “This sentence would be much easier to read if it were written with correct capitalization and punctuation. Please write it again, and I’ll check it for you.”).

7. Praise the learner for responding properly to redirection in academic and social situations: (a) give the learner a concrete reward (e.g., privileges such as leading the line, handing out learning materials, 10 minutes of free time, etc.) or (b) give the learner an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

8. Converse with the learner to explain (a) what the learner is doing wrong (e.g., not correcting errors on an task, failing to return to seat when told to do so, etc.) and (b) what the learner should be doing (e.g., correcting errors on a task, returning to seat when told to do so, etc.).

9. Get the learner to question any directions, explanations, instructions not grasped.

10. Take the learner away from the learning experience if they fail to respond properly to redirection in academic and social situations.

11. On occasions where redirection is delivered to the learner in academic situations, make sure that an explanation for the redirection is also given (e.g., “You need to return to your seat because we are ready to begin a new learning experience.”).

12. Draft an agreement with the learner stipulating what behavior is required (e.g., returning to seat when told to do so) and which reinforcement will be implemented when the agreement has been met.

13. Observe the learner’s behavior to give redirection before the learner’s errors or unacceptable behavior exceeds their capacity and ability to respond appropriately.

14. Give sufficient time for the learner to respond properly to redirection in academic and social situations.

15. Consider using a classroom management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

16. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

17. Consider using Alexa to help the student learn to behave appropriately. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.

18. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.