Transcript Communicating with students

Communicating with students
Kunali Shah
January 2009
Session overview
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ALS review
Prompts
Using appropriate language
Blank level of questioning
ALS review
• Definition:
– Aided Language Stimulation
– An alternative communication system that uses symbols to aid
communication.
• Things to remember:
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Slow down your rate of speech
Always provide verbal output
Model appropriate language
Provide opportunities for students to use a range of
communication intents (request, comment, etc)
– You may need to create an environment to encourage
communication – SABOTAGE!
– Allow adequate response time
– Modelling is the key
Speech
AAC
AAC
AAC
Prompting a student to
communicate
• What prompts can we use?
• What order (from least support to most)
should we use these prompts in?
Prompt hierarchy
repeat
request
Independent
gestural / directional
verbal
physical
Elbow
wrist
hand under hand
• Too long
• Unnecessary words
• No
response
time
• Choicemaking
• Choices
only
• Too long
• Dictating speech
• No response
time
• Assuming
feelings
Using appropriate language
• Don’t talk to students at a language level below
their capability
• Model language 1 step above their ability
• Use open-ended questions. Avoid:
– Yes/no
– Choices
– E.g.: “What did you do during the holidays?” rather
than “did you go swimming?”
• REMEMBER you are constantly trying to expand
students’ language abilities – this requires a
conscious effort
Open-ended questions
• Think of 2 open-ended questions for each
of the following topics:
– Went to Broome for holiday
– Saw a movie (Bedtime Stories)
– Got a new bike for Christmas
– Sister broke her arm
Open-ended questions
Went to Broome for holiday
– What did you do in Broome?
– Where did you go for your holidays?
Saw a movie (Bedtime Stories)
– What was your favourite part of the film?
– Who did you go to the movies with?
Got a new bike for Christmas
– What did you get for Christmas?
– Can you tell me what your new bike looks like?
Sister broke her arm
– How did your sister break her arm?
– How was she feeling after she broke her arm?
Think of a student.
Practice:
• Using appropriate language
• Modelling
• Prompting
Blank levels of questioning
• Developed by Marion Blank
• 4 levels of questions that increase in
difficulty
• Traditionally, the level of questioning used
depends on the student’s comprehension
skills.
• Can also use to encourage appropriate
verbal output
• Normed for children up to the age of 5
Blank cont…
The 4 levels represent language demands
placed on a student from the matching of
language on to perceptions  actual
reasoning about the perceptions.
Perceptions: experiences and objects
Level 1
Matching perceptions to language and responding to
simple commands involving what child is hearing to what he is seeing.
Look at it!! – These questions are related to what
the child can see and hear in front of them at the
time or to any objects that have only just been
removed.
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Find one like this
What’s this?
What can/did you hear/see/touch?
What am I doing?
What do you want me to do?
Say this:………
Level 2
Selective analysis of perceptions and responding to
and identifying qualities and attributes
Talk about it!! – the child is still required to match language to their
immediate responses. However, they must look more carefully at
the object and talk about what they see (e.g. the size, shape, colour,
what it’s used for etc.)
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Tell me it’s … (characteristics and functions)
Which one do we use for… e.g. keeping animals in/driving?
How many have we got?
Who? what? where?
How are these different?
What’s happening?
Name something that is ……. e.g. yummy.
Find me one that is x and x. e.g. big and red.
Find one that can (move)
Level 3
Re-ordering perceptions from the immediate
environment to the child’s own perceptions
Think about it!! – These questions are much more complex and involve the
child listening very carefully to every word of the question as well as thinking
over what the question has asked them to provide an appropriate answer. It
also requires sequencing skills and the ability to assume the role of others.
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What might happen next?
What could the lady say?
Which one is not.. (red/nice)?
Find something that you can drive but it’s not a tractor?
Follow directions (do this, then this)
Find one to use with the (fork)
How are these two things the same?
Tell me how… (to make the pizza)
What is a … (defining words)
What else?
Level 4
Reasoning about perceptions
Solve it!! – These questions expect the child to think about what may
have happened, what could happen or what would happen if……..
The child is expected to think things through and come up with a
solution. It involves the skills of reasoning, justifying, and explaining
This is the most complex Blank Level.
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Why will / did …?
What will happen if….
What made that happen? e.g. what made that boy laugh?
What could you do? e.g. Your friend has fallen off their bike. What
could you do?
• How can we tell (that lady is scared)
• Why can’t / wouldn’t (you go swimming by yourself)?
Activity
• In groups of 2-3 generate 4 questions for each
level (1-4). Ensure you have at least 1 question
per activity / subject
• Science – students doing volcano experiment
• Shopping – students going to Coles to buy
ingredients for cooking class
• Cooking – students making fairy bread
• Music – students being introduced to a new
instrument and will be taught basics to play it.
Science
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Level 1: What can you hear? (boom!)
Level 2: What colour is the liquid?
Level 3: How are the 2 liquids the same?
Level 4: What will you do if the liquid
spills?
Shopping
• Level 1: Find one like this (match picture
to object)
• Level 2: How are the apples and oranges
different?
• Level 3: Show me something that is not a
fruit
• Level 4: How can we tell if the banana is
ripe?
Cooking
• Level 1: What’s this? (flour)
• Level 2: Tell me something that is sweet
• Level 3: What do we do next? (after mixing
the batter)
• Level 4: Why should we be careful when
putting the tray in the oven?
Music
• Level 1: What can you hear?
• Level 2: What do we do with the flute?
• Level 3: What else could we use to play
the drums?
• Level 4: Why do we need a stick to play
the triangle?