Visuals & Routines

Recently I was asked to present on Visuals and Routines.  Presenting on this required that I really reflect on why I use visuals, and how do I describe that to others.  So here's what I came up with.  Imagine yourself on the beach:  What do you see?  Sand? Water? Umbrellas?  Coconut drinks with a tiny flamingo straw?  Is there a cool breeze?  Do you have a great view of the ocean?  You see, the beach on the left is a completely different beach than the one on the right.  Visuals help others SEE what we MEAN!

 How does this apply to working with kids?  Sometimes, we say one thing, but their life experiences mean something else to them.  This is why we can say "clean up," and they just throw everything on the shelves without putting it where it actually belongs.  Visuals allow the children to know exactly how you expect it to look!  They help reduce anxiety, have no attitude, and they never get tired of saying the same thing!  This of the most chaotic part of your day (mine is coming back from lunch with my pre-k babies when the hallways are full with middle schoolers going to lunch, other grades going to the bathroom, transitioning to PE, etc.  It's rushed for us to get our littles out of the hallway without losing everyone.) 

 So, how do we combat the crazy?  M.A.P it out!  That means in a whole group setting Model what to do, Apply pictures, Practice, practice, practice!  I put visuals up in every center in my classroom.  Each one shows a picture of what the center looks like clean, and how to clean the center.  We say, "hands on top, everybody stop," take three balloon breaths, then say "We can clean up our mess!" after giving a friend a high five.  We decide what we're going to put up, work together, and check that the center looks like the picture.  On the left is an example of what's in each center in my classroom, just customized for each area.

Young children think in pictures because they can't read yet.  By adding pictures to routines for them you are helping them process language (and bonus: you're wiring the left and right hemisphere of the brain together - developing the child's whole brain).  

When children struggle to remember what comes next, I refer them back to the visuals.  The goal is that they will become independent in the process.  You'll literally be able to watch them run the classroom!

Visuals also include class jobs, picture schedules, social stories, classroom timers, etc and can be used in the classroom, the car, or at home.  Do you have a child that struggles with bedtime?  Make a picture schedule or a social story to help them with the routine.  Does your kid struggle to get everything they need for school and get out the door in the morning?  Make a visual checklist for them to use in the evening or morning.  Basically, use visuals anywhere the day is crazy, and remember to M.A.P. it out!

There's NO Time!

Where has this year gone already?  I realized I haven't posted in a while, but had a lot swimming around in my head, so I figured it'd be a good time to write.  This year, I have been on a Conscious Discipline journey.  I have tried to document some of what I'm learning here, and I've had the opportunity to share my classroom with several teachers across Alabama.  

There's one question that I get a lot: How do you find the time?  The truth is, I thought this at first too.  I heard about all the ways Conscious Discipline helps create a class family, and I thought to myself, "I don't know how they expect me to do all of that and still teach."  BUT then I had that class...you know the one...the class full of those kids.  I cried a lot.  I felt like a failure.  I wanted to quit a lot of days.  (If there's one thing I've learned about teachers, it's that we hope to make a difference, and sometimes when we don't know how...it's really hard.)  I had already used every tool in my box and every trick I knew.  It didn't work.  I felt like a failure.  I carried this with me when I went home, and I dreaded the next day.  I knew a little bit a CD, but wasn't practicing it.  I was just trying to survive the day, and didn't feel like I had the time or the brain power to give it a shot.

Out of pure desperation, I slowly started to implement different parts of CD.  I realized there were ALREADY Conscious Discipline strategies in place in my class.  For example, I have a picture schedule up for my kids to see.  This meets the survival state of "Am I Safe?"  It helps children feel secure knowing what the routine is and what will be coming later in the day.  I also already had class jobs.  This meets the emotional state of "Am I loved?" by allowing students to feel they belong and are needed in the classroom in order to keep it safe.  I started greeting my students at the door with some pictures.  They could choose a bear hug, a snake shake, a smile, a high five, or a butterfly greeting.  Once I had these down and they students were used to it, I passed in on to them as part of our class jobs.  

Then we started talking about a safe-keeper, and then commitments, and then feeling buddies.  I started to notice a change in my students.  While it was still really hard, and we had many bad days, I watched my students start to be kinder to each other.  I watched them notice when others were struggling.  

I learned that I'm GOING to spend my time in one of two ways: I can spend it fighting the child in a power struggle, OR I can spend it teaching.  Teaching routines, implementing strategies for regulation, and noticing kindness, so my students have skills that will go with them for life.