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Low-Tech Assistive Technology for Organization and Time Management 

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Low-Tech Assistive Technology for Organization and Time Management 

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K. James-Kelly
Educators who work with children with deficits in executive functioning suggest the following low-tech ways to promote independence in the classroom include the following:

1.      Task-specific checklists

2.      Posting daily schedules

3.      Personal calendars and project
mapping strategies

4.      Visual supports (e.g., problem
solving steps or color-coded
schedules)

Brad and Myisha struggle with organization and time management. The previously noted low-tech strategies might be useful for both students when developing strategies to promote self-management and organization. Additionally, Brad and Myisha might also benefit from other environmental supports such as support with organizing and maintaining a clutter-free environment, reducing the likelihood pertinent information related to assignments will be lost.

The article linked below contains additional information related to strategies for integrating low-tech supports to promote independence in the classroom.

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Simple classroom strategies can assist students with deficits in executive function skills like time management and active listening.

©Shutterstock/T. L. Furrer

Executive function is an umbrella term in neuroscience to describe the neurological processes involving mental control and self-regulation. Executive functions control and regulate cognitive and social behaviors like controlling impulses, paying attention, remembering information, planning and organizing time and materials, and responding appropriately to social situations and stressful situations.

Experts believe executive function is regulated by the frontal lobe of the brain-the prefrontal cortex. Because humans are born with brains that are not fully developed, children are not born with these skills, but they have the potential to develop them.

Some students do not develop executive functions to the same degree as their peers. For these students with deficits, additional support in the classroom may improve their development of executive function.

Offering Teaching Support

Addressing a deficit requires understanding the type of deficiency the student faces. If a student lacks knowledge, he or she does not know what to do or how to do a task. For example, if students lack the ability to regulate their impulses to speak while others are talking, the behavior of active listening should be explicitly taught by identifying examples of active listening. Educators might also create a chart with what it looks and sounds like when students are engaging in active listening.

A student may know what to do to complete a task, but may have trouble knowing when and how to apply the appropriate skills. For a student with this type of deficit, the teacher may confirm that he or she has all the required materials to complete a task. The teacher could provide a checklist with the necessary materials. For older students, the teacher could ask the students to generate the list and then gather the appropriate materials.

Metacognition: Another strategy for addressing deficits in executive function is using metacognitive language. For example, with a younger student, articulating the challenge could be useful. "I see that you are missing a pencil. You will need a pencil to complete the assignment. Where could you find one in the classroom?"

Displaying the steps or questions that students could ask themselves in the classroom is also helpful to promote independence with a skill. Students can repeat directions to a partner and then have a volunteer repeat the direction for the whole class. This process takes less than a minute but allows additional time for auditory processing and repetition for any students who may need it.

Time management: Posting schedules can be a useful tool in developing time management skills. A classroom schedule outlines the entire day and prepares students for what's coming next. An activity schedule breaks down a block of time into smaller chunks and outlines how each period will be used and in what order activities will be presented. These schedules are commonly placed in spots where every student can refer to them during the day.

Long-term assignments can be particularly challenging for students with deficits in executive function. One way to address this issue is by directly teaching students how to map out larger projects and break them down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Use a calendar to determine when each smaller assignment will need to be finished, and place the smaller benchmark goals on the calendar.

Review before new learning begins: Provide opportunities for students to review previous learning. This review may be a quick oral presentation, or teachers can pair students and have them share what they remember from the previous day.

A review might also take the form of a mind map or concept map created in small groups. Concept maps are useful graphic organizers for note taking, comparing/contrasting, and writing. Graphic organizers can be particularly helpful for students with executive function deficits because organizing thoughts can be as difficult as organizing time and materials.

Teacher interaction: Teacher behavior is also influential in supporting students who may have deficits in executive function. Teachers should check in frequently with students who are known to have deficits and provide discrete support when needed. In addition, having a caring demeanor and using positive reinforcement with students with deficits can positively affect their school experience.

Offering Environmental Support

Post a daily schedule. Clear and consistent routines and procedures offer structure to students.

Provide visual supports such as posters with problem-solving steps or routines, and color-coded schedules and folders. Consider highlighting key words and ideas in texts.

Minimize clutter and create clearly defined areas in the classroom.

Environmental support means creating a space where children can thrive. Some easy ways to help students improve executive function include:

Potential for Growth

Executive function takes time to fully develop, and it develops at different rates in different children. The prefrontal cortex of the human brain is constantly growing and changing in young children as well as adolescents. Because of the human brain's plasticity and enormous capacity for learning, it is possible to improve the executive functions of students with deficits through classroom strategies and support.

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Helping Students Develop Executive Function Skills

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Simple classroom strategies can assist students with deficits in executive function skills like time management and active listening.

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S. Villa
Writing is difficult for both Brad and Myisha. Myisha struggles with written expression and Brad has a very difficult time with handwriting. There are many software tools and programs now available to support individual needs when writing. Speech-to-Text software allows the individual to speak their ideas aloud rather than writing. Word prediction software is another way to assist students as they are writing. It makes suggestions while typing by analyzing the text and making predictions. Editing and revision tools are available to self-check and make improvements on assignments. Myisha and Brad would benefit from these assistive writing tools to improve the quality of their writing pieces, while reducing frustration and anxiety.

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Assistive technology software programs in combination with learning strategies are great writing tools for students.

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Assistive Technology: Home Assistant Devices

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Assistive Technology: Home Assistant Devices

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S. Villa
Brad and Myisha have difficulty staying focused and organized. A tool that many families now have in their home is often overlooked in the ways it can assist those who need additional learning supports. Amazon Echo and Google Home are great tools that can be used to support the unique needs of an individual. Reminders can be set, timers can be in place for task management, spelling assistance is available, general research questions can be asked and answered and even math facts can be checked for accuracy. The ways these tools can be utilized to address learning needs are endless and can be explored by the individual. This is a great resource to support Myisha and Brad at home with the work they are assigned in their inclusive settings. It would also be a great device to explore for use in the classroom that would benefit all students.

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Using Home Assistant Devices to Help Kids With Learning Disabilities

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S. Villa
Brad and Myisha both have difficulties with organization and maintaining attention.
This vibrating watch and reminder system is designed to assist individuals with disabilities.  This tool is a wonderful, cost-efficient alternative to the Apple Watch and offers many features. Discreet reminders can be set to cue the individual throughout the day. Vibration alerts can be designed to remind the individual to take their medicine or complete a specific task. There are a tremendous amount of everyday uses, including behavior modifications, self-regulation and health/wellness. The WatchMinder was designed by a child psychologist to be used as an assistive tool. This tool will allow students, like Brad and Myisha, to participate in an inclusive environment with subtle supports.

WatchMinder

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WatchMinder ADHD Vibrating Reminder Watch is here to help adults & children needing assistance with effective time management techniques. Our unique vibrating watch helps students with learning disabilities, adults needing medical reminders & people needing time management tools. Looking for a safe & effective treament for ADD, ADHD & Autism?

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K. James-Kelly

Kurzweil 3000 is an educational software designed to provide individuals with support in reading, writing, and study skills. Tools embedded in the Kurzweil 3000 software address a wide range of educational objectives, support the acquisition of vocabulary words, lend to the development of reading comprehension, and support those learners who struggle with written expression and handwriting. Software creators note, their main objective when creating this program was to support those learners with learning disabilities and help them meet their potential.

This program might be beneficial for Brad, as staff note skill deficits in reading comprehension, organizational and study skills, and handwriting. Brad has relative strengths in attending to details and is a strong visual learner, thus this program may allow him to engage with course content in a modality that is meaningful to him.

Kurzweil 3000 software might also be a helpful tool for Myisha, as it will allow her to practice listening comprehension while following along with the original text with visual supports. Additionally, this software offers test-prep activities, allowing students to practice demonstrating skills in a variety of formats including multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, essay, true/false, and short answer.

Kurzweil 300 can be downloaded at no cost and can be accessed freely for a 30-day trial.

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Different Co-teaching Models for Myisha: Parallel 

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Different Co-teaching Models for Myisha: Parallel 

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Myisha qualifies for special education under the category of Specific Learning Disability. She struggles with reading comprehension/written expression and can become anxious about her disability. She receives services in the general education and resource classrooms. Myisha would benefit from different co-teaching strategies. Parallel teaching allows for the teachers in the classroom to instruct smaller groups of students simultaneously. The teachers would cover similar content, but instead of teaching 30+ students, the class size would  ideally be 15 or less. This would benefit Myisha academically and help ease her anxiety. She would also be more comfortable asking questions in front of a smaller group of peers.

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Subject Resources - Short Video Lessons - Brad and Myisha

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Subject Resources - Short Video Lessons - Brad and Myisha

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C. McCarthy
Brad has some difficulty staying on task in his classes. He is a visual learner and needs extra time to work on activities from classes. Myisha needs help with reading comprehension and support from inclusion specialist to understand and complete work in her classes.There are many channels on Youtube that teach subjects in short and interesting vidoes on topics in all areas of academics. One of these channels is called CrashCourse. It has a selection of short videos approximately 10 to 15 minutes in link on subjects ranging from American History to Biology.

I think they would benifit from this channel and others for supplemental information and reinforcement of what they learned in class. The videos have major points included and are intersting to watch, which benefits both students. These videos are also something that can be viewed in resource or study skills classes and allow for review of the subjects learned.

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history biology literature learning education science humanities school "world history" ap tests smart fun chemistry psychology apush whap study "crash cours...

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At Crash Course, we believe that high-quality educational videos should be available to everyone for free! Subscribe for weekly videos from our current courses! The Crash Course team has produced more than 45 courses on a wide variety of subjects, including organic chemistry, literature, world history, biology, philosophy, theater, ecology, and many more!

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Learning Strategy - Think-Pair-Share - For Brad

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Learning Strategy - Think-Pair-Share - For Brad

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C. McCarthy
Engaging with peers is difficult for Brad. It is something he has struggled with throught his school history. This learning strategy allows for Brad to interact with a peer on a classroom related topic and help him learn to discuss things that he has knowledge on with another classmate. I also think that this strategy can be taught to Brad by a selected classmate or two so that they can model what the strategy entails as well as model what interactions using the strategy look like. This is a technique usually taught in Elementary/Middle School but I it can be modified to work in his History classroom as well as other environments he is in. Think-Pair-Share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question about an assigned reading. This technique requires students to (1) think individually about a topic or answer to a question; and (2) share ideas with classmates. Discussing an answer with a partner serves to maximize participation, focus attention and engage students in comprehending the reading material.

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This discussion technique gives students the opportunity to respond to questions in written form before engaging in meaningful conversation with other students. Asking students to write and discuss ideas with a partner before sharing with the larger group builds confidence, encourages greater participation, and results in more thoughtful discussions.

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Different Co-teaching Models for Myisha: Alternative Teaching 

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Different Co-teaching Models for Myisha: Alternative Teaching 

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Myisha would also benefit from alternative teaching. This co-teaching method involves pulling out small groups of students for remediation or enrichment. It is important to change up the reasoning for pulling out students so there is not a stigma attached for the students with IEPs. For Myisha, her reading comprehension and writing skills would be reinforced by being occasionally pulled out for review or extra time on assignments. For concepts she understands, Myisha would get a confidence boast from an enrichment alternative teaching session.

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H. Parker
According to Brad and Myisha’s present levels, both students need to improve their organizational skills.  Increasing their organizational skills will help them in post-secondary education settings, work settings, and personal life.  The attached clip outlines 6 key organizational strategies:

1.     Make a List

2.     Keep a Calendar

3.     Organize on a Regular Basis

4.     Use Simple Organizational Systems and Tools

5.     Use Technology

6.     Purge

The video itself is not very motivating but the strategies identified are effective.  Providing the strategies in a list mounted to the top of the student’s laptop computer or binder after teaching each strategy using a prompting hierarchy will help them stay organized.

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Organizational Strategies, Organization Tips, Lesson for Students, Organizational Skills