Inclusion in the Classroom: The Shapes, Sounds, and Colors

Whether it was day one or day one hundred, I would start my day with my students and staff the same way: holding each other accountable. We would begin by going over what was expected from each of us and how we could earn rewards. My students were assigned a shape and color that we could use on our belongings. That way, when it was time for reading, we all knew to grab our black folder with our assigned symbol, such as an orange square, and for math, our white folder with the same orange square. Using visuals with repetition was one of the ways I would see growth with my students.

Another part of my visual teaching was having everything clearly defined, even when you couldn't see it. For instance when the closet doors were shut, on the outside I would have photos on the doors clearly marking how the inside would look. This would allow students who have communication needs to be able to show us what they were looking for, that way we could teach the skill

This wasn't just “do as I say, not as I do.” I would make sure that even my personal area of the classroom had the same layout. As I would lay out the expectations for the day with my students, I would do the same for anyone assigned to work in my classroom. We all knew what was expected of us, whether it was to complete a reading assignment from the day before or for all of us to stay off our cell phones. Accountability starts from the top, and when we hold each other accountable, we can make every day more productive.

Mason Clark, M.S. (he/him)

Director of Academic Programming