Speech & Language Strategies for the Classroom Teacher

Today I am here to share some strategies for classroom teachers to use in their classrooms to promote communication (for ALL students, not just those receiving speech).

"Communication?  Why do my students need that in school?"  Well, communication is involved in a lot of factors of the school day.  Students need to listen, express answers, write responses, and interact with peers and teachers.

Tip 1:

What is a multimodal approach?  Students should learn using most if not all of these methods:

• Written: have them practice writing new vocabulary words in sentences.
• Oral: have them say out loud new concepts.  Have them discuss with their peers in groups.
• Visual: Use graphs, pictures, sentence strips, and any way to make learning visual (not just notes on a Smart Board.)
• Tactile: Students should practice touching it.  Tap out syllables, write vocabulary/spelling words using rice or clay.  Tap out math concepts.

Why is this important?  Every student learns differently and can benefit from learning in a variety of ways.

Tip 2:

Why do students need to be their own advocate?  Students need to learn it is OK to ask for help.  It is OK to need more time.  It is OK to not understand right away.  Encourage students to speak up!  They should not be in trouble or afraid to ask for help.  It is great for them to recognize when they do not understand.  Set up a routine in your classrooms such as students can ask for help once directions are completed.

Tip 3:

What are carrier phrases?  They are the cues to how the response should begin.  For example, if you are working on main idea and the question asks "What was the story mainly about?"  You can help your students get started with responded with "The main idea is...." or "The story is mainly about..."  Some students struggle with retrieval or may be unsure how to word their response.  This way they can get started and will help retrieve that response.