♪[theme music]
>>Ms. Batarseh: 5, after quiet time love,
4...
♪[classical piano music] 3...
2...Remember 1 can come any second.
In our class transition has different points. So we turn off the lights
as soon as we come in. We put our heads down. We put classical music
to help my students calm down and relax. And we have visual schedules on their desks.
So either me or my aid go around and give them a happy face or reinforce, this is what
we're supposed to do right now. And these are the transitional points that they have.
So if we are getting in the classroom, we use that.
If we're switching from one academic um subject to another, we do the same thing.
We turn off the lights, we put our heads down and we get our happy faces
on our visual schedule.
♪[Different classical music track is played]
I love using um classical music. I love, you know, using that in our classroom
for our transition points. So we take a minute of putting our head down and relaxing
using the music, and we have a visualizer that goes on during the music time.
So my students get to relax, they get to put their head down, they know we finished
that subject and we get to move on to something else.
Some students have timers on their desks, and um, they're called ADHD timers that I
found on Amazon. And I just use it for my students to have a focal point.
So if the visualizer that I have, you know, playing for us is not appealing or they're
not looking at that they have something to focus on while they're listening to the music.
By this time of the year, we're almost at the end of the year, they know that our
transitions are only going to be a minute, and if needed, I do add another minute.
So it depends on what is going on in the classroom so I kind of gauge that.
But um most of the time it takes us a minute or two to go through our transition.
But at the beginning of the year with our practice and making sure they understand what
transitional points are, it took us more than a minute to, you know, practice and
understand that we need to put our heads down, we get our happy face. So that takes
a lot of work at the beginning to get them to understand that.
Xavier, I know that you had your hand up earlier, do you still want to show us?
Alright, Xavier...
I want you to go to my table. Show me how we are supposed to walk to our-my table.
He pushed his chair in. Oh, look at that beautiful addition.
He put his hands behind his back and he's walking like this, very nicely,
and he's sitting down. Awesome. And he's ready to work.
He's looking at his iPad, and he can't wait to start working.
Right? Thank you Xavier. You're awesome.
I love how you added the hands behind your back even though I don't say that unless
you're in line, but I like that addition. That was awesome.
The reason I have students model in the classroom today, it shows that the student
knows how to do it. And when a student is showing another student how to do it,
it-they really buy into that.
Alright, so now is the real...
going to our group time. Okay? Can we do this?
Alright, model students... [slamming noise of elbows hitting desks]
Beautiful.
Using the phrase model students, is my focal phrase. I get my students redirected
through using that word, and they know that we need to listen to directions to see
what the teacher has to say next, what we're supposed to do.
So movement within the transition,
ready position, gets them ready for what's coming next.
Alright, I'm going to dismiss you one by one. We're going to sit criss cross on the carpet.
Number 1.
Thank you for pushing your chair in.
Everybody look at number one. She pushed her chair in. She's walking nicely.
And she's going to sit where?
On her...
Number. Okay. Number 2.
Great job number 2.
Number 3.
We're waiting quietly until the timer goes off so we can do our calendar.
Having a timer at the carpet is a way for me to get the students to sit down
and know what's coming next. So instead of counting down, this is a different way
for me to-okay, we have 1 minute on the timer and we're going to transition into this
So yet again ♪[classical music starts]
it's a way of transitioning into another activity.
♪[classical music stops]
Model students. [Sound of students slamming elbows on desks]
Beautiful. Take out your journals boys and girls.
We're going to do two words today. Uh huh.
Two words from our spelling words for the week.
Schedules are very important in special education because it provides a structure
for the student. They know what to expect. It calms, you know, calms the process of
what we need to do in the classroom. It helps us get from one point to another
in a smooth way where transitions are easier. We're getting through more instructional
time in the classroom. And the student just knows, you know I'm doing reading
and the next thing on the schedule is math. So they know what to expect, what's coming.
Slow is faster when students know what to expect. Students know how to transition
uh you move from one activity to another without having to redirect, without having
the behaviors interfering with the learning time. So when you slow down and make sure
students are transitioning smoothly, you're going to get more instructional time
you're going to get more activities down inn the classroom.
So I believe in taking it easy, slowing it down with transitions
and making sure students know what to expect.
♪[theme music]