Student hiding his face in the wall with his hands behind his back.
Article

All Behaviors Communicate: Classroom Teacher Awareness Activity

Experience first-hand what your student might be experiencing with this behavior activity!

Students – especially students with disabilities – may interact with the world differently.  As Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs), we have all worked with the student who has shut down, refusing to communicate in expected ways. Some students refuse – or can’t – use words to express when they are feeling overwhelmed. These students may use their behavior to communicate what they cannot say with words.

It is often challenging for others to understand what a student may be feeling. This powerful activity may help others take one step in the student’s shoes. The following hands-on activity can be used in mainstream teacher training, parent training or even with peer/student training. 

All Behaviors Communicate Activity

This activity can be done with any size group.

The room should be completely silent during this activity and the activity should continue until people have run out of ideas and are slightly uncomfortable.

When the activity is complete, ask “students” what they felt, including what his/her “teacher” did and how this made him/her feel.  Then, ask the “teachers” what they felt – what the/she tried, how his/her “student” responded, and how they – the “teacher” – felt.

Responses

The responses will vary with different groups. Most teachers with TVI or special education background approached the student quietly and gently touched the student. Here are some of the common responses:

Wrap-Up Discussion

The wrap-up discussion showed that different “students” reacted differently to similar stimuli. Some students liked the individual attention (“teacher” touching him/her) while others did not. Some “teachers” were more comfortable with the situation and were able to follow the subtle clues that the student provided. Some “teachers” were uncomfortable with the amount of time waiting to see if the student would respond; while some “students” became more comfortable as they were given time to relax with the “teacher”. During the wrap-up discussion, teachers and students both felt like they could relate better to non-responsive students.

This activity was conducted by Dr. Mary Zatta in her Behavior session at the South Carolina AER 2017 Conference.

By Diane Brauner

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
EPIQ logo
Event

EPIQ (Experience Programming in Quorum) 2024

Solar eclipse diagram with the moon between the sun and earth.
Activity

Break the Braille code: Solar eclipse resource

Colorful swirled large lollipop
Activity

Lollipop garden activities