For example:
- Children are taught using learning styles that acknowledge their developmental stage rather than their chronological age.
- Teachers make eye contact when they name a child before giving a clear instruction.
- Now and next boards or visual timetables are used to help children to understand the shape of the day.
- Teachers use as many multi-sensory ways into a topic as possible.
- Children record their thoughts using pictures and ICT instead of, or as well as, writing. Recordable talking albums are great for this.
- Technology is used both as a teaching aid and to support learning.
In a communication-friendly class, the teacher is always conscious of the language demands being made of children, so they:
- Simplify instructions.
- Give children additional take-up time to respond to questions and requests.
- Limit their use of idioms and metaphors and sarcasm. Model appropriate language structures which are only slightly in advance of those used by the children.
- Break up lengthy teacher talk sessions with think-pair-share activities to allow children to take ‘brain-breaks’.
- Acknowledge that many inappropriate behaviours may be due to communication difficulties and look at how they can adapt rather than expecting the child to change.