5 Easy Strategies to Consider for Task Completion

Do you ever find yourself struggling to get a student to just do what you have asked?

Have you ever asked yourself what else can I do to get my student to complete work?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when one of your students is having a difficult time with an activity that might get you thinking differently about instruction.

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Weigh the value of the activity

 

Is this something that the child really needs to master or can he get through his school years without this skill?  Often we spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on the task rather than the instructional objective behind it.

Practice the activity 

To ensure that the skill is learned we need to see transfer.  Too often a student is able to do something we request in one setting but not another.  Try practicing direction following, listening, independent planning, sequencing, task persistence and task completion through a variety of media (such as art projects, musical games or motor activities).

Developmental appropriateness 

Does what you are asking the student to do follow developmental progression? Does the student have the pre-requisite skills needed to perform the task?  You may need to consult with your favorite developmental schedule or evaluation tool to get ideas for adjusting the level of skill expected.

Break it down 

When task completion is an issue for the student it may be due to the student's perception of the overwhelmingness of the task.  Try to break the task into parts and emphasize the completion of each part.  Document success for the student in completing each part.  Adjust the task so that the child can finish in a set amount of time.  This will develop a sense of accomplishment and confidence in completing tasks.  It is more satisfying to complete several small tasks than to continuously struggle and never complete one long task.  

Tell them why 

Often, when we instruct, we neglect to let the student know what the reason for the task is.  Identify the importance of the end product by explaining to the student the instructional objective behind doing it.  Tell them what the learning target is.  Sometimes the process in completing the task is more important, sometimes the end product is, be sure to share the reason with your student. This will help to build motivation, understanding and maybe, persistence to complete the task assigned.


Kathy Steffens is a Special Educator with 20+ years experience.  She is available for questions regarding district RTI implementation and staff development training.  You can reach her at RightResponsetoRTI@gmail.com