Part 3 of the “Planning for the Fall” series focuses on work systems. Work systems are an organized way to practice skills that have been previously taught systematically. They can be used in multiple settings within the school environment, allowing students to be independent and not rely on adults in the room.
WHY WORK SYSTEMS?
Creating work systems for your students provides the following:
- Opportunities to promote independence
- Create predictability
- Focus attention on the tasks at hand
- Generalize skills to new settings
A WORK SYSTEM SHOULD ANSWER FOUR QUESTIONS:
What work?
- Identifies the form or the types of cues that label each task, basket, or folder (can be in the form of shapes, letters, numbers, or written words)
- Tasks can be in separate baskets, boxes, made into a single unit, folders, or files, matching icon to task item, work system could be in the form of a written list on a clipboard, folder, etc., or embedded within the student’s schedule (written list of tasks within schedule)
How much work?
- Identifies the organization and sequence of tasks
- Tasks are waiting on a table or shelf to the student’s left, the assigned number of tasks are shown by their matching cues on the work system, and matches to the matching cue, written list of each task to be completed
When is the work finished?
- Tracks progress and identifies when the work is finished
- Cues disappear, mark off on a checklist, tasks disappear, or tasks are placed in a “finished” location
What comes next?
- Identifies the transition to the next activity
- A cue to check the schedule, a choice board to choose the next activity (which could be built into the system), a specific activity or item, or another type of cue that signals that the student is all done
WORK SYSTEM TIPS
When creating a work system for a student, consider the following:
- Create a clearly defined work area and make it easily accessible for staff and students (refer to Part 1 of this series on physical structure)
- Remove any extra materials and other distractions
- Set up the work system to work from left to right
- Explicitly teach your student how to use the work system
- Always have the work system set up with the necessary materials before a student arrives at the designated area
- All done basket or an area that identifies the finished work
- Make sure to have a cue to present to the student to signal what comes next
Stay tuned for Part 4, which will look into visually structuring tasks.
