Modeling Across School Environments
What You’ll Learn🔗
Learn how AAC modeling can fit naturally into your school day! You’ll learn practical ways to model language during everyday classroom routines and build confidence using AAC in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.
You can also check out our downloadable guide for school environments like art class and the cafeteria or you can create your own AAC Modeling cheat sheet!
Learning Goals
- Identify opportunities to model AAC during everyday school activities
- Explain why AAC users need to see and hear language modeled by others.
- Apply simple modeling strategies without worrying about perfection.
Select Your Grade Level🔗
Course Resources
Modeling in Elementary School🔗
Modeling doesn’t have to feel scary. It can feel intimidating as communication partners to make mistakes on the device. You might feel nervous about not pressing the right buttons or finding the right words on the device.
However, modeling does not mean that you are a perfect communicator. It means that you are showing the student how their communication system works throughout their school day.
Modeling Examples🔗
Let’s take a look at some examples of what modeling can look like throughout the elementary school day. Capitalized words are the buttons you could press on the device while you speak.
- If you’re in a classroom and the class is lining up to go somewhere, you could say something like, “Line UP class, it’s time to GO.”
- During circle time, you could say, “GOOD morning, how are YOU?”
- During snack, you might say something like, “PUT your snack ON your desk. Do you want MORE?”
- At recess, you could model, “Let’s PLAY. WHAT will you DO first?”
- And maybe in music, you could say, “I SEE the music notes. IT is FAST.”
Tips to Get Started🔗
AAC is like a different language. If students are expected to use this language, they have to hear and see it being used in their environment by the adults around them.
Some favorite tips to get you started:
- Modeling will be slow, and that’s okay.
- It takes time to gain familiarity with the system and learn where things are on the device.
- You don’t have to model every word. Just pick one or two key words that you know where to find and model those.
- Mistakes are okay. After all, that’s how we learn.
- You don’t always need to expect a response from a student.
Course Resources
Modeling in Middle School🔗
Modeling doesn’t have to feel scary. It can feel intimidating as communication partners to make mistakes on the device. You might feel nervous about not pressing the right buttons or finding the right words on the device.
However, modeling does not mean that you are a perfect communicator. It means that you are showing the student how their communication system works throughout their school day.
Modeling Examples🔗
Middle school is a time when many students grow both academically and socially. As your students age, modeling may look a little bit different.
Let’s take a look at some examples of how you can encourage socialization in the middle school environment through modeling. Capitalized words are ones you could press on the device while you speak with the user.
- In a hallway, you could encourage peer interactions by modeling something like, “HI, Jane. How are YOU?”
- If you’re discussing the student’s schedule, you could model, “FIRST math, NEXT lunch.”
- During lunchtime, you might model something like, “WHO do you WANT to sit next to? WHAT food will YOU want to EAT first?”
- During recess, you could model, “Let’s PLAY. WHAT will you DO first?”
- And in music, you could say, “That sounds BEAUTIFUL. Music is LOUD.”
Tips to Get Started🔗
AAC is like a different language. If students are expected to use this language, they have to hear and see it being used in their environment by the adults around them.
Some favorite tips to get you started:
- Modeling will be slow, and that’s okay.
- It takes time to gain familiarity with the system and learn where things are on the device.
- You don’t have to model every word. Just pick one or two key words that you know where to find and model those.
- Mistakes are okay. After all, that’s how we learn.
- You don’t always need to expect a response from a student.
Course Resources
Modeling in High School🔗
Modeling doesn’t have to feel scary. It can feel intimidating as communication partners to make mistakes on the device. You might feel nervous about not pressing the right buttons or finding the right words on the device.
However, modeling does not mean that you are a perfect communicator. It means that you are showing the student how their communication system works throughout their school day.
Supporting Independence in High School🔗
During the high school years, the primary focus often shifts to building and fostering independence for students. Let’s take a look at some examples of how you can increase independence through modeling. Capitalized words are ones you could press on the device while you speak with the user.
- In a hallway, you could work on a social interaction by modeling, “HI, HOW ARE YOU?”
- During homeroom, you might work on greetings like, “GOOD morning. How was YOUR weekend?”
- If you’re buying lunch “I WANT to order French Fries” or “HOW MUCH money do we need?”
- During a work-based learning task, you could model, “WHAT job do we NEED to do today?” or “WHAT step comes FIRST?”
A major way that we can increase independence is by working on generalizing skills learned outside of the classroom and developing self-advocacy skills. On a field trip you could work on the following skills:
- Initiating Greetings like “Hello!”
- Using Communication Repair Strategies like “I need help” or “I don’t know.”
- Teach Self-Advocacy Skills by using pre-programmed cells like “I use this device to communicate” and “It might take me some more time to respond.”
Tips to Get Started🔗
AAC is like a different language. Students have to hear and see the language being used in their environment by the adults around them in order to learn it.
Some favorite tips to get you started:
- Modeling will be slow, and that’s okay.
- It takes time to gain familiarity with the system and learn where things are on the device.
- You don’t have to model every word. Just pick one or two key words that you know where to find and model those.
- Mistakes are okay. After all, that’s how we learn.
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