About this resource
Clear routines free up teaching time and help students feel settled. This pack provides visual step cards for five common classroom routines, with a short guide on teaching them explicitly, practising them and referring to them consistently.
Purpose
To make everyday routines predictable and reduce the need for verbal reminders.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Educators and school support staff. Also relevant for speech pathologists.
Client or participant group: Foundation to Year 4 classes and students who benefit from visual routines.
Practice setting: Primary classrooms.
Suggested uses
- Start-of-year routine teaching
- Refreshing routines after holidays
- Supporting students who need visual prompts
- Relief teachers maintaining routines
Instructions for practitioners
- Teach one routine at a time, explicitly, with modelling.
- Practise the routine and praise specific steps.
- Display the cards where the routine happens.
- Point to the cards instead of giving repeated verbal reminders.
Instructions for clients or participants
- Look at the cards.
- Do each step in order.
Accessibility considerations
Pair symbols with words. Add photos of your own classroom if that helps.
Scope and limitations
A general classroom visual support. Some students may need individual routines developed with their support team.
Research basis
Visual schedules and other visual supports are established evidence-based practices for autistic children and young people, and are widely used with others who benefit from visual information. Clear expectations, explicit teaching of routines and frequent positive feedback are evidence-based classroom practices; adjustments for students with disability are required under the Disability Standards for Education.
- Australian Government. Disability Standards for Education 2005. https://www.education.gov.au/disability-standards-education-2005
- Knight, V., Sartini, E., & Spriggs, A. D. (2015). Evaluating Visual Activity Schedules as Evidence-Based Practice for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), 157–178. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2201-z
- Simonsen, B., Fairbanks, S., Briesch, A., Myers, D., & Sugai, G. (2008). Evidence-based practices in classroom management: Considerations for research to practice. Education and Treatment of Children, 31, 351–380. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.0.0007
- Steinbrenner, J. R., Hume, K., Odom, S. L., Morin, K. L., Nowell, S. W., Tomaszewski, B., Szendrey, S., McIntyre, N. S., Yücesoy-Özkan, S., & Savage, M. N. (2020). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism. FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina. https://ncaep.fpg.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/EBP-Report-2020.pdf
What is included
A 3-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Symbols are original line drawings created for Practitioner Plus.
