Seven Strategies for Arranging the Environment

The basic goal of environmental ar­rangement is to increase children's in­terest in the environment as an occasion for communication. The environment is managed and arranged to promote re­quests and comments by children and to support language teaching efforts by adults. Using the environment to prompt language includes the following steps:

1. Focusing on making language a part of children's routines.

2. Providing access to interesting mate­rials and activities.

3. Providing adult and peer models who will encourage children to use language and respond to their at­tempts to do so.

4 Establishing a contingent relation­ship between access to materials or assistance and use of language.

The seven environmental strategies described here are designed to (a) in­crease the likelihood that children will show an interest in the environment and make communicative attempts and (b) increase the likelihood that the adult will prompt the use of language about things of interest to the children by providing clear and obvious nonverbal prompts for them to communicate. When the environment is arranged in this way, attractive materials and activities function as both discriminative stimuli and reinforcers for language use.

Interesting Materials

Materials and activities that children enjoy should be available in the environment. Young children are most likely to initiate communication about the things that interest them. Thus, increasing the likelihood of children's interest in the environment increases the oppor­tunities for language use and teaching. Teachers usually know which toys and materials individual children prefer. However, a simple inventory of prefer­ences can be taken at staff meetings or by systematically observing children's choices during free play. Parents often can provide information regarding their children's preferred toys and activities. Once toy preference has been deter­mined, teachers can enhance interest in the environment by making such toys or materials available. For example, if a child enjoys bead stringing, various shaped and colored beads, noodles, and sewing spools could be made available. Identifying preferred activities and ma­terials is especially important for a young child with severe disabilities. Variations in activities and materials must be carefully monitored to ensure that the child remains interested. For ex­ample, a child with severe disabilities who likes squeak toys may enjoy a vari­ety of these toys but not like a Jack-in-the-box that makes a similar sound. Rotating the toys available at any given time is also a good way to make old toys more interesting; when they reappear they seem brand new!

Out of Reach

Placing some desirable ma­terials within view but out of reach will prompt chil­dren to make requests in order to secure the materials. Materials may be placed on the shelves, in clear plastic bins, or simply across the table during a group activity to increase the likelihood that the children will request access to them either verbally or nonverbally. These requests create opportunities for language teaching, since when children request a specific material they are also specifying their reinforcers. Thus, a teacher who prompts language and provides the requested material contingent on the child's response effectively rein­forces that response. The effectiveness of this strategy can be enhanced by showing the children materials, naming the materials, and then waiting atten­tively for the children to make requests. During snack time or before a cooking activity, a teacher can prompt children to make requests by placing the cooking materials across the table from them. Children with severe disabilities might gain access to these materials by pointing or eye gazing, whereas more skilled children might be encouraged to use signs, words, or even complete sen­tences. Teachers must be careful not to frustrate students by placing too many communicative demands on them. A balance of requesting materials and playing independently is important in every activity.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 659