Structure Is Key: Creating A Positive Learning Environment

Within the educational process of special needs children, we have to take into account new learnings in the field of neurodiversity, understand the nature of individual’s developmental and learning difficulties, define the cause of child’s weaker areas - that is the key to the appropriate planning of ways to help, support, lead and understand each individual. We can help children feel safer within the educational process by making it predictable, by preparing them for changes in advance, by directing and leading each individual, by implementing consistency, redirection, offering the option of retreat and calming down. Only through that, can they achieve their potentials and avoid the feelings of agitation, which could lead to outbursts. The help given to children with special needs has to be individualised and personalised - tailored for each individual child. We need to know the child well, observe the changes in their behaviour, so we can efficiently lead them through the learning process. The didactic tools, designed for obtaining and maintaining structure, communication, understanding and the feeling of successfulness can be of great help. In this article, I will be focusing on the strategies that give pupils the feelings of security, take into account their individual needs and give them the possibility of developing their potentials even further.