Pictorial Schedules to Assist in Making Transitions

Jordan Shurr

36 Pictorial Schedules to Assist in Making Transitions

Definition

A visual schedule, often personalized for the student, that depicts the daily or activity-based schedule to support student understanding of and transition from one activity to the next.

In action

Provide students with visual schedules that highlight when transitions will occur throughout the day and what activities will come next to help ease student uncertainty. It is important that the teacher adhere to the schedule for consistency.

Support Strategies

Select visuals with students so they will be more likely to understand the schedule
In some cases visuals used must be taught, check whether this is the case and proceed accordingly
Provide an updated schedule with plenty of notice if a given day will follow a different structure
Create consistency between home and school by working with families to co-ordinate the use of visuals and schedules
Provide centrally located as well as portable schedules (e.g., one that is posted for class use, as well as one the student can keep in their desk or pocket)
Communicate with the student’s other teachers so that they can encourage the use of the schedule during their classes

Case Study

Student: Grade 2 student transitioning to a French class.

Content: There is a half day at school, so the class is ending literacy early to transition to French.

Problem: The student’s routine is disrupted because they are accustomed to having French at a different time.

Solution: The student is given an individual pictorial schedule the day before (which is also posted in a central location in the classroom). The student knows about the change and can refer to their schedule for reminders about timing and expectations. The student is able to transition to French early because they know about the change in advance.

Additional Resources

License

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