Teaching Writing to Nonverbal Students Online

What I love about my day job as a teacher is that every year holds a new challenge. Often it is how to teach a particular student or a particular subject. It has been an ongoing challenge to teach students who are nonverbal or have low language skills. Especially online.

A few months ago, one of our speech and language pathologists recommended this resource. What struck me about this series of videos on teaching language arts was one phrase: “Writing is communication.”

Now as a writer, I know that’s true.

But I forget that my students are trying to tell me things too, even if they don't always use words. Once I focused on writing as communication (instead of just a rote skill to be learned), my ability to engage and reach my students greatly improved.

Here are things that have worked for me:


1. Make writing engaging, even writing your name: Since so many of my students are working on this skill, I have them practice it often. But now I’ve started making it more exciting by have them sign their name to answer a question.


2. Enjoy books with your students. Sometimes teachers—and parents—forget that reading is supposed to be fun. Peppering students with questions can overload students who struggle to communicate. Instead make comments. Notice things. Get excited. You are modeling for them what it’s like to enjoy reading.


An example of a book my students and I wrote together.

3. Make writing meaningful. There is a place for worksheets at times, but don’t forget to think outside the box. Recently, I’ve been doing patterned books with my students. I come up with a sentence frame (ex. “I put on…”) and provide pictures or show objects to give the students choices. Students communicate the ending of their sentence in various ways (orally, by pointing or holding up an object, or by writing). We put these sentences together to make a book and read our class book.

Resources:

Tarheel books: A great website for finding books with lots of visuals (They even have a version of Holes by Louis Sachar!). You can also make your own books as a class and add photos.


Project Core Professional Development Videos: Videos about teaching language arts to students who have low language and/or use a communication board.

How are you surviving virtual education as a parent or a teacher? For writers: how do you communicate as a writer? Let me know in the comments!