Using First - Then Boards to Get Work Done

I’ll admit it. I’ve went to work and been overwhelmed with the number of things I need to accomplish before the day is over. Keep in mind, I’m a typically functioning adult with no identified disabilities. I’ve seen students new to school and those with disabilities become overwhelmed with the demands of a school day. Unfortunately, this doesn’t change once school ends as the demands placed upon the typical worker can be quite heavy.

Slow Down the Day’s Demands

So, what’s a student to do about the never ending list of items that need done at school? How can they train their brain to systematically work through one task at a time instead of seeing the list of the day’s demands crashing onto them all at once leaving them in a nervous pile on the floor? Visuals to the rescue! I like to give students the tools to see what is happening and the First, Then board is a handy one to have around. I use this behavior management board in two ways: as a reward tool and as a planning tool.

Rewarding Completed Work

I use First, Then boards as a tool that helps students connect participation and completion to being positively rewarded. I’ve told parents that this is the most common reward tool adults use. I go to work FIRST, THEN I get a paycheck (unfortunately delayed by 2 weeks but still). This is exactly what I teach the students except that their reward happens immediately and is much smaller than my paycheck. I use this strategy for students who aren’t participating in their education or refuse to work. Rewarding kids after each task makes some people nervous. I GET IT! This can be a lot of work. Every effort that I spend helping a student learn how to “do school” takes hours of frustration away from the child, the family, and the current and future teachers. But a reward after every single task doesn’t have to last forever.

First, Next, Then Boards

After 10 days of success with the First, Then board, I add in a new board called First, Next, Then. This board follows the exact same procedure as its little brother except there are two work spots instead of only one before a reward. I love the concept of this because it helps the students plan what they need done and stretches out the list.

A Different Way To Use the Boards

While the boards are meant to be a behavior tool with a built-in reward, I also use them as a mini schedule. This works really well if I have only one student that needs a schedule and I’m able to replace the pieces as the day moves on. If you’ve ever set up visual schedules for an entire classroom full of students, you know how challenging this can be! Everyone has a slightly different schedule and everyone needs a few different pieces which can turn into a bit of a nightmare. If you don’t have the time to set this kind of schedule up, then the First, Next, Then boards can save the day.