Teaching Large Group Primary

I went to Primary with a beautiful little boy I know the other day.  And I was struck by a few thoughts that I figured I would jot down here and see if it would help.  This Primary I went to was wonderful to watch.  There were a few beautiful things they did that helped support children when they were all together as a large group.  As I watched, I found that the teachers who followed these tips not only had this little boy on my lap TOTALLY sucked in and engaged, but they had me singing and smiling, too.  So, teachers of ALL children, but especially those with developmental disabilities (autism, asperger's, ADHD, etc.), here's some things to consider:

Watch Your Visuals:
Every child needs visuals.  They need something that they can see that will support what you are trying to tell them.  Language is still a new concept for most of our kids - even those in the senior Primary!  They've only been talking for a couple years and we have to remember that most of the time we probably don't make the slightest sense to them.  By adding visuals, we can REALLY support understanding as well as add an element of organization and intrigue.

Your visuals need to be clear.  They need to make sense.  Visuals that are too small, too busy, too complicated won't help, but hinder.  Kids need visuals that are so clear they could explain to you what they mean.  They need to be organized and thoughtful.  Think simple and effective.  For example: At this Primary I went to, one of the teachers stood up in front of the classroom.  She had one of those Book of Mormon comic-strip type of books (like these: Comic Strip Book).  She held it up and read a page from the book.  Although these books are wonderful when sitting in a small group, they were extremely difficult to see or understand when standing in front of the whole Primary.  Sure, she was using a visual, but only the front row could see.  Even if the pictures were bigger, they are full of detail and very complex.  For a child who struggles to focus on the big picture thinking, presenting a complex picture might be difficult for teaching to a concept.  There's just too many tangents a child could visually take.

Contrast that with the music teacher who stood up and used visuals similar to this (see "Do As I'm Doing" Cards on this website):  http://sunbeamsinging.wordpress.com/2012/12/29/introducing-i-am-a-child-of-god/

Notice how clear their message is.  The idea is simple and using these visuals will really support what it is you want a child to do or understand from what you are saying (or singing).  If these are large so the whole primary can see them, even better.  You have to imagine being in the back seat with all the bouncy kids and chatting teachers in front of you - then consider your visuals and if they will still catch the attention of that kid.

Slow Down Your Words:
Are you spilling words out of your mouth at a million miles a minute?  Or are you slowing your voice down, increasing your facial expressions and dramatic expression in a way that is enticing and exciting?  Instead of saying, "now boys and girls I want you to sit down and then listen to this song and then after that we will use some sign language to try and sing it together," can you say in a sing songy voice with a BIG, BRIGHT face, "Liiiiiiiisten.  I hear a song.  Do you?"  Pause.  Act mysterious.  The put your hand to your ear and encourage the kids to do the same while you listen to the song.  "Now.  Ooooopen your eyes.  Can you SEE me sing this song?"  Open your eyes wide with wonder.  Then do it with signs.  Then say, "Can YOU sing this song with words and hands?"  Dramatically do it together, slowly, so the kids can be successful.  The pianist in this Primary really slowed the songs down which helped tremendously in adding meaning and success for these kids.

Read Your Student's Cues:
At this Primary I was at, there was a brand new little girl.  She was soooooo excited to be in this Primary.  She was trying to answer every question and had an exuberance that was almost overwhelming.  But, what I did notice was that she rose her hand EVERY time before yelling out.  And EVERY time, the teacher ignored her.  So, then she yelled out whatever it was she was going to say until someone had to say, "shhhhh!  Raise your hand."  But this poor little girl WOULD raise her hand and no one would care or pay attention.

However, a teacher a little bit later would notice her hand and she would wink at her and sign "wait" with her fingers while mouthing it so she could see.  This little girl, although exploding in anticipation, would wait because someone noticed her.  She would slap her hand over her mouth and hold it in because she knew that EVERY time she would get to say her answer.  Sometimes she didn't get to answer it to everyone.  The teacher would say, "on the count of three, whisper your answer," and all kids would answer.  Or she'd say, "if you know the answer, tell your neighbor."  By reading this particular child's specific cues, this teacher was able to support her by giving her the extra attention she needed and as a result, she had more engagement from ALL kids and less disruption from this child because she found a way to functionally allow her to express herself in ways that worked.

Anyway, these are simple ideas that we all know, but I thought I'd just throw them out there again after watching this beautiful Primary with such talented teachers.  Enjoy!