The work box system is designed to teach students to become independent in following a visual schedule to complete a series of work tasks. The purpose is to prepare students to be able to sustain working without prompts so they can be more independent and successful in a work setting in the future.
The main thing to remember is that the work box tasks themselves are not what is important. It is the process of following the steps in the system that is the goal. (I will explain these steps later in the post) In order for the student to learn to follow the system, they should only be given work boxes on their schedule that they can do independently, without prompts.
Before I can go further, I need to clarify what I mean by "prompts". If a student is working only when someone is seated right next to them, giving them directions on what to do, then that student is not independent in that skill. Independent would mean the student can sit down to do a task without an adult standing over them, know what to do by looking at the task, and complete it without assistance.
Here's how the system works and I will explain as I go!
My students are all easily distracted so they need a work area that is free from other stimuli as possible.
The student is given a schedule strip that contains icons that correspond with work boxes that they can do within the system. At the end of the strip, I like to put a picture of a reinforcer that will be motivating for the student. (Yes, those are socks and I have no idea why a child would decide to work for socks but this one does!) IMPORTANT: Not all students will be able to start with 3,4,5 tasks in a row. The point is for them to do it INDEPENDENTLY so if that means only 1 simple task (put the ball in the cup) and then a reinforcer, then so be it, we can build up to more tasks later.
The student pulls off the first icon and goes to the system to match it to the corresponding work box. This does not have to be organized by numbers, it just happened that all of my students can match number to number but some students may need to go by color/shapes/pictures/etc.
Find the match and take the box back to the work area.
Student completes the task (this one was sorting silverware) Now, the number goes into a finished box so the student will know it is no longer on the schedule.
This is the part that I have heard conflicting opinions on, I have my students place the finished box into a designated area and we do not deconstruct the box and put it back until a later time (after the students are gone) The reason we do this is because our students had somehow (previous methods) learned to take apart the job after they did it and realistically, in a workshop setting when they are being paid, we don't want them taking apart every job they do! (won't make employers happy when you are un-doing your work!) This bin is located right next to their desk so no need to travel to put the job away.
And the system goes on for as many icons as the student has until they reach the end (socks!! yay!)
With this student, we are trying to teach him to initiate requests, so he has to select the reinforcer form his device which has a voice output ("I want socks") This lets us know he is finished and ready for reinforcement, it also is preparing him for a work setting where he might need to ring a bell or hit a switch when he is ready for a break or needs more supplies.
That's pretty much how it works! Now keep in mind, my students can not all do this 100% independent yet. We are still in the teaching process but the main thing is that when teaching the system, we use the least intrusive prompts possible. So for my student that needs more support, I stand back (3-5 ft.) and only step in with a gestural prompt (pointing or tapping) when they stop working or have trouble moving to the next step in the sequence. REMEMBER: The work boxes should be tasks they already have mastered, they should be able to look at it and know exactly how to complete it with zero prompting!
Here are some examples of what are in some of my work boxes, they range from very simple tasks to complex, multi-step tasks. They cover a variety of skills including fine motor, sorting, life skills, academics, etc.
A fine motor/color sort combo
Fine motor/life skills
Starting to get more complex - Math: check bottom of container for number and select correct amount
A multi-step sorting/assembly task: Put the correct size container with corresponding lid into each section and close with wooden peg inside the containers with each lid on.
Life Skills/Fine motor: Fold napkins into squares
Does not have to be a "box", file folder activities can also be a work task! As long as you have an icon for them to match to!
Whew! Sorry that post was so long !I hope it made sense and I am by no means an expert in work boxes, I am still learning myself so input is appreciated!
WOW! You are giving me some great ideas....Thank You! =)
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Heather's Heart
I am very interested in your system! This is my first year teaching and I am in a middle school self contained classroom with 8 students. I actually have some of these kinds of resources available from the previous teacher but they just are not organized well. Do you have a visual schedule inside each of the workboxes and could explain how you introduced the system to your students? Did you walk them through each step of each box the first time or just one, etc? Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting! I also inherited a ton of supplies that were completely unorganized. How I started was I thought about what skills each of my students had already. Can they sort, match, assemble? Can they use colors, numbers, shapes, objects? How can I incorporate fine motor? This year, I am also trying to make my boxes more functional, like if they can sort by number, can I teach them to sort envelopes with zip codes or phone numbers? An easier example would be a fine motor task of putting coins into a piggy bank. It really just takes some creative thinking on what skills do they have, what type of supplies do I have, and how can I make this a functional skill? If you have a lot of one type of supply, you can make several of the same work box so more than one student can be using it at a time. Once you know what skills your kids have, and you have made your boxes, then you need to teach the box before you put it in the work box system. I have a seperate time during the day when we give prompts, visuals, etc. to teach the boxes. Even if the skill is one the student has, like matching by color, they may have never seen it presented in that format. During this time, I have the boxes at the student's work area already and it is a direct 1:1 teaching time. Try to keep prompts as minimal as possible and remember to fade the prompts as they learn to do it more independently. Once the student masters a work box, you can add that box # to their individual list of which work boxes they can do independently. That part is key because once you have them doing the work box system, the goal isn't the skill that is in the box (they should have already learned that) what you are actually teaching in the work box system is how to follow a visual schedule to complete work sequence independently. Some of my students can only do a sequence of 1 or 2 boxes before reinforcement. Others can do 10 boxes in a row! Some of my boxes do have what are called "jigs" in them which show what the finished product is supposed to look like. I will be posting sometime later this week a picture and explanation of some of the new work boxes I have made and if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!
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