ADD/HD Students: Strategy to Help Them Complete an Assigned Project

My last post discussed using numbered magnetic clips to help you organize models in a classroom setting.   Here, I used the numbered clip that corresponded to the number item on the worksheet, but I've used them in the past to help my ADD/ADHD students complete an assigned project.

ADD/ADHD students have a hard time breaking a task into parts, then working on one small step at a time...to complete an assigned project.  

So what I would do is: First, meet individually with ADD students and write down the steps they needed to do to complete the project... for example,  researching a topic.

Then, I would cut the steps into strips and clip them to the numbered magnetic clips that hung on the magnetic whiteboard near their desk.

As that student completed that step, he/she would turn over the strip and clip it back onto the clip.

This became a VISUAL picture of how he/she were progressing towards the completion of the project.It shows not only how much more he/she needed to do, but also how far they have come.
They could see their own progress!! 

 I can attest to the fact that many students found this helpful.  For ADD/HD students it's so hard to keep focused... they get overwhelmed and get lost and don't know what to do next.

This visual clue kept them on track, and answered that question of what they needed to do next, without me guiding their every move. They began taking responsibility for their own progress.

Smiles,

Deborah 

P.S.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed with life too, and I find myself writing down those small steps. I find it a great comfort for myself, and I LOVE checking off the steps as I complete them.