Are you looking for strategies to encourage students to interact with their teachers? If so, keep reading.

1. Give the learner the responsibility of being a teacher’s assistant for a learning experience (e.g., holding up flash cards, demonstrating the use of equipment, etc.).

2. Give the learner the responsibility of tutoring another learner.

3. Be sure to greet or acknowledge the learner as often as possible (e.g., greet in the hallways or cafeteria, welcome to class, acknowledge a job well done, call the learner by name, etc.).

4. Ask the learner to be the leader of a cooperative learning experience if they possess a mastery of skills or an interest in that area.

5. Get the learner to run errands that will require interactions with teachers (e.g., delivering attendance reports, taking messages to other teachers, etc.).

6. Talk with the learner from a distance. Slowly decrease the distance until a close proximity is achieved.

7. Make sure that directions, explanations, and instructions are delivered on the learner’s capacity and ability level.

8. Utilize an alternative form of communication (e.g., puppet).

9. Give the learner many chances for social and academic success.

10. Create situations in which the learner must interact (e.g., handing finished tasks to the teacher, delivering a message to a teacher, etc.).

11. Select a peer to model appropriate interaction with teachers for the learner.

12. Urge the learner to question any directions, explanations, and instructions not grasped.

13. Assess the appropriateness of expecting the learner to express needs to teachers.

14. Allow mobility throughout the classroom to ascertain the learner’s needs.

15. Give the learner assistance regularly throughout the day.

16. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

17. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.