June 20, 2025 • 11 mins
You’ve prepped the tasks, taught the routine, and set up the system… so why does it suddenly feel like your independent work time is falling apart?
In this episode, I’m walking you through what to do when your once-reliable routine starts unraveling. From students checking out to paras feeling unsure—this is a real-talk guide to getting things back on track without starting over from scratch.
Be sure to grab the Free Student Independent Work Routine Checklist
Check out the low-prep library of tasks: Task Box Dollar Club
If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.
Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.
Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.com/free-resource-library/
Join the Facebook group
I'd love to hear what's working for you! Send me a message on Instagram @positivelylearning
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Special Educators Resource Room
Podcast.
I'm your host, jennifer, fromPositively Learning.
Today we're talking aboutsomething very real that happens
in classrooms all the time.
Even when you've doneeverything right, it's that
moment when your independentwork routine whatever you have
in place that one that you'dspent time prepping and modeling
(00:22):
and organizing it suddenly goessideways, starts to feel a
little bit off.
You know what I mean.
Students aren't engaged, taskmaterials go untouched or, worse
, they're rushed through orscattered all over the floor.
The para that you're workingwith keeps asking are we still
(00:42):
doing these task boxes today?
And you find yourselftroubleshooting constantly
instead of teaching your smallgroups.
In today's episode, I'm goingto walk you through exactly what
to do when your independentwork system hits that point.
And the good news is rebootingdoesn't mean you have to start
all over.
It just means we need a littlebit of adjustment.
(01:04):
Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Hey, special educators, I'm Jennifer from
Positively Learning.
Welcome to the SpecialEducators Resource Room.
If you're like me, you'realways looking for ways to save
time and streamline your work.
That's why this podcast wascreated to give you the systems
and solutions you need to getyour time back.
Tune in for tips, tricks andtools that will help you manage
(01:32):
your workload and make the mostof your time.
Whether you're brand new orexperienced, all are welcome in
the Special Educators ResourceRoom.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
When things start to feel off, our first instinct is
to usually fix it right now.
We might rush to change out allthe tasks, or we might move the
workstation or start printingnew visuals, but here's the
thing that can backfire.
So instead I recommend hittingpause just for a day or two.
Become a quiet observer of theroutine.
(02:06):
Don't change anything yet.
Just take mental notes or useactual sticky notes of what is
happening.
So watch for which students areoff task and when do they lose
focus.
What specific steps arebreaking down?
Is it finishing tasks, is ittransitions, or is it even just
(02:26):
getting started?
Are visuals being followed orcompletely ignored, and do the
tasks still feel like a goodmatch for each student?
This observation window is soimportant.
It can tell you if you'redealing with student boredom,
missing pieces, unclearexpectations or something else
(02:47):
entirely.
And often the issue is just onepart of the system, not the
entire thing.
You can also take time to checkthe physical setup.
How's accessibility?
Are the bins accessible?
Are materials falling apart?
Has the finished areadisappeared under a stack of
papers?
These little things can make abig difference in how the
(03:09):
routine flows.
So before you change anything,I recommend slowing down,
watching, listening and lettingthe system show you where it's
glitching.
Once you've taken a day or twoto observe, choose one small
thing to change.
That's right, just one.
(03:29):
Because here's what I'velearned If you try to fix five
different things at once, thatoften leads to more confusion,
especially to a student whothrives on everything feeling
predictable.
Students don't necessarily needa brand new system.
They just need one key thing toshift so that routine starts
(03:49):
working better again.
Here are some suggestions totry out.
Remember, you're just going tochoose one.
Number one you could swap out afew tasks, especially if
they're starting to feel alittle easy or too repetitive.
Number two you could reteachthe visual routine, especially
the start and the finish steps.
(04:11):
Number three check the matchbetween students and tasks.
Are you giving tasks that areat the independent level, not
instructional?
Number four review expectationsif you work with other adults,
making sure everyone'sreinforcing the same steps that
you are.
And number five reestablish thereinforcement system like a
(04:36):
token chart or mini reward forcompleted tasks.
These are small steps, butthey're very strategic and they
can give your system a refreshwithout adding extra hours of
work to your day.
And the best part is, if youtry one of these.
You'll usually see resultswithin 24 hours.
Students might re-engage,things might start to feel
(04:57):
smoother and you might start tofeel that sense of calm again.
Now let's build on that.
After you've made the smalladjustment, you're going to
shift into momentum building,because sometimes what students
and adults need most is to feelsuccessful again.
This means we're going to stackthe system in a way that
(05:18):
guarantees early wins.
For example, you couldintentionally choose tasks that
you know are going to beautomatic wins.
Maybe they're high interest.
They're at students'independent level.
Students are going to be ableto finish them quickly and feel
confident.
You also might want to considergoing back to errorless or
(05:39):
lower frustration tasks for afew days, just to reestablish
flow.
And, of course, you want to addpraise and reinforcement.
Nice job, starting right away,look at how you finished that
task.
For students who have beenshutting down or avoiding tasks,
you might even sit with themfor just one round, not to help
(05:59):
them with the task, but just toreteach the routine in a calm,
non-rushed way and you'reproviding positive feedback.
If you are working with supportstaff, you may want to provide
a quick two-minute minirefresher on expectations.
Something like two-minute minirefresher on expectations,
something like today.
Let's keep an eye on makingsure everyone's working
(06:20):
independently and putting thetasks back when they're done.
This momentum phase isn't aboutpushing academic rigor.
It's about getting everyoneback into a positive rhythm and
then, once the system feelssmooth again, then you can
reintroduce more challengingtasks.
We started off with usingobservation to determine one
(06:42):
small adjustment that could beput into place and then build on
that momentum.
Now that, hopefully, we'reseeing students start to
re-engage or things are feelinga little bit smoother, it's time
to re-anchor the routine.
This is where you're gonnareinforce what's working so that
it sticks.
It's almost like it was whenyou introduced it at the
(07:04):
beginning of the school year,but just much shorter and much
simpler.
So here's what it could looklike you could repost visuals
that might've fallen behind acabinet or just generally gotten
ignored.
You could print a fresh copy ofa task schedule or something to
make it more noticeable.
You could add mini checkliststo your task boxes or binders so
(07:28):
students can track their ownsteps, or you could have a class
or small group conversationabout the routine.
Like you've all been doing agreat job getting started on
your own, let's keep practicinghow we finish our tasks and
clean up the materials.
This phase is all aboutcementing the flow so that next
time the system starts tounravel a bit, it doesn't
(07:50):
collapse completely becauseyou've built in these layers of
support to hold it steady.
Here's one final tip that'sgoing to save you from repeating
the same mistakes over and over.
Keep a short running log ofwhat worked.
Nothing fancy, it could just bea notebook or a sticky note.
After you've made a successfuladjustment to your independent
(08:14):
work system, write it down.
What did you change, why didyou change it and what was the
result?
It could be something like thisSwitched student A to three
errorless tasks.
This stopped work avoidance andnow the student completed
everything independently ormoved task bin closer to
(08:35):
finished bin.
This cut down on wandering andoff-task behavior.
These notes are so important ifyou're ever rebooting mid-year
or even when a student returnsfrom an extended break and
things start to feel off again.
It also can help if you're evertraining others.
If a new paraprofessional joinsmid-year, you can say here's
(08:56):
what we've done that worked well.
This clarity is everything.
To recap, if your independentwork system has started to feel
a little bit stale or a lot,here's what you could do.
Number one pause and observe.
You're giving yourself space tounderstand the problem before
reacting.
Number two pick one lever toadjust.
(09:19):
You're going to make one smallchange that's going to solve the
biggest issue.
Number three rebuild momentum,choosing confidence, boosting
tasks and targeted reinforcement.
Number four re-anchor thatroutine so this might look like
refreshing visuals, expectationsand student supports.
(09:40):
And then, last, you're going totrack what worked, just keeping
a very simple record, so you'renot starting from scratch next
time, because we're talkingabout resetting, not reinventing
the wheel.
You've already done the hardpart.
You've built the structure.
Now you're just fine hard part.
You've built this structure.
Now you're just fine tuning itto keep things working for your
students and for you.
(10:01):
If you're thinking, okay, thisall sounds great, but I don't
actually have a system in placethat works, or I don't have time
to create visuals right now,you don't have to.
Inside the TaskBox Dollar Club,you will find hundreds of tasks
.
There's also visual routinesand student supports that you
can print and use the same day.
(10:22):
You are not in this alone, so Iwill link everything in the
show notes.
I'm also going to put a link toa blog post that has a free
student checklist, a visualchecklist that you could print
out and add to a individual taskor post in your independent
work systems area.
So be sure to check the shownotes for that link.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday and thank you for being
(10:44):
an educator who doesn't give upon the system just because it
gets a little messy.
You are leading with heart andnow with strategy, and that's
exactly what your students need.
I will talk to you next week inthe Special Educators Resource
Room.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Thanks so much for tuning in and I'm dying to ask
what'd you think?
Be sure to hit the follow orsubscribe buttons that you never
miss an episode.
You can find the show notes andlinks for everything mentioned
in this episode atpositivelylearningblogcom.
See you next week for morespecial education solutions.
Welcome back to Special Educators Resource Room
Podcast.
I'm your host, jennifer, fromPositively Learning.
Today we're talking aboutsomething very real that happens
in classrooms all the time.
Even when you've doneeverything right, it's that
moment when your independentwork routine whatever you have
in place that one that you'dspent time prepping and modeling
(00:22):
and organizing it suddenly goessideways, starts to feel a
little bit off.
You know what I mean.
Students aren't engaged, taskmaterials go untouched or, worse
, they're rushed through orscattered all over the floor.
The para that you're workingwith keeps asking are we still
(00:42):
doing these task boxes today?
And you find yourselftroubleshooting constantly
instead of teaching your smallgroups.
In today's episode, I'm goingto walk you through exactly what
to do when your independentwork system hits that point.
And the good news is rebootingdoesn't mean you have to start
all over.
It just means we need a littlebit of adjustment.
(01:04):
Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Hey, special educators, I'm Jennifer from
Positively Learning.
Welcome to the SpecialEducators Resource Room.
If you're like me, you'realways looking for ways to save
time and streamline your work.
That's why this podcast wascreated to give you the systems
and solutions you need to getyour time back.
Tune in for tips, tricks andtools that will help you manage
(01:32):
your workload and make the mostof your time.
Whether you're brand new orexperienced, all are welcome in
the Special Educators ResourceRoom.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
When things start to feel off, our first instinct is
to usually fix it right now.
We might rush to change out allthe tasks, or we might move the
workstation or start printingnew visuals, but here's the
thing that can backfire.
So instead I recommend hittingpause just for a day or two.
Become a quiet observer of theroutine.
(02:06):
Don't change anything yet.
Just take mental notes or useactual sticky notes of what is
happening.
So watch for which students areoff task and when do they lose
focus.
What specific steps arebreaking down?
Is it finishing tasks, is ittransitions, or is it even just
(02:26):
getting started?
Are visuals being followed orcompletely ignored, and do the
tasks still feel like a goodmatch for each student?
This observation window is soimportant.
It can tell you if you'redealing with student boredom,
missing pieces, unclearexpectations or something else
(02:47):
entirely.
And often the issue is just onepart of the system, not the
entire thing.
You can also take time to checkthe physical setup.
How's accessibility?
Are the bins accessible?
Are materials falling apart?
Has the finished areadisappeared under a stack of
papers?
These little things can make abig difference in how the
(03:09):
routine flows.
So before you change anything,I recommend slowing down,
watching, listening and lettingthe system show you where it's
glitching.
Once you've taken a day or twoto observe, choose one small
thing to change.
That's right, just one.
(03:29):
Because here's what I'velearned If you try to fix five
different things at once, thatoften leads to more confusion,
especially to a student whothrives on everything feeling
predictable.
Students don't necessarily needa brand new system.
They just need one key thing toshift so that routine starts
(03:49):
working better again.
Here are some suggestions totry out.
Remember, you're just going tochoose one.
Number one you could swap out afew tasks, especially if
they're starting to feel alittle easy or too repetitive.
Number two you could reteachthe visual routine, especially
the start and the finish steps.
(04:11):
Number three check the matchbetween students and tasks.
Are you giving tasks that areat the independent level, not
instructional?
Number four review expectationsif you work with other adults,
making sure everyone'sreinforcing the same steps that
you are.
And number five reestablish thereinforcement system like a
(04:36):
token chart or mini reward forcompleted tasks.
These are small steps, butthey're very strategic and they
can give your system a refreshwithout adding extra hours of
work to your day.
And the best part is, if youtry one of these.
You'll usually see resultswithin 24 hours.
Students might re-engage,things might start to feel
(04:57):
smoother and you might start tofeel that sense of calm again.
Now let's build on that.
After you've made the smalladjustment, you're going to
shift into momentum building,because sometimes what students
and adults need most is to feelsuccessful again.
This means we're going to stackthe system in a way that
(05:18):
guarantees early wins.
For example, you couldintentionally choose tasks that
you know are going to beautomatic wins.
Maybe they're high interest.
They're at students'independent level.
Students are going to be ableto finish them quickly and feel
confident.
You also might want to considergoing back to errorless or
(05:39):
lower frustration tasks for afew days, just to reestablish
flow.
And, of course, you want to addpraise and reinforcement.
Nice job, starting right away,look at how you finished that
task.
For students who have beenshutting down or avoiding tasks,
you might even sit with themfor just one round, not to help
(05:59):
them with the task, but just toreteach the routine in a calm,
non-rushed way and you'reproviding positive feedback.
If you are working with supportstaff, you may want to provide
a quick two-minute minirefresher on expectations.
Something like two-minute minirefresher on expectations,
something like today.
Let's keep an eye on makingsure everyone's working
(06:20):
independently and putting thetasks back when they're done.
This momentum phase isn't aboutpushing academic rigor.
It's about getting everyoneback into a positive rhythm and
then, once the system feelssmooth again, then you can
reintroduce more challengingtasks.
We started off with usingobservation to determine one
(06:42):
small adjustment that could beput into place and then build on
that momentum.
Now that, hopefully, we'reseeing students start to
re-engage or things are feelinga little bit smoother, it's time
to re-anchor the routine.
This is where you're gonnareinforce what's working so that
it sticks.
It's almost like it was whenyou introduced it at the
(07:04):
beginning of the school year,but just much shorter and much
simpler.
So here's what it could looklike you could repost visuals
that might've fallen behind acabinet or just generally gotten
ignored.
You could print a fresh copy ofa task schedule or something to
make it more noticeable.
You could add mini checkliststo your task boxes or binders so
(07:28):
students can track their ownsteps, or you could have a class
or small group conversationabout the routine.
Like you've all been doing agreat job getting started on
your own, let's keep practicinghow we finish our tasks and
clean up the materials.
This phase is all aboutcementing the flow so that next
time the system starts tounravel a bit, it doesn't
(07:50):
collapse completely becauseyou've built in these layers of
support to hold it steady.
Here's one final tip that'sgoing to save you from repeating
the same mistakes over and over.
Keep a short running log ofwhat worked.
Nothing fancy, it could just bea notebook or a sticky note.
After you've made a successfuladjustment to your independent
(08:14):
work system, write it down.
What did you change, why didyou change it and what was the
result?
It could be something like thisSwitched student A to three
errorless tasks.
This stopped work avoidance andnow the student completed
everything independently ormoved task bin closer to
(08:35):
finished bin.
This cut down on wandering andoff-task behavior.
These notes are so important ifyou're ever rebooting mid-year
or even when a student returnsfrom an extended break and
things start to feel off again.
It also can help if you're evertraining others.
If a new paraprofessional joinsmid-year, you can say here's
(08:56):
what we've done that worked well.
This clarity is everything.
To recap, if your independentwork system has started to feel
a little bit stale or a lot,here's what you could do.
Number one pause and observe.
You're giving yourself space tounderstand the problem before
reacting.
Number two pick one lever toadjust.
(09:19):
You're going to make one smallchange that's going to solve the
biggest issue.
Number three rebuild momentum,choosing confidence, boosting
tasks and targeted reinforcement.
Number four re-anchor thatroutine so this might look like
refreshing visuals, expectationsand student supports.
(09:40):
And then, last, you're going totrack what worked, just keeping
a very simple record, so you'renot starting from scratch next
time, because we're talkingabout resetting, not reinventing
the wheel.
You've already done the hardpart.
You've built the structure.
Now you're just fine hard part.
You've built this structure.
Now you're just fine tuning itto keep things working for your
students and for you.
(10:01):
If you're thinking, okay, thisall sounds great, but I don't
actually have a system in placethat works, or I don't have time
to create visuals right now,you don't have to.
Inside the TaskBox Dollar Club,you will find hundreds of tasks
.
There's also visual routinesand student supports that you
can print and use the same day.
(10:22):
You are not in this alone, so Iwill link everything in the
show notes.
I'm also going to put a link toa blog post that has a free
student checklist, a visualchecklist that you could print
out and add to a individual taskor post in your independent
work systems area.
So be sure to check the shownotes for that link.
Thank you so much for listeningtoday and thank you for being
(10:44):
an educator who doesn't give upon the system just because it
gets a little messy.
You are leading with heart andnow with strategy, and that's
exactly what your students need.
I will talk to you next week inthe Special Educators Resource
Room.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Thanks so much for tuning in and I'm dying to ask
what'd you think?
Be sure to hit the follow orsubscribe buttons that you never
miss an episode.
You can find the show notes andlinks for everything mentioned
in this episode atpositivelylearningblogcom.
See you next week for morespecial education solutions.
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