Types of Task Boxes

Parents and teachers of special education students are familiar with task boxes. They sometimes are referred to as shoe boxes if this is the type of box used. They are also referred to as work baskets. Task boxes are an important part of many special education classrooms. They help to teach tasks in a concrete, visual, sequential fashion. Not all tasks fit the box idea, so some tasks are accomplished via visual check lists. Whichever method is used, learning disabled students benefit from this teaching method.

Students are assigned task boxes based on their learning needs. Children rotate between work stations, completing different task boxes within a set time limit. A child might work at one work station on the same box for weeks on end, or he might master the task in a couple of times. Teachers often introduce the same box weeks later to check for learning retention. If the student forgets steps, they practice the task box again to relearn what they have forgotten.

The boxes and their learning objectives can be teacher made or ordered. Task boxes fall into four distinct categories; education, domestic, independent living, and vocation skills.

Education Task Boxes

Education tasks include basic skills and often compromise matching activities. Students will have premade Velcro cards with either numbers, letters, or their name on them. They match letters that they Velcro on the cards. Also, these tasks sometimes incorporate sorting, such as sorting shapes and colors into appropriate containers. Most education task boxes remain at this simple level.

Domestic Tasks

Domestic tasks are most often a checklist with visual cues. A simple choir, such as washing dishes, sorting silverware, or dusting a table is broken down into parts. The student checks to make sure he is completing each step of the task list in order. Often times, other visual cues are added. If a student is dusting, a teacher might add a small piece of tape to show where to spray the furniture polish. Another common method, is to mark lines on the floor for sweeping and to mark off a final where all dirt is swept. This gives the student direction in completing the task.

Independent Living

These can either be task boxes or task lists. A student might complete a task box on what types of clothes to wear for which type of weather,velcroing appropriate clothe pictures to weather pictures. Toothbrusing, combing hair, and shaving are all tasks that follow a task list format. Other independent living skills can include folding laundry and setting a table.

Vocation Task Boxes

High school special education classes often use vocation task boxes to teach basic job skills. The vocation skills are simple and repetitive. Students might practice placing pencils in a box. They could line batteries up by correct sizes on a matching card. Another simple vocation task is learning to wash dishes. This task lends itself to a task list rather than a box.

Parents can also use the task box learning method at home to assist their child in learning every day skills. There are countless books with ideas for task boxes. Also , many websites sell already made task boxes. The key is to individualize the tasks for each child's specific needs.

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