Author: Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsey

Publishing Info: 2005

Reviewed by Maureen Bennie

Director, Autism Awareness Centre Inc.

TEACCH teachers Laurie Eckenrode, Pat Fennell, and Kathy Hearsay published their third book in the Tasks Galore series this summer and it is another gem of a book. Anyone who has used the previous two Tasks Galore books will know these books are full of visuals, ideas for functional learning, and room for adaptation of tasks. Tasks Galore - Making Groups Meaningful is about making group interaction both meaningful and successful. Geared toward the elementary level, the ideas can be used in the contained classroom or in an integrated setting; however, with some adaptations, these ideas could be used with older students. The concepts can be employed with students who have any disability that relies on visuals for teaching. Having been a teacher myself for a number of years, I would not hesitate to use these ideas for structuring primary grade group activities no matter what the ability of the students. Young children need visuals to reinforce learning as most are just beginning to read and comprehend text.

The authors believe group activities need to be structured and draw on the strengths the children have of visual understanding and memory for routines. There are four aspects of structure that need to be in place for successful group settings - physical structure to define space, schedules of sequences for daily activities, work systems or to do lists (what/how much to be done, concept of finished, what comes next) and visual structure to clarify how to approach the task. These parts are individualized to fit what the student understands.

Structuring procedures for students should be as follows: the arrangement of the physical setting should tell the student what will happen there, schedules cues in the form of individualized visual information should tell students where to go, when students take their place in the group they need a work system, and when they are working on the task, they need to look at the pieces of the task to have a sense of what they are to do, recognize relevant details, and know how to sequence the steps. These four aspects guide the educator/therapist throughout the book and show how each activity should be presented.

The authors demonstrate through visuals and written examples what these four aspects of group settings look like. There are ideas for defining space such as chairs facing the blackboard or bookshelves for boundaries. Different forms of visual schedules are shown such as pocket charts and Velcro strips. Set up the work system by making sure visuals answer the students questions of what do I do, how much do I do, how do I know I am making progress or am finished, and what happens next.

Routines are addressed in the book because they are a big part of school, home and community life. Routines can be established with children who have memory as a strength such as children with autism. Clever ideas such as using a microphone to signal whose turn it is to speak gives both a visual and hands-on cue. Finishing routines are as important as starting them. Have the children involved in physically putting items away. Visuals can be used on shelves and bins to assist in the process.

Throughout the day there will be transition routines which require moving outside of the classroom. The authors suggest establishing routines for lining up by using symbols on the floor or color coded footprint. They also address waiting time ideas which happen throughout the day and how to communicate needs and choices.

Tasks Galore demonstrates how to use curriculum themes in a variety of ways such as teaching vocabulary, songs, stories, plays, matching exercises, sorting and associations. These themes can then come to life in a field trip. Group time can also be used to have individual tasks come together to make a whole project so IEP goals can be met while contributing to a larger project.   

The authors give us great ideas for making the most of circle time. Circle time can be a time to teach concepts such as functional academics (weather and telling time), greetings, language concepts, rhymes and songs, show and tell, and reading stories. Again, all activities are accompanied by photos to demonstrate what the visual system looks like. Suggestions to teach movement/dance, physical education, and music are given with photos and text.    

The final chapters in the book deal with parties which are a part of a child's social life. The authors bring us back to the structuring procedures which can transfer from school to home. The school can provide preparation for the home party by teaching the routines at school, setting up centres, or playing games that will be played at the party.

Tasks Galore - Making Groups Meaningful makes perfect teaching sense. The visual, hands-on approach to learning, inclusion and group work creates success for all students no matter what their ability. The colored photographs with descriptors make the tasks clear and easy to follow. Every child has their strengths and this book works with those strengths to provide meaningful, successful learning.

Visit our Bookstore to purchase Tasks Galore: Making Groups Meaningful.