About this activity
Eight phrases for a supported or competitive placement: I'm ready for my next task. Can I take my break now? I finished — what's next? I need help with this. This machine isn't working. I'll be back in ten minutes. I can't work Saturday. Where should I put this? Every one of them is a message that keeps a shift running, and a worker who cannot send them ends up shadowed by a job coach who can.
How to use it in a session
Practise at the pace of a shift. Ask the student to report completion before you notice it, and to ask for the next task rather than waiting to be handed one — I finished — what's next? is the phrase that most changes how a supervisor sees a worker. This machine isn't working matters out of proportion to its length, because equipment problems are where an unsupported worker most often just stops. Rehearse in the room, then fade the coach on the floor.
What to listen for
Watch initiation rate, not accuracy. The measure worth tracking is how often the student starts an exchange with a supervisor without being cued, and it is usually low at first. Notice which requests get skipped: breaks and schedule limits are the two students most often let slide, and both matter for keeping the job.
Carrying it home
Chores at home can carry the same structure if the reporting is required. Finish a task, report it, ask for the next one. The habit transfers more reliably than the vocabulary does.
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Ninth through twelfth grade students in or approaching a work placement, under transition goals.
- Is it free to use?
- Yes, the whole board plays with no account. An account adds assignment and progress data.
- Should a job coach prompt these?
- At first, then fade fast. A prompted request looks like communication to an observer and does not survive the coach leaving, which is the outcome the placement is for.