Using the Force: The Language of Interests
Knock it out of the park! Don’t throw in the towel. Let’s get the ball rolling…
Sports metaphors abound in schools. When teachers use them, we assume that kids understand them and, more importantly, are motivated by them. We think, our students want to be basketball stars, so telling them to make this essay slam dunk will put a smile on their face and push them to put in more effort to—my apologies—cross the finish line.
Using Interests as Motivating Metaphors
Some autistic students like sports, and sports metaphors may motivate them. But what about for other students with other interests? Our job is to make meaningful metaphors to motivate students with autism.
Have a student who’s interested in Star Wars?
Tell them to Use the force when he’s stuck on a math problem.
With a raspy Yoda-inspired voice and word order, remind her, Your name on the top you must write.
Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash
How about a student who loves trains?
Let him know what the service changes are when the schedule changes unexpectedly.
Allow a shy train enthusiast to be the class conductor and give the class reminders about when it’s time to clean up.
For the young girl who is passionate about Pokemon: We gotta catch ’em all—all the loose papers in your backpack!
For the kid who loves Keurig machines: After lunch is a time to brew another cup and get our energy up for the afternoon!
Of course it’s important to ensure students understand the figurative meaning of the phrases we use, which may be something that needs to be taught first. But all the better for motivation to learn about metaphors when they reference their special interests!
Get creative!
Respecting Interests
Interests and passions are things to be celebrated. Because of this, always use the language of interests positively.
Be mindful to never frame an interest to convey something negative about a student or their performance in school. Do not say anything like, The My Little Ponies would be disappointed if you didn’t finish your work… How awful. This is an abusive misuse of the student’s interest and can spoil their love and appreciation for it.
Instead, instill belief in the student! If a child is struggling to complete their work, how about: I bet you can use your My Little Pony Power to get as much done as you can!
For more about incorporating students special interests, see Stephen Shore’s materials from the Keeping it Real project from the ASD Nest Support Project.
Originally published by Aaron on the blog that never took off, Shooting for Horseradish
