A preventative strategy for smoother, less stressful classroom changes
This training focuses on a favorite preventative strategy that helps make transitions easier and less stressful, for both educators and students. Led by Morgan van Diepen (BCBA and co-founder of BIP Visualized), the course takes complex behavioral methods and turns them into simple, visual techniques that any educator can use to support diverse learners. The training begins by unpacking why transitions are inherently difficult, so you can better anticipate obstacles and set your students up for success.
Why Take This Training?
- Understand the real challenge: Learn what transitions truly ask of students, often three difficult demands in a row, which explains frequent resistance or delays.
- Set realistic expectations: Review developmental data from a 2023 study of over 1,600 neurotypical children (ages 1–10) on key skills such as waiting, accepting “no,” and starting non-preferred activities. For example, only 57% of 8-year-olds begin a non-preferred task on the first prompt.
- Recognize the complexity: Transitions involve stopping something enjoyable, giving it up, and starting something less preferred—three hard shifts happening at once.
- Use “Easy, Easy, Hard” to build momentum: Learn a practical approach rooted in high-probability sequencing, renamed for clarity. This makes transition steps feel achievable and improves cooperation.
What You’ll Get
- Guidance on reducing abruptness using transition reminders and timers.
- Strategies for temporarily skipping cleanup steps for students who struggle most, allowing cleanup later to prioritize calm transitions.
- A step-by-step walkthrough of the Easy, Easy, Hard method:
- Easy: Start with something fun and related to what they’re doing.
- Easy: Give another easy step that moves them slightly closer to the goal.
- Hard: Deliver the original transition request once momentum is built.
- Examples for individual transitions (e.g., leaving playground swings) and whole-group transitions (e.g., starting a worksheet).
- Insight into how Easy, Easy, Hard mirrors the instructional model “I do, we do, you do,” applying gradual release to transitions.
Take this training to access one of the most effective preventative strategies for improving tricky transitions. You’ll learn how small adjustments can make each step feel easier, helping students stay calm, engaged, and ready for what’s next.