Welcome to the How To Series. The topic for this How To is gestural prompting. You will see examples of how to provide a gestural prompt to students. 
There are many different kinds of prompts. Gestural prompts are more intrusive than verbal prompts but less intrusive than model prompts or physical prompts. Gesture prompts can include such things as pointing, looking at, motioning toward, or moving closer to the correct response. For instance, the teacher points to the books and then to the student's desk, gesturing what is expected or the teacher looks at the student and then looks at the desk. Using different signs from sign language can also be used as a prompt. For example, a teacher might use the sign for wait or stop to help a student know what to do.  
Let's watch our first video. In this video you will notice the teacher provides gestural prompts as the student transitions to another activity. While you watch the video, see if you notice what the teacher does to provide the gestural prompt. 
Student: (inaudible)
Teacher: (points and then puts finger to lips) Ready?
What did you see? Hopefully you noticed the teacher gesture to where the student should stand to line up and gestured, 'shhhh' to the student. Let's watch this video again. 
Student: (inaudible)
Teacher: (points and then puts finger to lips) Ready?
There are more ways to provide gestural prompts. Let's watch a couple of videos. While you are watching these videos, see if you notice the gestural prompts being used. Specifically watch what the teacher does and look or listen for the student's response. 
Teacher: This word is see. Let's spell see. You ready? Hands down. Let's spell see. Ready? (finger above the 's')
Teacher and student together: S - E - E
Teacher: Spell see. 
Teacher and student together (as student moves plastic letters over): S - E - E
Teacher: Good job!
Teacher: What did you buy at Walmart? What did you buy? (pointing)
Student: Little ball.
Teacher: You did, you bought a little ball. And what else did Taynen buy? (pointing)
Student: Bubbles!
Teacher: You did, you bought bubbles!
Student: (inaudible)
Teacher: (pointing, inaudible)
In all the videos you watched, you should have noticed that the teacher provided a gestural prompt so that the student was better able to complete the task at hand. The gestural prompt helped the student be successful.
Now that you've watched some examples of gestural prompts, remember... gestural prompts can include such things as pointing, looking at, motioning towards or moving closer to the correct response. Using different signs from sign language can also be used as a prompt.