If there is a specific student
for whom adaptations will be required in several subject areas, it is much
easier to plan adaptations if the student has as few teachers as possible.
Otherwise, there may be insufficient time to communicate with teachers or
to provide sufficient adaptations for the various classrooms on a regular
basis.
Sometimes there is a distinct
group within a grade level for whom adaptations will be required. You will
need to consider the needs of that grade level group as you decide the grouping
that best suits your situation and will be manageable.
A. Analyze each student's
strengths. This will assist you with the grouping of students.
B. Cluster four or five
students per classroom. With this grouping, the communication time will increase
as will the amount of direct service you will be able to provide to the individual.
Planning for a group is more likely to occur than planning for an individual.
C. Consider when grouping
students into classrooms.
- Academic needs
- Reading levels
- Learning styles
- Math placement
- Problem solving skills
- Work habits
- Organizational skills
- Behavioral goals and objectives
- Content or subject area
D. Instructional Assistants
may be able to provide some of the adaptations.
- When grouping by reading levels,
keep in mind that the students who need minimal modifications may be able
to work with an instructional assistant, if little or no reteaching is required.
- If you have instructional assistant
support for a special needs student assigned to that grade level, the instructional
assistant may be able to assist with some of the adapted assignments as
well as the modified assignments for their assigned student.
E. Group size most effective
for instruction varies according to the different learning styles of students
and the content and purpose of the instruction.
- small groups
- large groups
- one to one
- adult helpers with students
(paraprofessionals, volunteers, parents)
- student with student (peer
tutoring, classwide, cooperative learning)
(For more information about forming
and operating the above groupings, see Teaching Students with Learning
Problems 5th Edition, Cecil D. Mercer and Ann R. Mercer, Prentice-Hall,
Inc. 1998. )
Careful analysis of student performance
helps the teacher select the most appropriate method. Most students with disabilities
do not function well in large groups; instead, very small groups and one-to-one
instruction are usually more effective.
F. Learning
Styles can be classified in different ways; however, whatever the
classification used, the relationships between teaching and learning styles
influences the learning process. If the teacher attempts to match their teaching
styles to the students' learning styles as often as possible or varies their
teaching styles so that different students can use the style they prefer;
they are providing for the adaptive dimension.
One classification
of learning styles is by problems in perceptual areas.
Under the section Instructional Strategies
you may find adaptations specific to the learning style characteristics. These
have been further separated into
Visual Perception
Problems
Characteristics
Adapted from Wood, J. (1998) Adapting
Teaching Tecniques in Adapting Instruction to accomodate students in inclusive
settings (3rd ed.) Toronto: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- Frequently loses place
when reading or copying
- Has trouble discriminating
among similar shapes, letters, and words
- Does not enjoy pictures, slides,
or books
- Has difficulty reading and
copying accurately from chalkboard
- Shows signs of eye strain such
as squinting, blinking, and holding head close to page
- Has trouble following
written directions from board or printed page
- Works slowly on printed assignments
or tests
- Displays
poor sight vocabulary
- May use fingers to keep place
while reading
- Skips words or reverses words
when reading aloud
- Cannot visualize things in
mind
- Demonstrates erratic spelling
or incorrect letter sequences
- Does not notice details on
pictures, maps, and photographs
- Confused by worksheets containing
a great deal of visual stimuli
- Has difficulty remembering
what is seen
- May whisper to self while working
with visual material
Return to selection
Auditory Perception
Problems
Characteristics
Adapted from Wood, J. (1998) Adapting
Teaching Tecniques in Adapting Instruction to accomodate students in inclusive
settings (3rd ed.) Toronto: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- Has trouble distinguishing
fine differences between sounds and words (such as d-t and pin-pen)
- Loses interest or concentration
during lectures
- Has difficulty following a
series of oral directions
- Cannot accurately record notes
from oral presentations
- Displays poor receptive vocabulary
- Repeats what is told before
acting or responding
- Often repeats the same question
- Asks questions about oral directions
and facts previously given
- May watch the speaker's face
intently or lean forward toward the speaker
- Does not enjoy listening to
records or rhythmic activities
- Becomes irritated by extraneous
noise
- Has difficulty learning and
applying phonetic rules
- May have difficulty remembering
what is heard
Return to selection
Kinesthetic
Perception Problems
Characteristics
Adapted from Wood, J. (1998) Adapting
Teaching Tecniques in Adapting Instruction to accomodate students in inclusive
settings (3rd ed.) Toronto: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- Tries things out; touches.
feels, manipulates
- Expresses things physically;
jumps for joy, pushes, tugs, stomps, pounds
- Gestures when speaking
- Is a poor listener
- Stands very close when speaking
or listening
- Quickly loses interest in long
verbal discourse
- Starts the day looking neat
and tidy but soon becomes disheveled through physical activity
- Seems impulsive
- Prefers to attack problems
physically; seeks solutions that involve the greatest activity
- Handwriting that appears good
initially but deteriorates as space runs out on the paper and the student
exerts more and more pressure on the writing instrument
- Prefers stories with lots of
action, especially in the beginning; rarely an avid reader
- Fidgets a lot while handling
books
- Often a poor speller; needs
to write words to see if they look correct
Return to selection
Fine Motor
Problems
Characteristics
Adapted from Wood, J. (1998) Adapting
Teaching Tecniques in Adapting Instruction to accomodate students in inclusive
settings (3rd ed.) Toronto: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- Displays poor handwriting and
has difficulty forming letters and numbers
- Has difficulty in activities
requiring cutting or pasting
- Finds it hard to trace or color
within given borders
- Has trouble with speed and
neatness in taking notes
- Shows fatigue and restlessness
during writing or drawing tasks
- Handwritten work often appears
sloppy and disorganized
- Has difficulty manipulating
or using small objects and tools
- Usually works slowly in completing
written work
- Has trouble making straight
lines to connect points, matching answers, or labeling maps
- Displays poor copying skills
Return
to selection
Written/Motor
Problems
Characteristics
Adapted from Wood, J. (1998) Adapting
Teaching Tecniques in Adapting Instruction to accomodate students in inclusive
settings (3rd ed.) Toronto: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Characteristics
Adapted from Wood, J. (1998) Adapting
Teaching Tecniques in Adapting Instruction to accomodate students in inclusive
settings (3rd ed.) Toronto: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
- Does not enjoy discussions,
oral presentations, or reading aloud
- Has difficulty explaining him
or herself clearly and coherently
- Displays poor speech--articulation,
fluency, expressiveness
- Unable to vocalize thoughts
rapidly
- Uses slang or colloquial terms
instead of more precise words
- Spoken vocabulary that is much
weaker than written vocabulary
- Reluctant to volunteer ideas
or respond verbally to questions
- Remarks that are often irrelevant,
confusing, or inaccurate
- Uncomfortable speaking in a
group
- Has difficulty recalling a
word he or she wants to use
- Uses grammatically incorrect
sentences
Return to selection
Student Groupings
Grade _____ Homeroom
Teacher _______________
Assistance required:
Consultation
Instructional
Assistant Special
Education Teacher
Grouping required for:
| Academic
needs |
Reading
levels |
Learning
styles |
| Math
placement |
Problem
solving skills |
Work
habits |
| Organizational
skills |
Behavioral
goals and objectives |
Content
or subject area |
Students in group:
Grouping Students for
Instruction
K-5
- Large group
- Peer tutoring
- Small groups with similar needs
- Give group members different
activities according to abilities (i.e. different tasks and different expectations
- Jigsaw activities
- Physical arrangements
group work or individuals or pairs (collaborative)
- Proximity to teacher's desk
- Carrel out of traffic pattern
- Strong partnered with weak student
- Collaborative or cooperative
learning
- One to one instruction
6-9
- Large group
- Peer tutoring
- Small groups with similar needs
- Give group members different
activities according to abilities (i.e. different tasks and different expectations
- Jigsaw activities
- Physical arrangements
group work or individuals or pairs (collaborative)
- Proximity to teacher's desk
- Carrel out of traffic pattern
- Strong partnered with weak student
- Collaborative or cooperative
learning
- One to one instruction
- Congregated groupings for instruction
- Tutorial assistance
- Independent learning - practice
a skill for which they have already received instruction, activities the
student can complete with minimal assistance
10-12
- Large group
- Peer tutoring
- Small groups with similar needs
- Give group members different
activities according to abilities (i.e. different tasks and different expectations
- Jigsaw activities
- Physical arrangements
group work or individuals or pairs (collaborative)
- Proximity to teacher's desk
- Carrel out of traffic pattern
- Strong partnered with weak student
- Collaborative or cooperative
learning
- One to one instruction
- Congregated groupings for instruction
- Tutorial assistance
- Independent learning - practice
a skill for which they have already received instruction, activities the
student can complete with minimal assistance
- Class wide peer tutoring - pair
students so least able reader in each pair is able to read the material
- Cross grade groupings
