February 9, 2005 Field Advisory
Modifying, Accommodating, and Adapting Curriculum and Instruction
On February 9, 2005 the focus of the Field Advisory was changing the curriculum to help students.
After the concepts of modifying were introduced, mentors broke into small groups and talked to students about their experiences by showing an artifact.
(Kim Booth, Janet Miernicki, Mary Peasely, and Torrie Smith)
Concepts:
Modification: A modification enables an individual to compensate for intellectual, behavioral, or physical disabilities. Modifications allow an individual to use existing skills while promoting the development, acquisition, or improvement of new skills. Modifications are designed to help the child to be able to do similar schoolwork as his or her peers, because what the child is expected to learn is different from his or her peers. Following are some examples of the three primary types of modifications:
Participation: The degree to which what the child is expected to do is different from that of other students at the same age/grade level.
Alternate Goals: The outcome expectations are adapted (e.g. The child will copy information instead of composing information).
Substitute Curriculum: A different textbook on the same subject is used.
Accommodation: A modification to the delivery of instruction or the method of student performance that does not change the curricular content or conceptual difficulty. Designed to help the child to be able to do the same work as his or her peers. Following are some examples of the six types of accommodations:
Size: Reduce the number or amount of an assignment.
- Time: Adjust how long the child is given to complete tasks.
Input: Teaching strategies that are used that help the child be able to understand what he or she is learning (e.g. a video, computer programs, visual aids, graphic organizers).
Level of Support: Cooperative groups, a peer buddy, a mentor or a paraeducator are used to help the child learn.
Difficulty: Skills are varied, different levels and processes of being able to understand so the child can learn (e.g. using a calculator, having tests or lessons, other than reading, read to the child, making abstract concepts concrete).
Output: Ways the child can demonstrate what he or she has learned (e.g. Giving answers to tests or assignments orally instead of written, typing instead of handwriting, using the child’s sensory modality preference, such as auditory, visual or tactile/kinesthetic, using the child’s multiple intelligence strengths (verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical-rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist).
Adaptations: A modification that changes the delivery of instruction or the conceptual difficulty and content of the curriculum.
Nine Types of Adaptations
Size: Adapt the number of items that the learner is expected to learn or complete. For example: Reduce the number of social studies terms a learner must learn at any one time.
Time: Adapt the time allotted and allowed for learning, task completion, or testing. For example: Individualize a timeline for completing a task; pace learning differently (increase or decrease) for some learners.
Level of Support: Increase the amount of personal assistance with a specific learner. For example: Assign peer buddies, teaching assistants, peer tutors, or cross-age tutors.
Input: Adapt the way instruction is delivered to the learner. For example: Use different visual aids, plan more concrete examples, provide hands-on activities, place students in cooperative groups.
Difficulty: Adapt the skill level, problem type, or the rules on how the learner may approach the work. For example: Allow the use of a calculator to figure math problems; simplify task directions; change rules to accommodate learner needs.
Output: Adapt how the student can respond to instruction. For example: Instead of answering questions in writing, allow a verbal response, use a communication book for some students, allow students to show knowledge with hands on materials.
Participation: Adapt the extent to which a learner is actively involved in the task. For example: In geography, have a student hold the globe, while others point out locations.
Alternate Goals: Adapt the goals or outcome expectations while using the same materials. For example: In social studies, expect a student to be able to locate just the states while others learn to locate capitals as well.
Substitute Curriculum: Provide different instruction and materials to meet a student's individual goals. For example: During a language test one student is learning computer skills in the computer lab.
