The document discusses various strategies for adapting curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of students with disabilities or other special needs. It provides examples of curriculum adaptations including: - Allowing partial participation, flexible timelines, and alternative assessments. - Using multiple instructional techniques like small group or peer tutoring. - Making curriculum accessible through accommodations to materials, tasks, support structures, and learning environments. - Basing supports on individual student needs and activities rather than disability labels. - Considering individual student goals and how to teach content with or without modification.

1. Curriculum Adaptations
Continuing Rehabilitation
Education (CRE) Program for
Special Educators - Manovikas
Kendra, Kolkata, 9th July 2012
Dr. Krishnadas Nandagopal

3. UNIQUE
• Each STUDENT
• Each CLASSROOM
• Each TEACHER
• And therefore, student – teacher
RELATIONSHIPS

5. • Adaptation of curricula may not be always
necessary
• Provide Multi-level instruction
e.g., teachers, tutors, peers, para-
professionals
• Permit flexibility in achievement of goals
and standards
e.g., auditing a class, partial participation,
extra time, scribe

6. ▪ Implement multiple modes of
assessment e.g., continuous, term /
semester, annual, oral, written,
discussion
▪ Make curriculum more accessible
through accommodation
▪ Ensure that supports are not based
on “Disability” label

7. Supports
VARIABLE
types or levels are based on:
• INSTRUCTIONAL activity
e.g., spelling, reading, arithmetic
• SOCIAL activity
e.g., singing, dancing, story-telling, games

8. Decision making process
• Identify student’s objectives & articulate goals
for student’s performance
• Determine what to teach (content) & how to
teach (with or without modification)
• How will it impact outcome?
• Consider influence of lesson format,
instructional arrangement, student-specific
learning strategy, lesson-specific goals,
learning environment, learning materials,
supports and supervision arrangements

9. Structure of Instruction
• Is changing the delivery or teaching style
effective?
• Is changing the instructional arrangement
effective? (e.g., small groups, co-operative
groups, peers, cross-age tutors)
• Is changing the lesson format conducive to
increased student participation? (e.g., activity-
based lessons, games, exploring thematic
concepts, community-based learning,
discovery-based learning, experiential
learning
• Is the same outcome achieved without
modification of the lesson?

10. Consider Demands of Task &
Evaluation Criteria
Will the student need adapted
curricular goals?
• Adjust performance
standards & pacing
• Same content, however, less
complex
• Similar content but functional
/ direct applications
• Adjust evaluation criteria,
grading system or
management techniques

11. Examine learning environments
• Classroom (airy, well-lit, clean, spacious, age-
appropriate furniture, seating arrangements,
wheel-chair accessibility)
• Physical environs (lunchroom, playground,
toilets)
• Social rules (seating of girls / boys, able /
disabled, rich / poor, meritorious / scholastic
impairment)
• Location of lesson (indoors, outdoors,
laboratory, virtual)

12. Classroom – Where am I?

15. Examine Learning Materials
Will different materials be needed to ensure
participation?
• Same content but variation in size, number,
format
• Additional or different materials/devices
• Materials that allow a different mode of input
• Materials that allow a different mode of output
• Materials that reduce the level of abstraction of
information

17. Examine Support Structures
Will personal assistance be needed to ensure
participation?
• From peers or the general education instructor?
• From the support facilitator’?
• From therapists’?
• From paraprofessionals?
• From others?

18. Alternative activities that foster
participation & interaction
Will a different activity need to be designed
and offered for the student and a
small group of peers?
• In the classroom
• ln other general education environments
• In community-based environments

19. When then should you consider
curriculum adaptation?
Does the curriculum meet student
needs?

20. • Each student is “differently” able
• Identify student needs based on IEP
• Incidental learning does occur
• Learning outcomes may vary
• Adapt curriculum “as is” !!

21. Partial participation by student
Student with IEP works with all other
students in the class; examples include:
• A student with a short attention span
staying on task for 5 minutes
• Using a switch to activate a
communication device for use during a
class discussion
• Expressing one’s thoughts by drawing in
a journal instead of writing
• Holding a book during reading time
• Understanding the effect World War II
has on the present rather than knowing
the names and dates of key battles

22. Material / Environmental Adaptation
• Completing an assignment by
following visual cues rather
than written directions
• Changing instruction from
lecture to the cooperative
learning format
• Using a computer to write an
assignment instead of paper
and pencil
• Having the student listen to a
taped textbook
• Using enlarged print
• Using an assistive technology
device (hearing aid, Braille)

23. Providing physical assistance
• Starting a computer so that a
student with IEP can use it
• Guiding a hand during play
• Assisting in activating a switch.
• Completing most of the steps of
an activity and having a student
with an IEP do the remainder
(partial participation)
• Pushing a student in a
wheelchair to the next activity

24. Functional / Substitute / Alternate
Curriculum
• Community-based instruction
• Learning job skills in the school
cafeteria
• Learning how to use a
communication device
• Doing laundry for the athletic
department
• Learning cooking / grooming
skills at the home

25. Grid of Nine Adaptations
• Input (visual aids,
hands-on activity)
• Output (verbal vs
written response, a
communication
device)
• Time (increase or
decrease)
• Difficulty (modify
rules, use calculator)
• Level of support
(friends, peers, tutors)
• Size (reduce number
of sums, spellings)
• Level of participation
(demonstration, story-
telling)
• Alternate Goals
(identify physical
features or states on
a map by color)
• Substitute Curriculum
(pace learning,
individualize time-
lines and milestones)

26. Adaptations - I
Curricular
adapt what is taught
Supplementary
ADD
social
communication,
study or process
SKILLS
Simplify
CHANGE
level of difficulty
list few objectives
Alternatives
ADD
functional, social
communication,
motor SKILLS

27. Adaptations - II
Instructional
adapt HOW
it is taught
Teacher’s
stimulus or input
Student’s
response or output
Difficulty
Modality
Amount
Format
Materials

28. Adaptations - III
Environment
Setting
Location
WHO
staff
grouping
supports
WHERE
classroom
gymnasium
playground
swimming pool
WHEN
time schedule

29. EXAMPLE - 1
• READING Class – II level
• Lesson: VOCABULARY COMPREHENSION
• Goals for most learners:
Know meaning of new words
• Instructional Plan:
Word / Definition / Picture matching activity
Making sentences with new words

30. Adaptations
Input - place students in cooperative
groups and divide the task between
group members. Each member
teaches other team members
Output - allow student to record all
or part of the assignment on tape
Time - ask student to complete the
assignment at home and return it
the next day

31. Difficulty - select different words for
the student; either less or more difficult
to learn
Level of support - ask a classmate,
peer tutor or teaching assistant to help
out in completing the assignment
Size – select fewer or more words for
the student to learn but leave the
assignment same as for other students

32. Degree of participation – ask student to
check classmates’ definitions against
answer key
Alternate goal – only write the words, only
pronounce the words, just listen to the
words, definitions
Substitute curriculum - choose a
different story for the student to read
and identify one or several words the
learner needs to know

33. THANK YOU ALL