Learning Resources and Instructional Accommodations PDF

Learning Resources and Instructional (INPUT) Accommodation Prepared by: Apolinaria Daquioag- Andes, PhD Topic Objectives: 1. recognize the different terms related to inclusive education; 2. distinguish the different key concepts related to inclusive education; 3. identify the differ...

Learning Resources and Instructional (INPUT) Accommodation Prepared by: Apolinaria Daquioag- Andes, PhD Topic Objectives: 1. recognize the different terms related to inclusive education; 2. distinguish the different key concepts related to inclusive education; 3. identify the different classroom practices related to inclusive education. There are many ways teachers can help kids who are struggling in school. Here are some common accommodations and modifications that schools and families can discuss as possible options for kids. 1. Accommodations are changes that remove barriers and provide your child with equal access to learning. 2. Accommodations change how kids learn, not what they learn. 3. Your child can get accommodations through the teacher, or in an IEP. Kids with learning and thinking differences often face barriers to learning. For instance, if your child has ADHD, she may not be able to sit still long enough to do math problems. If she has reading issues, she may struggle to learn history from a traditional textbook. Fortunately, there are changes in the classroom— called accommodations—that can remove these barriers. For kids with learning and thinking differences, school can be challenging. If a child is struggling, one possible strategy is giving him less schoolwork or simpler assignments. This is called a modification. It’s not the same as an accommodation. While modifications can make school easier for kids, they can have serious drawbacks, too. 1. Modifications are changes to what your child is taught or expected to do in school. 2. Modifications aren’t the same as accommodations, which are changes to how your child learns. 3. Only students with an IEP can have modifications. Common accommodations 1. Presentation accommodations (changes the way information is presented) Listen to audio recordings instead of reading text Learn content from audiobooks, movies, videos, and digital media instead of reading print versions Work with fewer items per page or line  Work with text in a larger print size Have a “designated reader” — someone who reads test questions aloud to students Hear instructions spoken aloud Record a lesson, instead of taking notes Get class notes from another student See an outline of a lesson Use visual presentations of verbal material, such as word webs Get a written list of instructions 2. Response accommodations (changes the way kids complete assignments or tests) Give responses in a form (spoken or written) that’s easier for them Dictate answers to a scribe who writes or types Capture responses on an audio recorder Use a spelling dictionary or digital spellchecker Use a word processor to type notes or give answers in class Use a calculator or table of “math facts” 3. Setting accommodations Work or take a test in a different setting, such as a quiet room with few distractions Sit where they learn best (for example, near the teacher) Use special lighting or acoustics Take a test in a small group setting Use sensory tools such as an exercise band that can be looped around a chair’s legs (so fidgety kids can kick it and quietly get their energy out) 4. Timing accommodations Take more time to complete a task or a test Have extra time to process spoken information and directions Take frequent breaks, such as after completing a worksheet 5. Scheduling accommodations Take more time to complete a project Take a test in several timed sessions or over several days Take sections of a test in a different order Take a test at a specific time of day 6. Organization skills accommodations Use an alarm to help with time management Mark texts with a highlighter Use a planner or organizer to help coordinate assignments Receive study skills instruction Common modifications 1. Assignment modifications Completely different homework problems than peers Answer different test questions Create alternate projects or assignments 2. Curriculum modifications Learn different material (such as continuing to work on multiplication while classmates move on to fractions) Get graded or assessed using a different standard than other students Be excused from particular projects Key Takeaways Some kids with learning and thinking differences may need modifications for specific academic areas. Modifications can result in learning less, and over time that can be a big disadvantage for a student. Experts recommend trying accommodations before modifications. Key Concepts Related to Inclusion 1. Contextualization refers to the educational process of relating the curriculum to a particular setting, situation or area of application to make the competencies relevant, meaningful, and useful to all learners. By helping students to relate to the educational tasks with their knowledge and everyday experiences, curricular contextualization facilitates the linking of theory and practice. Furthermore, it allows students to give meaning and value to what they learn in school. Contextualization is developing new skills, knowledge, abilities and attitudes in students by presenting new subject matter in a meaningful and relevant context. 2. Localization, meanwhile involves adopting the curriculum to local conditions and relating the content of processes of teaching and learning to the local environment. 3. What is Alternative Learning System or ALS? It is a parallel learning system in the Philippines that provides a practical option to the existing formal instruction. When one does not have or cannot access formal education in schools, ALS is an alternate or substitute. The Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) leads in the delivery of a “second chance” program to build human capital of out of school youth and adults through the implementation of the Alternative Learning System (ALS). ALS enrollees who pass the accreditation and equivalency (A&E) exam receive a government credential that can facilitate access to higher education, vocational training, and overall better employment prospects. 4. The Out of School Youth, or OSY, refers to 14- 21- year old migrant youth who have not graduated from high school, have not received a high school equivalency diploma, and/or have not passed the high school equivalency examination. The term ‘‘out- of school youth’’ means— (A) an eligible youth who is a school dropout; or (B) an eligible youth who has received a secondary school diploma or its equivalent but is basic skills deficient, unemployed, or underemployed. The term “out-of-school youth” means an individual who is— (i) not attending any school (as defined under State law); (ii) not younger than age 16 or older than age 24; and (iii) one or more of the following: (a) A school dropout. (b) A youth who is within the age of compulsory school attendance, but has not attended school for at least the most recent complete school year calendar quarter. (c) A recipient of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent who is a low-income individual and is— (c.1) basic skills deficient; or (c.2) an English language learner. (d) An individual who is subject to the juvenile or adult justice system. (e) A homeless individual (f), a homeless child or youth (g) a runaway, in foster care or has aged out of the foster care system, a child eligible for assistance under section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677), or in an out-of-home placement. (h) An individual who is pregnant or parenting. (i) A youth who is an individual with a disability. (j) A low-income individual who requires additional assistance to enter or complete an educational program or to secure or hold employment. 5. Disadvantaged students are those who have hindrances to excelling in school because of detrimental circumstances beyond their control. These include financial and social hardships as well as problems within students’ families. The category also includes students who would not normally be disadvantaged and who have been affected by some sort of natural disaster. 6. Adult learners are a diverse group – typically age 25 and older – with a wide range of educational and cultural backgrounds, adult responsibilities and job experiences. They typically do not follow the traditional pattern of enrolling in post- secondary education immediately after high school. They often return to school to stay competitive in the workplace or prepare for a career change. And they usually study on a part-time basis, taking one or two courses a term while maintaining work and family responsibilities Adult learners often: Seek online learning Enroll in certificate and non-degree programs at colleges Have “stopped out” of education with intentions to return Need refresher courses to prepare them for college work Barriers adult learners face: Career, family and financial responsibilities Rigid schedules Tight budgets or debt Poor academic preparedness and self-confidence Lack of information about services Adult learners need: Flexible class schedules Financial aid Child care services Transportation options Distance learning options Course credit for life and job experiences Academic and career services Awareness campaigns that promote available education 7. Indigenization is the process by which Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing and relating are incorporated into educational, organizational, cultural and social structures of the institution. 8. Madrasah Education or ALIVE Program was created to provide Muslim children in the ARMM with quality education that is responsive to their needs to acquire knowledge and skills, with values anchored on the Islamic faith to prepare them for further learning and challenges in society today. Madrasah Education Program is a comprehensive program in public and private schools that aims to provide appropriate and relevant educational opportunities within the context of Muslim culture, customs, traditions, and interests through the integration of the Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) 9. Special Interest Programs include the following: Special Program in Journalism (SPJ), Special Program in the Arts (SPA), Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL), Special Program in Sports (SPS); Special Science Program (SSP) like Special Science Elementary School (SSES) and Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) and Special Education Program (SPED). 10. Quality Differentiated Instructions At its most basic level, differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or small group to vary his or her teaching in order to create the best learning experience possible, that teacher is differentiating instruction. Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile: A. Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information; Examples of differentiating content at the elementary level include the following: 1. Using reading materials at varying readability levels; 2. Putting text materials on tape; 3. Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students; 4. Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means; 5. Using reading buddies; and 6. Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners. B. Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content; Examples of differentiating process or activities at the elementary level include the following: 1. Using tiered activities through which all learners work with the same important understandings and skills, but proceed with different levels of support, challenge, or complexity; 2. Providing interest centers that encourage students to explore subsets of the class topic of particular interest to them; 3. Developing personal agendas (task lists written by the teacher and containing both in-common work for the whole class and work that addresses individual needs of learners) to be completed either during specified agenda time or as students complete other work early; 4. Offering manipulatives or other hands-on supports for students who need them; and 5. Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task in order to provide additional support for a struggling learner or to encourage an advanced learner to pursue a topic in greater depth. C. Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and Examples of differentiating products at the elementary level include the following: 1. Giving students options of how to express required learning (e.g., create a puppet show, write a letter, or develop a mural with labels); 2. Using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels; 3. Allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products; and 4. Encouraging students to create their own product assignments as long as the assignments contain required elements. D. Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels. Examples of differentiating learning environment at the elementary level include: 1. Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration; 2. Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings; 3. Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs; 4. Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and 5. Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better while sitting quietly (Tomlinson, 1995, 1999; Winebrenner, 1992, 1996). 11. What is distance learning? At home learning, school at home, distance learning, virtual learning, e-learning, or remote learning all refer to learning done via teleconferences or video calls. Instead of the regular classroom setup, teachers will implement the lessons via video conferencing during a set time during the day. 12. What is homeschooling? Homeschooling is a way of doing school at home that is integrated into all parts of the day and life of your child. Whereas the teacher is still the primary instructor in distance learning, for homeschooling, the parents’ guide and teach their child. Reference Tomlinson, C. A. (August, 2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.