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Adapting Curriculum for Special Education Students

Published On:  May 8, 2017

With the continued push toward the inclusion of students with special needs in the general education classroom, educators are constantly looking for ways to improve each student’s experience and learning. Although there are proven benefits of inclusion, traditional curricula and instructional techniques are not always optimal for students with cognitive, emotional or physical disabilities.

To positive effect, innovative educators have implemented adaptive technologies, various differentiated instruction methods and theory-based educational models such as the constructivist approach. Often, however, the curriculum needs adaptation as well in order to best meet the learning needs, goals and ability levels of special education students. In the University of Wisconsin Superior’s online Master of Science in Education in Special Education program, degree candidates will study and evaluate methods of curriculum adaptation and modification, along with strategies and instructional techniques, further integrating them in practice through clinical experience.

What Is Curriculum Adaptation?

Although the concept of curriculum adaptation is fairly straightforward, it can take many different forms. In essence, teachers and curriculum specialists adjust and modify curricula according to student needs and the goals set forth by that student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Educators and theorists use many different terms for varying types and degrees of curriculum adaptation, often with overlapping meanings. But most terms and definitions represent a similar spectrum of the magnitude of necessary adaptation.

Curriculum Modification and Curriculum Enhancement

In a paper from the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials entitled “Curriculum Modification,” authors Hall, Ge Vue, Koga and Silva suggest that the concept should break down broadly into curriculum modification and curriculum enhancement.

Enhancement is when teachers use existing curriculum in the general education classroom but adjust the methods and media of input and output to suit the student’s needs and IEP goals. Implementing differentiated instruction techniques, using adaptive technologies, changing the student’s physical environment, and integrating culturally responsive language and content into curriculum content are all examples of curriculum enhancement.

Curriculum modification implies a greater level of adjustment to the existing curriculum. In general, teachers often accomplish this by adjusting the depth or type of content within the existing curriculum. Perhaps a student whose learning disability prevents them from reading at the same rate or depth as other students needs more time to read the materials, a shorter piece to read, or an alternative piece covering the same content in simpler language. If a student has more severe cognitive disabilities, the teacher might further modify that student’s curriculum by changing their course material at a conceptual level. This is similar to altering reading materials to be simpler, but can also include changing the actual conceptual content of those materials towards different subjects more appropriate to that student’s cognitive abilities and goals.

Accommodation, Adaptation, Parallel Curriculum Outcomes and Overlapping Curricula

Hall, Ge Vue, Koga, and Silva also illustrate the concept of progressing levels of adapting curriculum for students with special needs into these four categories:

  1. Accommodation:

Accommodation is this simplest form of adapting curriculum. It addresses students who are able to comprehend and perform at the regular curriculum’s levels of content and conceptual difficulty but require differentiation in instructional techniques and the medium in which each student demonstrates their depth of understanding.

  1. Adaptation:

Adaptation is appropriate for students whose needs and learning goals are in line with the content of the regular curriculum but require a moderate modification of the depth of conceptual difficulty of that content.

  1. Parallel Curriculum Outcomes:

Implementing parallel curriculum outcomes implies a greater modification of conceptual difficulty than adaptation. However, similar to adaptation, the content subject is the same, allowing that student to participate in classroom activities alongside other students. A teacher must address each student’s needs and IEP goals with adjusted learning outcomes and conceptual depth levels for each lesson.

  1. Overlapping Curricula

Students who require heavily modified learning outcomes and goals may need integration into general classroom activities through overlapping curricula. In this situation, a student participates in classroom activities with individualized learning outcomes for each activity, including social/behavioral development goals, cognitive learning goals, language skills or even physical ability development.

Regardless of the terms and definitions, educators and theorists agree that the most effective way to adapt curricula in the inclusive classroom is truly individualized and student specific. Before modifying a curriculum, teachers should know each student’s learning goals and needs, assess their abilities, and implement the least intrusive form of curricular adaptation possible. By studying and implementing varying methods of adaptive instruction and curricular modification, special educators can develop the tools and techniques essential to creating effective, inclusive learning environments.

Learn more about the UW-Superior online MSE Special Education program.

Sources:

Tools for Teachers: Curriculum Modifications & Adaptations

ASCD: Memo to Constructivists: Skills Count, Too

ASCD: The Courage to Be a Constructivist

National Center on Accessible Educational Materials: Curriculum Modification

 

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The Reflective Learning Process: How to Record an Episode

Identify a situation you encountered in your work or personal life that you believe could have been dealt with more effectively.

Describe the experience

What happened?  When and where did the situation occur?  Any other thoughts you have about the situation?

Reflection

How did you behave?  What thoughts did you have?  How did it make you feel?  Were there other factors that influenced the situation?  What have you learned from the experience?

Theorizing

How did the experience match with your preconceived ideas, i.e. was the outcome expected or unexpected?  How does it relate to any formal theories that you know?  What behaviours do you think might have changed the outcome?

Experimentation

Is there anything you could do or say now to change the outcome?  What action(s) can you take to change similar reactions in the future?  What behaviours might you try out?

 

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LEARNING THEORIES AND SPECIAL EDUCATION

There are many different beliefs about how people learn. Within schools, these theories are applied by teachers to maximize the experience of students. By applying an applicable theory that is prevalent to the students, the teachers can help students to retain pertinent information. This applies to how learning theories and special education can work together.

In special education classrooms, teachers need to apply these learning theories, so that students in SPED classrooms can get the most out of their learning. Some of the theories that apply to special education classrooms are: Gestalt, Connection Theory, L. Atincronbsch and R. Snow, Component Display Theory, Gagne’s Conditions of Learning, Cognitive Load Theory, and Sign Learning Theory.

The Gestalt theory is good because it encompasses grouping, which may make it easier for students. It is important to remember, however, that some connections may need to be made for students both verbally and in application because all of the students in an SPED class may not be able to connect the dots independently. The Cognitive Load theory and Sign Learning theory discuss this thought of simplifying and perhaps drawing lines to fully help students learn. A way to help connect the dots for some special education students is the Connection theory. It is based on the students learning from the cause-effect relationship of stimuli and response. Component Display Theory and Conditions of Learning are based on including a variety of elements to learn from both verbal and hands-on. They also discuss a similar structure that is helpful to follow during the learning process.

Taking all of these learning theories into account, the instructor can teach lessons based on how the students will learn the information the best. This seems to interfere with the beliefs of inclusive school settings. Since special needs children are different and learn differently, a traditional teacher may not be directing her lessons at this minority group. One of the mothers I currently work with wants to only have her child in inclusive classrooms. She has even fought a private school to allow for this. It is because her daughter is doing great at learning from peer example, something that the inclusive environment is best for. However, this does not mean that the teacher will be as well prepared to teacher her daughter. This seems to be the most difficult part of learning theory, clumping the kids into one or two categories, when in fact each are so individualized.

NBPTS, the National Board for Professional Standards, encourages teachers to discover their own belief in teaching theories. This helps to provide self-awareness of the teachers. By providing a structure for teachers to be reflective, it can help to assess the teachers’ job at teaching and reaching their students, which in turn helps improve the overall educational environment.

It can also allow teachers to recognize how they are learning best, so that they are encouraged to continue expanding their knowledge. For example, I learn best from a multi-approach, such as the Component Display theory discusses. I also learn well from anchored instruction, Adult Learning, Social Learning theory, and Cognitive Flexibility theory.

I talk with a couple of my families this week about their optimal learning environments and experiences. It seems some learn best when they can apply it to rules, some when they can group it, and some when they are actually applying it. I side with those who learn best with application. Their seems to be a consistency between those I asked and my own beliefs that special needs children learn best from simplified lessons, in non-distracting environments, with fun lessons that they can see and feel the cause-effect of. However, it is not always possible to make all lessons agree with what the child wants to do.

It is important for both parents and teachers to remember to have patients with their children. It is also great to remember that there is a long list of theories that can be applied as different strategies to help teach children, so one is not working, find a new one.

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Mainstreaming Special Needs Students


Mainstreamed students are part of the special education classroom. When they enter the regular

education classroom for certain subjects, this is considered mainstreaming. In comparison,

inclusion students are regular education classroom students who receive special education services.
In the past all of the special needs students were bussed to a few of the city’s schools,

but now the special needs students are going to
their neighborhood schools. The goals of this mainstreaming is to give benefits to both
special needs and non-special needs students. It “seeks to establish collaborative,
supportive and nurturing communities of learners that are based on giving all students the
services and accommodations they need to learn, as well as respecting and learning from
each other’s individual differences” (Maroney, 2003, 1).


My project is geared towards the teachers affected by these mainstreamed or
inclusive classrooms, both special education and regular education.
What the teachers believe is beneficial and detrimental about this new school set-up.
Therefore, my research question is: What do teachers
perceive is happening in the classrooms and the school as a whole as the
new mainstreaming program is beginning? are these beliefs
different for special education teachers and regular education teachers? What is the
environment like? Has it changed? Are the students responding to the new classroom
makeup?


The trend I have found is that special education teachers and regular education
teachers do not necessarily have the same opinions on mainstreaming. The teachers
different views on how mainstreaming helped the students, how the
administration was handling this implementation and how it should have been implemented.

Therefore, it can be said that special needs teachers tend to be more
critical towards the implementation of mainstreaming in their school. Each set of
teachers have different beliefs on how well inclusion is working and how it can be fixed.
Mainstreaming of students can work- it is just a matter of finding the right balance
between teachers and students.


By doing research on this topic, I hoped to provide more insights into the
challenges of mainstreaming, at a time when more and more schools are adopting to the
practice of mainstreaming.


It will help board of education
members decide on how to help teachers as well as students in making a smooth
transition from a regular classroom setting to an inclusive one.
Mainstreaming/Inclusion:


“An inclusive school is a place where everyone belongs, is accepted, supports,
and is supported by his or her peers and other members of the school community in the
course of having his or her educational needs met” (W. Stainback, 1990). The primary
focus of such classrooms is how to run a class that includes and meets the needs of all
students, whether they are children with disabilities, normal students or talented and
gifted students. This can be accomplished only through the close working and
cooperation of the special education teacher as well as the regular teacher, sometimes by
working in the same classroom. Through this collaboration of ideas and teaching
strategies, a school system should build a strong learning environment, one that provides
appropriate programs and educational opportunities for every student.
The movement to an inclusionary environment throughout the state is being
driven by federal law


There are some changes to a teacher’s classroom, but some concepts stay the
same. “Classroom teachers [regular teachers of inclusive settings] are expected to
continue to use the existing curriculum. However, they should implement more effective
delivery techniques and change instructional strategies, grouping practices, pacing, and
assessment” (King). At Corner Stone Elementary School this is sometimes done by
having the special education teacher and the regular teacher work together to help each
student understand the new material. This type of class is considered to be co-taught, the
special education teacher and the regular teacher work together, teaching and reviewing
the concepts of that subject in different ways. However, it does not always work as
nicely as it is laid out here. There are arguments and disagreements at times as well as
frustrations that occur because of this.

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OUTSTANDING DISSERTATION QUESTIONS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION


Special education is an important subject that helps parents and teachers educate children with disabilities or behavioral problems.

You may have questions:


1. Comparative analysis of new and old methods of special education.

2. Current challenges of special education and strategies to deal with them.

3. Curriculum within special education: how to use it properly.

4. Children with disabilities: educational tips for parents.

5. How a teacher should deal with students who have special needs.

6. Assistive technology: recommendations for teachers.

7. How to increase the performance of children with visual impairments with a help of assistive technology?

8. How to provide rural schools with proper assistive technology.

9. Educational methods for deaf students: theory and practice.

10. What should parents know when educating a deaf child?

11. Interpretations of the least restrictive environment in special education.
In what ways can it be used?
12. How to find and classify learning disabilities: tips for teachers.
List the signs that can be used to diagnose.
13. Inclusive education: principle and the role of teachers.

14. How to create a school that will provide inclusive education?

15. Outcomes of educating handicapped children in mainstream schools.
Discuss advantages and disadvantages.
16. Mainstream schools: how to educate students with behavioral and emotional disorders.
Give recommendations for teachers.
17. Educational methods for children with autism and related disorders.
What should teachers pay attention to?
18. Recommendations for parents when educating a child with autism.
How to make your child interested in education.
19. Helpful influence of karaoke on children with learning disabilities.
Discuss the successful cases and describe the positive effects.
20. How to increase peer support for students with behavioral and emotional disorders?
Provide recommendations for teachers on how to encourage normal students to help problematic classmates.

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