Differentiated Instruction For Students with Significant Challenges

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Los Angeles Unified School District Division of
Special Education
Schools for All Children
Differentiated Instruction for Students with
Significant Challenges
Donnalyn Jaque-Antón Associate Superintendent
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Differentiated Instruction For Students with
Significant Challenges
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What is the Least Dangerous Assumption (LDA)?

• The student IS competent
• Think of the disabling condition in a new light
  which does not limit achievement or expectations

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5 Reasons Why the LDA Should Presume Competence

• Human intelligence is a multi-faceted construct
  rather than a uni-dimensional characteristic.
• Most students with significant disabilities have
  difficulty communicating and assessments of their
  I.Q. are seriously flawed.
• Research shows that a growing number of children
  and adults labeled retarded show they are more
  capable when they have a means to communicate.

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5 Reasons Why the LDA Should Presume Competence,
continued

• To presume incompetence could result in harm to
  our students if we are wrong.
• Even if we are wrong about students capacities
  to learn in general education curriculum content,
  the consequences to the student of that incorrect
  presumption are not as dangerous as the
  alternative.
• (Jorgensen McSheehan, TASH 2004)

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Individual and Group Reflection

• Reflect on the LDA concepts
• Turn to a fellow participant and discuss the one
  that impacted you the most.

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A New Image

• In a differentiated classroom, the teacher
  proactively plans and carries out varied
  approaches to content, process, and product in
  anticipation of and response to student
  differences in readiness, interest, and learning
  needs.
• (Tomlinson, 2001)

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Differentiated classroom? Students with severe
disabilities and typical peers..

• Teachers
• Begin where students are
• Accept that learners are different in important
  ways
• Are ready to engage learners through different
  modalities
• Appeal to varying interests
• Vary degree of complexity
• Ensure that student competes against self to
  assess growth (Tomlinson, 1999)

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There is Nothing So Unequal As The Equal
Treatment Of Un-equals

• LEARNING STYLES
• Auditory Learners
• Visual Learners
• Tactile Kinesthetic Learners

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MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

• Linguistic Intelligence (word smart)
• Logical-mathematical Intelligence
  (number/reasoning smart)
• Spatial Intelligence (picture smart)
• Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence (body smart)
• Musical Intelligence (music smart)
• Interpersonal Intelligence (people smart)
• Intrapersonal Intelligence (self smart)
• Naturalistic Intelligence (nature smart)

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Key Principles for developing classrooms for
diverse learners

• Teacher
• Focuses on the essentials
• Attends to student differences
• Gathers day-to-day data
• Modifies one or more of the curricular elements
• Content
• Process
• Product

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Key Principles for developing classrooms for
diverse learners, continued

• Teacher
• Collaborates with students in learning
• Balances group and individual norms
• Organizes students so that they work together
  flexibly
• (All students participate in respectful work)
• (Tomlinson, 1995)

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Lets go through it, step by step

• Step 1
• Identify the broad based concept to be taught
• Step 2
• Identify the curricular goals for students

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Lets keep going, step by step

• Step 3
• Identify the instructional plan for most
  learners
• Step 4
• Identify the instructional plan for learners who
  need adaptations

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Lets keep going, step by step

• Step 5
• Check for student understanding
• Step 6
• Reflect and evaluate adaptations making
  adjustments as needed
• Step 7
• Reteach based upon evaluation

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Highlight an example

• Think of a classroom where you have seen this
  differentiation in action. Maybe it was your
  classroom. . . .
• In what ways did differentiation affect the
  instructional program and student learning?
• Is this an example of best practices?

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Lets look at one opportunity for Collaboration
and Co-planning..

• Step 4
• Identify the instructional plan for learners
  who need adaptations

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Collaboration

• Planning
• Practice
• Evaluation

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Functional Ecological Assessment

• A Functional Ecological Assessment begins with.
• Knowing the targeted learner
• Observing what is going on in the general
  education classroom
• Beginning with one specific activity
• Noting the natural cues and skills required to
  participate in the activity

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In a Functional Ecological Assessment, we ask

• What is the teacher doing?
• What are the students doing?
• With whom is the targeted learner interacting?
• In what way is he/she participating within the
  activity?

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Using the Ecological Data

• Develop intervention strategies based upon
• Physical, emotional, sensory needs
• Modified materials and/or technology
• Individualized instruction
• Individualized demonstration of learning,
  evaluation, and grading

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example
Student Eighth grader (myopic, hearing impaired,
moderate mental retardation, short attention
span) Activity Science class eighth grade

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Adaptations
Curricular adaptations are changes permissible in
educational environments which allow the student
equal opportunity to obtain access, results,
benefits and levels of achievement
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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 learner 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 one 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 learners
individual goals. For example During a language
test one student is learning computer skills in
the computer lab.
Center for School Community Integration,
Institute for the Study of Developmental
Disabilities, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
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Adaptations Include

• Accommodations
• Allow access to the current level of instruction
  in the classroom
• Modifications
• Changes are made to provide meaningful and
  productive learning experiences based on
  individual needs and abilities
• (insures accessibility through Assistive
  Technology)

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Accommodations
Some curricular adaptations do not fundamentally
alter or lower standards or expectations in
either the instructional or assessment phases of
a course of study and can be designated
accommodations
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Modifications
Some adaptations do alter or lower standards or
expectations and can be termed modifications.
These modifications, although providing access,
will necessitate careful selection of assessment
components to achieve accountability for
performance
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Modificationsanother view. . .
Changes in the assessment that alter what the
test is to measure or the comparability of
scores. More broadly, sometimes this term is used
as a synonym for adaptations made in the
curriculum, presentation method or the
environment to provide support for the student
with disabilities. Alan
Gartner and Dorothy Kerzer Lipsky
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Assistive Technology
Bridges the functional performance gap (motor,
speech, hearing, vision) to enable students with
disabilities to participate in the general
education curriculum.
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Communication supports through the use of
Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC)
devices

• Can support students in
• Initiating communication
• Responding to and asking questions
• Gaining information
• Clarifying messages
• Class participation
• Discussion
• Social interaction

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Functional Academic Skills

• The challenge is to translate academic standards
  into functional life activities that have meaning
  to the learner with significant disabilities and
  that lead to greater independence and enhanced
  quality of life.

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Label the activities,NOT students!
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IEP Goal Matrix

• The goal Matrix is built according to the
  students daily schedule, as a visual of when and
  how IEP goals and objectives can be embedded
  throughout the school day.

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example
Planning within Instructional routines
UNH-Institute on Disability/UCED,2000
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We are at the Crux of the Matter

• We have collected the data
• We have made the LDA.
• We have the tools to differentiate.
• Where do we go from here? Decision time!

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Why should students with significant challenges
be taught in the general education curriculum in
the general education classroom?

• Offers opportunities to learn valuable knowledge,
  skills, and dispositions
• Builds opportunities for shared interests with
  all students
• Opens up transitional opportunities
• Supports meaningful social relationships

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Research

• A meta-review of research on inclusive schooling
  practices found that students who are included in
  general education classes develop better
  communication skills, social skills, more
  authentic social relationships and learn more
  functional skills related to living and working
  in the real world when they are in general
  education classrooms.
• (McGregor Vogelsberg, 1998)

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• Think Inclusively!
• School Work Play Community Life

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FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT Student________
________________________________________________
Activity_________________________________________
______________
Teacher activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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SUPPORT MATRIX Student____________________ Date__
______________ Class/Teacher______________ Grade_
______________ Class Schedule
example

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ACTIVITY PLANNER
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Nine Types of Adaptations
Size
Time
Level of Support
Input
Difficulty
Output
Participation
Alternate Goals
Substitute Curriculum
Center for School Community Integration,
Institute for the Study of Developmental
Disabilities, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN