Purpose of Modification: The purpose of modification is to enable an individual to compensate for intellectual, behavioral, or physical disabi1ities. Modifications allow an individual to use existing skills while promoting the development, acquisition, or improvement of new skills.
Purpose of Accommodation: Accommodations are modifications to the delivery of instruction or to the method of student performance. In general, accommodation does not change the conceptual difficulty or content of the curriculum.
Concept of Partial Participation: Partial participation is a modification of the curriculum so that an individual has some active level of involvement in the instruction and instructional activities. This concept is particularly applicable to students with more severe disabilities who may never learn the same skill at the same level as students without disabilities.
Good modifications should:
Fits into the classroom environment
Lends itself to meeting individual student needs
Optimizes understanding for each student
Work well with instruction activities
[From Indiana University]
Accommodation: A modification to the delivery of instruction or the method of student performance that does not change the curricular content or conceptual difficulty.
Example: Listening to a novel rather than reading it.
Adaptations: A modification that changes the delivery of instruction or the conceptual difficulty and content of the curriculum.
Example: Providing picture cards for key words in a story.
Parallel Instruction: A modification to the delivery of instruction or method of student performance that does not change the content but changes the conceptual difficulty of the curriculum.
Example: Most students are completing addition problems and this student is completing a worksheet with problem that have counting circles.
Overlapping Instruction: Modifications to the student's performance expectations while all the students take place in shared delivery of instruction. It is assumed that there is a difference in the content but and the conceptual difficulty of the curriculum.
Example: A student is responsible for recognizing pictures of Newton and Einstein from a video on physicist while most students will be expected to write short biographies.
Types of Modifications: Dimensions of Instruction that may be varied
-Obtain high interest materials such as novels written a lower level
-Use visuals and auditory manipulatives such as pictures and tapes
-Have students respond by means of drawings
-Use materials on the level of the child or simplify the assignment
-Use sentence writing strategies
-Make sure the student is looking at you as you speak
-Use clear, concise directions when delivering directions, explanations
and instructions
-Stop at key points when delivering in order to determine student comprehension
Makes steady progress with individualized instruction, but at a slower rate
-Have peer tutors
-Provide additional practice opportunities
-Provide individualized activities that give the student more practice time
such as computer lessons, peer tutor, adult tutor, games, homework assignments
-Sit them in front and beside good role models
-If appropriate use study carrel
-Reduce distracting stimuli
-Assign a peer to help the student with class assignments when directions are missed
-Interact frequently with the student in order to maintain involvement with class
assignments
-Shorten assignments
-Use high interest materials/assignments to motivate the child to stay focused
-Allow the student additional time to complete work
-Shorten amount of work to be done
-Contract student, reward for work completed
-Assign a peer to help the student either do the assignment or remember to do it
-Have student keep a chart of assignments and check them off when completed
-Have student use a timer
Poor comprehension of spoken language
-Written instructions
-Role play
-Pictures (iconic directions)
-The student may be allowed to tape record class lectures, presentations,
or directions with prior approval from the teacher. Directions may be
given several times and may need to be explained in more detail. The
teacher may provide copies of notes and/or overheads. The teacher may
also want to provide written copies of partial outlines of material and/or
instructions to be given orally
Dislikes and resists rigors of academic work
-Divide tasks into smaller portions
-Cooperative learning (peer assistance)
-Allow verbal responses
-Provide high interest materials, assignments
-Shorten academic tasks to include just the most essential
-Divide the assignment into parts and have a small reward or incentive
after the completion of each part
-Tell students the purpose of the lesson and what will be expected of
him/her in class
-Provide instructions in short units
-Provide instruction on how to keep an organizer
-Use rubrics that will allow the student to monitor his/her progress on
assignments and/or units
-Be aware of possible frustrating situations
-Reinforce appropriate participation in class
-Make learning fun by being enthusiastic
-Alternate learning activities
-Post outstanding work in the classroom
-Place students in pairs sometimes
-Tailor applications to student interest
-Allow students to choose between several topics
-Try to incorporate high interest topics with other material--
interdisciplinary approaches when possible
-Try to make learning fun by emphasizing importance of having
a knowledge of a variety of things
-Pair the student with a partner with whom he/she can share knowledge
of their interests
-Provide assignments that can encourage student to “go beyond” the
basics--such as a project on the computer
-Remediate missing skills
-Continually build upon prior instruction
-Present a few facts at a time, gradually increase the number of facts the student
must remember
-Have student use a calculator for math
-Provide practice with computer programs that provide instant feedback
-Role play
-Designed practice (cooperatively with other teacher)
-Have student be a leader of a small group activity
-Give the student the responsibility of being a peer tutor
-Role play various situations
-Self-monitor behavior
-Write a contract with the student and his/her parents targeting 3 initial
behaviors to improve upon
-Allow student to voice an opinion to avoid becoming angry or upset
-Give student positive feedback and preferred responsibilities
-Give written instructions
-Icons
-Have student play analogy games with multiple-choice answers
-Provide student with situations in which he/she can generalize skills in math to: use
of money, financing a car, computing interest earned from savings
-Make certain that the student knows why he/she is learning a particular information skill
-Provide real world learning experiences
-Incorporate direct instruction of generalization into teaching model
-Give students a chance to discuss, plan for, and practice applying newly
learned skills in novel situations and give feedback on their performance (i.e., role
playing, field trips, simulations, etc.)
-The teacher will prompt the student when he/she can use a particular skill
or strategy which is appropriate. The student will be allowed help from a peer
with generalization skills and the appropriate time to use them. The student
will be provided with strategies instruction from the support teacher and
prompting from the mainstream teacher
-Take a reinforcer survey with the student to determine likes and dislikes
-Make an agreement with parents for rewards at home
-Have a wide variety of reinforcers
-Make sure student’s hearing has been checked
-Use a tape recorder so student can listen and evaluate his/her own speech
-Delay your response during a conversation by one or two seconds
-Use as a peer tutor
-Allow student to do independent work which is above grade level
-Strong supplemental reading component - immersing children in quality reading
material
-Intensive and applied themed investigations - multimedia investigations of the
thematic unit
-Creative expressions of student achievement - students choose from a variety
of options to display their knowledge
-Provide enrichment
-Implement the accelerated reading program
-Provide a book list with a wide range of reading ability represented from
which students may select a book on which to do a report
-Allow opportunities for students to write for experimentation and exploration
(i.e. reading journals, learning logs, creative writing, etc.)
-Determine student’s preferred activities and interests and incorporate them
into daily schedule
-Use reinforcements for low level tasks
-Reinforce other students who are participating in the low level task
-Teach study and note-taking skills
-Reinforcement for any and all measures of improvement
-Allow students to make corrections after assignments have been checked
-Allow student to make oral book reports, etc.
-Have student read his/her work aloud or on tape and listen back
-Make up games using complete sentences, grammar errors, etc.
-Give student responsibility for another student
-Ask student questions that cannot be answered with “yes” and “no”
-Do not force student to interact
-Consult resource teacher for signs of depression or drug abuse
-Reinforce the students for interacting with peers
-Provide the student with many social and academic successes
-Give the student the responsibility of tutoring a peer
-Have the student run errands with a peer
-Involve the student in nonacademic activities that will enable the student
to interact appropriately i.e. games, etc.
-Provide peer advocacy/support
-Structure activities to create opportunities for social interaction
-Focus on social process rather than activity/end product
-Utilize cooperative learning groups
-Have student take notes or tape record
-Call on student when he/she is most likely to be successful
-Identify students learning mode
-Make certain that student applies and uses newly acquired information
-Evaluate the task. Is it too hard or easy?
-Use a timer
-Reinforce with tangible rewards for work completed
-Have students tape record his/her writing and listen to it back
-Have student read his/her writing to another student
-During oral reading, underline words which are difficult and have student
practice them
-Have hearing checked
-Have student rephrase what was said to him/her
-Stand directly in front of student when delivering information
-Use peer tutoring or reading “buddies”
-Make sure material is on his/her grade level
-Have student dictate stories which are then written for him/her
-Free reading time, buddy reading
-Peer tutoring with decoding skills
-The student will be allowed extended time on tasks involving reading
and writing skills. If appropriate, the student can work in a small group
instruction or one on one instruction to help improve both the reading and
writing skills
-Have student tape record a story and then write it using high vocabulary
-Provide the student with additional practice activities on the computer,
with a peer, tutor, instructional game or homework
-Provide additional time to complete skill related assessments
-Use peer tutors to provide additional practice opportunities
-Provide some activities where students can work at their own pace
-Provide a written checklist for the student to follow
-Teach the student to use context clues and known vocabulary to determine
the meaning of unknown vocabulary. Explain to the student how to use
the context clues to determine the meanings of words he/she hears or sees
(e.g., listening to or looking at the surrounding words and determining what
type of word would be appropriate)
-Prepare a list of new words which the student will encounter while reading
a given assignment. Help the student (or have a peer help the student) look
up each word and practice saying it and using it in a sentence before
reading the given assignment
-During the day, write down specific grammatical errors produced
by the student. Read the sentences to the student and have him/her
make appropriate corrections orally
-Provide the student with a list of the targeted words. Have the student
practice the words daily. As the student masters the word list, add more
words. (Using words from the student’s everyday vocabulary, reading
lists, spelling lists, etc., will facilitate transfer of correct production of the
target sounds into everyday speech
-Set a prearranged cue to help the student know when he is doing these
-Ask student to repeat after you or a peer
-Ask student to answer short answer questions
-Allow students to organize thoughts and comments before discussion
-Recommend screening for LSH services
-Do not push the student to speak aloud in class if self-conscious
-Shorten the assignment to include just the most essential
-Break the task down into several segments and give the different segments
at different times during the day
-Modify the assignment to fit the individual’s learning style
-It is difficult to present modifications without knowing specifically what the
diagnosed medical condition is. I would assume that the teacher would address
an atypical learning style by teaching to the modalities, i.e. visual, kinesthetic,
auditory, etc. that are not affected
-Emphasize student’s learning style in instruction (visual, tactile, auditory, and
multi-modality)
-Utilize specialized curriculum
Requires more
repetition than peers
-Provide repetition in a variety of ways, such as computer, peer tutor,
games, taped exercises
-Have the student repeat directions
-Present directions in more than one mode (auditory, visual)
-Give student job of reading directions to class
-Have students paraphrase immediately
-Teach rehearsal strategies directly
-Provide a written checklist
-Provide assignments that use the drill and practice skills in context
-Adapt assignment objectives to relate to a high interest topic that interests
the child
-Try to trouble-shoot the cause of the inconsistency and make changes
based on the information gained
-Interview the child when he/she is inconsistent and look for contributing factors
-Ask the child what helps them learn best and modify
-Cognitive behavioral interventions or self monitoring - the ability to repeatedly
evaluate one’s own behaviors in order to effect positive change in on-task behaviors
During the first phase the student is observed during a period of time to get
baseline data on the targeted behavior. During the second phase the student, at
set intervals, asks himself if he is doing the teacher expected task. He records on
a chart whether or not he is on task. The next phase combines the later phase and
teacher praise for on-task behavior. The next phase, recording is withdrawn and
teacher praise continued. Finally, the teacher does another observation of the desired
behavior.
-Provide additional practice through computer activities, games,
peer or adult tutors, and homework
-Use peer tutors to provide repetitive practice opportunities
-Provide opportunities in class for practice after classwork is completed
-Provide opportunities for the student to practice during lesson
-Provide direct practice
-Use flashcards
-Send home some additional work for homework, if that is appropriate
-Allow child to practice during a time when others are engaged in other activities,
but not to the extent that they lose free time or time in a favorite activity
-Teach the student to identify and learn key words or phrases (self-cues) related
to information in order to increase memory of material
-The teacher should be aware of the dialect spoken at home. The
difference between standard and nonstandard grammar should be explained
without placing any negative connotations on his or her parents
-Reinforce the use of correct grammar
-Tape record the student’s speech and have him or her identify the errors
and make corrections
-During the day write down errors and have him or her make corrections
-Give students sentences both orally and written and have students identify
whether the sentences are correct or incorrect
-Classwide peer tutoring - the teacher can focus on any skill that needs remediation
The class of students are divided into two teams, A and B. Each team
then pairs off to work on the specific skill assigned. One partner is the tutor and
the other is the tutee. The tutor asks the tutee pre-specified questions created by
the teacher. If the tutee gets the answer the tutor awards the tutee two points. If
the tutee gets the answer wrong the tutor provides the answer and requires the
tutee to write the answer three times. If the tutee cooperates and corrects his answer
he gets one point. If he does not, 0 points are awarded. The more items the pair does
the more points for the individual and the team. After a prescribed time the pair switch
roles.
-Find an area of interest which can be used to stimulate learning in
other areas, such as makes of cars, animals and their care, fish, etc. Find
ways to incorporate these interests into the necessary lessons
-Modifications would depend on what was determined to be the reason for
the lower achievement. If it was lack of interest in the subject, some way to
stimulate interest might work. If the subject is being taught primarily in one
modality that the student does not favor, a change in or addition of different teaching
modalities might work
-Break the learning down into smaller steps that can be more easily learned or finished to provide a sense of success