What types of strategies can be used to support students with disabilities in a variety of curriculum areas?
Please answer the following questions using at least 75/100 words. Then give insightful feedback to the following two classmates also using 75/100 words. I will send an example of how the teacher would like the responses to be done.
Student 1:
To support students with disabilities across different curriculum areas, teachers can employ the following strategies:
Differentiated Instruction: Tailor instruction to meet individual students’ needs by offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression. For example, providing visual aids, hands-on activities, and alternative ways to demonstrate understanding can help students with diverse learning needs (Tomlinson, 2014).
Assistive Technology: Utilize technology such as speech-to-text software, text-to-speech tools, and adaptive keyboards to support students’ access to and interaction with curriculum content. For instance, using audiobooks can assist students with reading disabilities in accessing literature (Al-Azawei et al., 2016).
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Implement UDL principles to create flexible learning environments that accommodate all students. This approach involves designing lessons that offer multiple ways for students to engage with content and express their learning (CAST, 2018).
Collaborative Teaching: Engage in co-teaching practices where general and special education teachers work together to provide targeted support. This collaboration allows for the implementation of specialized strategies and accommodations within the general education setting (Friend & Cook, 2016).
References
Al-Azawei, A., Serenelli, F., & Lundqvist, K. (2016). Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A content analysis of peer-reviewed journal papers from 2012 to 2015. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(3), 39–56. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v16i3.19295
CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, version 2.2. http://udlguidelines.cast.org
Friend, M., & Cook, L. (2016). Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals (8th ed.). Pearson Education.
Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners (2nd ed.). ASCD.
Student 2:
Classrooms continue to become more diverse as more students with disabilities join inclusive classrooms. Collaboration among teachers and other stakeholders is an essential strategy for providing all students with a rigorous and quality education. Personally, I think this is an important precursor to participate in before implementing other strategies for supporting students with disabilities. Each stakeholder’s purpose is to support their students and they each possess a certain domain of expertise. When all stakeholders collaborate, student success, achievement, and performance can significantly improve. Several individuals contribute to a child’s education, and it is important that all stakeholders are on the same page so they can all work together to support their students. For example, music teachers tend to work with all students in the school, across all grade levels and abilities. Because their classes are so diverse, it is important that they collaborate with all stakeholders in order to provide students with the highest quality learning experience possible (Draper, 2019).
In diverse classrooms, it is important to offer instructional approaches and strategies that address students’ needs, interests, experiences, and abilities. Some important strategies for supporting students include differentiating content, process, product, and affect. Differentiating content may be giving explicit instruction or presenting information in multiple ways, such as visually, or audiorally. Differentiating processes may mean using manipulatives or giving tiered assignments. Differentiating products may be offering students multiple formats for displaying their knowledge such as via PowerPoint, drawing, or verbal responses. Differentiating affect may look like helping students understand multiple perspectives or ensuring equitable participation (Gumpert & McConnell, 2019). These strategies can be used across all curriculum areas to create an accessible and rigorous education experience that meets the needs of each student.
Draper, E. A. (2019). Meaningful Connections: Making Inclusion Work. General Music Today, 32(2),
24–26. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1048371318809969.
Gumpert, M., & McConnell, W. (2019). Different Strokes for Different Folks: Cross-curricular
differentiation strategies for inclusion classrooms. Science & Children, 57(2), 62–70.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.2505/4/sc19_057_02_62.