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Using AI to Modify Curriculum for Students with Disabilities: A Guide for Teachers and Families

In today's diverse classrooms, creating truly inclusive educational materials can be challenging. Artificial intelligence offers powerful tools to help modify and adapt curriculum resources to meet the unique needs of all learners. This guide will walk you through practical ways to leverage AI for inclusive education.

Why Use AI for Making Curriculum Modifications?

AI tools can help you:

• Save significant time on adaptations and differentiation
• Create multiple versions of materials for different learning needs
• Ensure consistent quality across modifications
• Address specific accessibility requirements efficiently

Step-by-Step Guide to Using AI for Curriculum Modifications

1. Identify the Learning Barriers in Your Materials

Before using AI, assess your current materials:

• Which elements might create barriers for certain students?
• What modifications would make the content more accessible?
• Which students need what specific adaptations?

How Inclusive is Your Classroom?

Classroom Inclusivity Assessment

Question 1 of 12

Unlocking Achievement Through Curriculum Modifications: A Path to Inclusive Education

Curriculum modifications play a pivotal role in ensuring that every student, regardless of their unique needs and abilities, has the opportunity to thrive academically and socially. In an educational landscape that seeks to foster inclusivity, equity, and individualized learning, understanding and implementing curriculum modifications have never been more critical. 

Three Lessons Learned About Inclusion From My Marathon Journey

Author, blogger, and cerebral palsy (CP) advocate, Zachary Fenell, is back on our blog with a story about inclusion and a marthon. Read below to find out how the two intersected and changed Zachary's life in ways in couldn't have imagined. For the full story, check out Zachary's new book, Slow and Cerebral.

Discussing inclusion proves important. Through such discussion we learn from each other. Gathering ideas which will help inclusion thrive. Exactly why I approached Nicole and asked about providing a new guest post for The Inclusive Class blog. 

A lot has happened since my last guest post, published nearly a decade ago. Nearly a decade? Wow! Where the heck does the time go? Anyway, amongst those prior mentioned happenings, one in-particular stands out to me. I accomplished a feat that nearly a decade ago I deemed “unreasonable.” Becoming a marathoner.

The Effects of Presuming Competence

Ms. B is a teacher at XYZ Middle School. She has 32 students of various abilities in her class, including a student with intellectual disabilities. The student with intellectual disabilities has the support of a paraprofessional who facilitates access to the curriculum. Ms. B is about to plan for an upcoming unit on plants. The grade-level learning outcomes require students to understand the structure of plants and plant biology. She wonders if the topic and content will be too challenging for her student with intellectual disabilities to understand. Ms. B is concerned that the student will become overwhelmed and frustrated when presented with such a complex topic. Should she plan for the student to work with a list of science vocabulary words that were targeted for review in a recent assessment or should she plan to modify the unit lessons for the the student so they can participate in the class lessons and learn the same new concepts as their peers? Ms. B wonders what to do. 

How to Make Accessible and Inclusive Education Materials for Students With and Without Disabilities

You've heard me say this many times. Inclusion isn’t a program. It’s the process of including students of all ability levels in our education system to the fullest extent possible. There are dozens of articles and books that cite the research on inclusion, describe the process and practice of inclusion, provide tips for writing inclusive IEPs, and name strategies for facilitating inclusion in the classroom. 

I've written many times on the types of materials that are widely used in an inclusive classroom such as visual timers, highlighters, color-coded folders, and more. However, one area that I haven't said much about is the text-based educational materials that we use in our daily instruction. After a year of viewing online coursework and hundreds of presentation slides, it's time to talk about providing accessible and inclusive text-based education materials for students with and without disabilities. 

10 Powerful Strategies for Teaching Students With Different Ability Levels in Your Classroom

There is no doubt that we will see greater disaparity in ability levels amongst the students in our classrooms given the time lost learning in a consistent, structured, and equitable educational environment over the past year. 

In fact, a recent study conducted by researchers at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University projected that most students will return to school with, "approximately 63-68% of the learning gains in reading relative to a typical school year and with 37-50% of the learning gains in math."

Virtual Accommodations and Modifications

What do a beanbag chair, a living room couch, and a dining room table all have in common? They are just some of the many places where students in the U.S. are attending school this fall. 

The 2020-2021 school year is like no other. Instead of walking to class, many students are now logging in to their laptops and desktop computers to watch their teachers deliver a daily lesson. While some students are thriving online, others are ..........READ MORE HERE. 

Work with Me!

 

Wondering how to make your school and classroom truly inclusive? Want to know more about the process of inclusion? Learn all you need to know about inclusion from an inclusion teacher! 

I am passionate about inclusive education and love to share what I have learned from over 15 years as an inclusion classroom teacher.

If you are eager to learn what inclusive education is, how to successfully include students with special needs in your classroom, advocate for inclusion or find resources, then we need to connect!

I am available for keynote presentations, breakout sessions, workshops, and webinars to organizations and schools interested in successfully including students with disabilities in the classroom. 

10 Easy Ways to Create an Inclusive Virtual Classroom

    Believe it or not, teachers can create inclusive learning environments even though students may not be physically present in the classroom this fall. 

Using research-based teaching strategies and activities, teachers can build an online community that is inclusive of students with a wide variety of abilities and interests. These teaching techniques can facilitate inclusion. Thus, not only will the student be present in the daily lessons, but he or she will also be an active participant. 

How to Include Students with Disabilities by Modifying Curriculum in 3 Easy Steps!

Modifying curriculum for students who do not yet have an understanding of grade level content has long been the sole responsibility of the special education teacher. 

However, since the goal of inclusion is to include the student in as much of the general education environment and curriculum as possible, then we have to expect that modifications will occur as frequently as possible across all areas of the educational program. 

Thus, if we want to see full, authentic inclusion exist in our school system then making modifications needs to be the responsibility of EVERY teacher. 

(Read more here.)

5 Essential Classroom Management Strategies to Keep Your Inclusive Class Running Smoothly

As any teacher will tell you, teaching isn't just about lessons, marking school work, and tests. It's also about keeping track of a million little details such as how many available pencils are in your classroom at any given time, which student has gone to the bathroom, who needs to finish an assignment, and remembering to hand-out permission forms for the class field trip. It's enough to make you forget what you have to teach that day!

Classroom management plans are established to make school life a little less chaotic for teachers and a lot more predictable for students. Those plans are made of routines and protocols that are meant to be consistent and effective. For example, students can write their name (or use a name tag) on the board before leaving the classroom. Thus, a teacher only has to glance at the board to know who or who is not in the classroom. 

3 Big Misconceptions About Inclusion

Despite years of research that concludes inclusion is best for students with AND without disabilities, there are STILL misconceptions about inclusive classrooms. In a recent discussion with Understood.org, I summarized 3 of those big misconceptions: 

1.  The first big misconception about inclusion is the concern that the student with disabilities will not be able to “keep up” with the class curriculum. Fortunately, inclusive classrooms recognize that not every child will be learning at the same rate, and at the same time. 

12 Practical Strategies to Teach Grade-Level Curriculum to Students with Disabilities

It's a fact that students with intellectual disabilities must be participating to the maximum extent possible (and with appropriate supports) in the classroom lessons and activities. 

To do so, we presume competence in the student's ability to learn and participate in education. In other words, we can't assume that the student with cognitive issues will not learn what we are teaching. 

However, teachers and parents often wonder how the student with intellectual disabilities can be taught in a grade-level class with grade-level content. This is a legitimate concern. Understandably, some of the concepts of the lesson may not be at the learning level of the student - particularly if the student is on a modified program. 

So, one of the most common questions I hear with regards to inclusive education is, how can teachers keep students who work below grade level engaged and learning during class instruction? Well, in addition to providing a modified lesson activity, teachers need to back up and think about providing instructional supports and modifications to the lesson delivery. 

Thus, I have put together a list of strategies that teachers can use to reach and teach students with intellectual disabilites during classroom instruction: 

1. Outlines - Give a partially completed outline of the lecture that the student fills in at key points before, during, or after the lesson. 

2. Lecture Q & A - Give student a handout that asks questions about concepts in the lecture. Student answers questions as lecture is given. 

3. True or False? - Give student True or False questions to answer during lecture.  

4. Concept Mapping - Student draws a concept map as the lecture progresses to demonstrate understanding of lesson.

5. Doodle Notes - Student illustrates a concept or idea from the lesson during or after lecture. 

6. Focused Listening - List several main concepts given during the lecture and have students check off the concepts/make notes about concepts as the lecture progresses.

7. Scavenger Hunt – have student look for key vocab and concepts in lecture text

8. Pre-read – have student read text, watch videos, and/or complete a related activity prior to the lecture

9. Watch – have student watch teacher-created or recommended video and/or interactive lessons prior or during lecture

10. Guided Note Taking – teach student how to take notes through guided note taking. See the following for more info: 

https://www.bloomboard.com/users/amelia-fraz/collections/note-taking-for-students-with-learning-disabilities/37261fe5-6ce5-4d4a-b8c6-7ac88350b6f2

https://sites.google.com/a/gse.rutgers.edu/cues-notetaking-website/home/cues-note-taking-strategy

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/16114511143707594/

https://www.washington.edu/doit/what-are-some-ways-provide-note-taking-accommodations-student-disability

http://www.interventioncentral.org/academic-interventions/study-organization/guided-notes-increasing-student-engagement-during-lecture-

http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/guided-notes

11. Pre-read Lecture Notes – give student the lecture notes prior to or during instruction.

12. Audio Recordings – have student listen to a developmentally appropriate audio recording on the topic during lecture.

Do you have any more strategies to add to this list? Comment below!!

8 Tips for Introducing a Student with Disabilities to a General Education Classroom

Originally written for the Friendship Circle of Michigan. For more articles about children with disabilites go to www.friendshipcircle.org.

Inclusive classrooms are becoming far more common in our public schools. There are greater numbers of students with disabilities receiving their education in general education classrooms. The National Center for Education Statistics notes that the number of students with disabilities who spend most of their day in the general education classroom has gone from 33 percent in 1990 to 62 percent in 2014.

Transitioning students with disabilities from self-contained special education classrooms to inclusive general education classrooms is not an overnight process. It requires thoughtful planning. Teacher training, appropriate student supports, resources, personnel, and a meaningful individual educational program need to exist prior to the new class placement.

It’s also important to remember that if the child with disabilities has never experienced an inclusive education, then chances are, neither has his or her peers. Students in the general education class might be curious about the situation, may feel anxious about having a student with disabilities in their class, or have misconceptions about students with disabilities.

Here are some tips to help facilitate a smooth transition for students with disabilities to the inclusive education classroom. These tips are also helpful for preparing the general education students for their new classroom member:

1. Establish Basic Principals

Establish general concepts about students with and without disabilities through class discussions, books, movies or a guest speaker. Primarily, teach students that:

• Everyone wants to belong and be included
• Everyone is different
• Everyone has areas of strengths and areas of weaknesses

2. Let Each Student Share

Give all students an opportunity to talk about themselves, their strengths and interests. Allow others to ask questions. (Make sure you talk about the types of questions that can be asked prior to the activity.)

3. Dispell Myths

Dis-spell any myths and misunderstandings about students with disabilities. Most importantly:

• Some disabilities you can see and some you can’t
• A physical disability does not determine a person’s intelligence
• People with disabilities are people first

4. Address The Challenges

Address student-specific issues that are important for the class to know about in order to interact and learn alongside each other. For example, if a student has a peanut allergy, invite the class nurse in to talk about allergies and the importance of keeping peanut products out of the classroom. If the student with disabilities communicates with an iPad, have the student (parent and/or paraprofessional) give a demonstration.

5. Talk About The People We Know With A Disability

Point out that 1 in 5 Americans has a disability (according to the Center for Disease Control). We will all live, shop, drive and work beside a person with a disability at some point in our life.

6. Highlight Famous People

Identify famous people with disabilities and highlight their contributions to society not as a source of inspiration but as an important to human growth.

7. Give Disability Awareness Lessons

Provide an opportunity for students to become more understanding of people with disabilities by giving disability awareness lessons.

8. Make A Positive Classroom Community

Establish and maintain a positive classroom community throughout the entire school year. Encourage respect for one another, the use of appropriate language, and pro-active social skills.

Remember, that discretion should be used when discussing the needs of the student with disabilities with others. A conversation with the student prior to any of the above strategies can determine how comfortable the student is with sharing information about his or her disabilities. The sharing of information is not meant to put the student with disabilities “on show”, but help others understand what the student needs in order to participate and learn in the classroom.

10 Tips to Help You Advocate for Inclusive Education

Years of research and experience tells us that inclusive education, which is the practice of educating all children of all abilities in one classroom, is the gold standard. However, many schools still have classrooms where children with disabilities are removed and educated from the rest of the student population. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), originally enacted in 1975 and with many revisions since, provides guidance to educating children with disabilities. Though the word, “inclusion”, isn’t specifically used in the IDEA, it mandates that children with disabilities be educated in the Least Restrictive Environment.