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?

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. 

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. 

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.)

Modified Lessons All in One Place!

I am currently in the process of putting together an online binder that contains lessons and lesson ideas for modifying curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities.

You can view the binder @ http://bit.ly/modifiedlessons.

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!!

4 Things to Know About Successful Inclusive Schools

I've just finished the edits on a book I've been writing for the past 2 years! Throughout the research and writing, one of the aspects of inclusion that has struck a chord (and I always knew, but took for granted) is that for successful inclusion to occur it must happen at every level of the education system. 

I've always said that inclusion doesn't happen in isolation. Truly inclusive environments don't take place in just one classroom. Inclusion must exist at all levels of education - from daily lessons to community support. You simply can't have one without the other. Much like a Russian stacking doll, inclusion is embedded deep within the system. Inclusion must occur in:

1. The Community - Community attitudes and values shape the expectations of local schools. For inclusive schools to successfully operate, communities must demonstrate acceptance and support of all students in their local schools regardless of cultural, physical, or personal beliefs. They can contribute to school events, volunteer, and become advocates for inclusive schools. 

2. The School - Schools must be structured to support inclusive programming. Timetables, staffing, training, and resources need to be allocated to provide students with the appropriate supports. For example, teachers need time to plan with special education personnel. Paraprofessionals must be made available to students who require one-to-one instruction, and resources such as learning aids and assistive technology must be available for student use. 

3. The Classroom - From teacher and student attitudes, to the physical arrangement of the furniture, to the routines in the school day, inclusion must be a driving force in a classroom. More than just a social program, it actually needs to be part of the culture of the classroom. Students must model inclusion, demonstrate inclusion, and expect inclusion from one another. 

4. The Lesson - A simple lesson can make or break an inclusive opportunity for a student. For students to fully participate and have equal opportunity in education, they must also have equal access to daily lessons. Adaptations to student work must be made to facilitate student engagement. Adaptations, such as accommodations, can be made to make learning accessible. Adaptations, in the form of modifications, can be made to make learning possible. 

How about your school? Is it inclusive? Is inclusion embedded in all levels of the education system in your community? Let me know by commenting below!