How to Integrate Students with Diverse Learning

Needs in a General Education Classroom

By: Tammie McElaney

Classroom Management

1. Activate Prior Knowledge2. Provide Clear Goals &

Meaningful Strategies 3. SQ3R – Survey, Question,

Read, Recite (or Reflect), & Review

4. Provide Pertinent Follow-Up

Behavior ChallengesFunctional Behavior Assessment (FBA) Procedure for Children with Disruptive Classroom Behavior• Process intended to identify the most appropriate and effective

interventions• Results of FBA can be used to develop a behavior support plan• Required by law to support students with behavior problems

3 STEP PROCESS1. Hypothesis pertaining to underlying function of the problem

behavior2. Hypotheses are tested 3. Interventions are implemented and evaluated for

effectiveness

Motivation

ALL human behavior is MotivatedStudents may be motived by the following 8 ways:• Status – the need to feel important and valued• Inquisitiveness – the need to know• Affiliation – the need to feel connected• Power – the need to be in control• Achievement – the need to be recognized• Aggression – the need to assert• Gregariousness – the need to be with others• Autonomy – the need to be independent

Maslow’s Hierarchy of NeedsThings to consider before student is capable of learning

Learning Styles Effective teaching strategies help to engage students in learning, develop critical thinking skills, and keep students on task.• Learning Style is an individual's natural or habitual pattern of

acquiring and processing information in learning situations.• One model of learning style divides learners into three

modalities: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.Visual learning is a learning style in which ideas, concepts, data

and other information are associated with images and techniques.

Auditory learning is a learning style in which a person learns through listening.

Kinesthetic learning (also known as tactile learning) is a learning style in which learning takes place by the student carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration.

Supports, Modifications, and Accommodations

Adaptations, accommodations, and modifications need to be individualized for students, based upon their needs and their personal learning styles and interests.

Modification: A change in what is being taught to or expected from the student• Quantity of work load• Changing the curriculum (at a lower level)• A test that is changed given at their lower level

Accommodation: A change that helps a student overcome or work around the disability • Extra time to complete work/tests/quizzes• Preferential seating• The use of technology or a scribe for written assignments• The use of a multiplication chart• Graphic organizers

Modifications or accommodations are most often made in the following areas:Scheduling, Setting, Materials, Instruction and Student Response

Activate Prior KnowledgeCues – “hints” about what students are about to experience• Present Students with Explicit Cues Questions – elicit what they already know about the topic• Ask Questions that Require Students to Make Inferences about

Content• Present Students with Questions that Require them to Analyze What

they are Studying in Complex WaysAdvance Organizers – organizational frameworks that a teacher presents in advance of learning. Emphasize the essential ideas that the teacher plans to cover in a lesson or unit. • Present Students with Expository Advance Organizers• Present Students with Narrative Advance Organizers• Use Graphic Advance Organizers• Use Skimming as an Advance Organizer

Writing Instructional ObjectivesBenefits:• Provide organized goals• Assess learning outcomes• Tool to achieve consistent results• Evaluate if students achieve objectives• Helps select instructional materials

Using ABCD MethodAudience – Describes who is performing behavior (students)Behavior – What do you want students to be able to doCondition – Describe what learner will use, have access to (calculator, graphic organizer)Degree – How well you want them to perform (quality, accuracy, time, speed)

SMART GoalsGoals/Standards are general statements of desired learning

Learning Objectives are specific statements Student Centered- Specific learning targets for students Guide lesson planning

Specific – exactly what is to accomplish by studentsMeasurable – define acceptable levels of learning - quantifiableAttainable - appropriate level to ensure success of contentRealistic - relevant/results oriented – learning outcomesTimely – specific ending point through formative assessment

Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s Ranking of Thinking SkillsKnowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

List, Name, Identify, Show, Define, Recognize, Recall, State, Visualize

Summarize, Explain, Interpret, Describe, Compare, Paraphrase, DifferentiateDemonstrateClassify

Solve, Illustrate, Calculate, Use, Interpret, Relate, Manipulate,Apply, Modify

Analyze, Organize, Deduce, Contrast, Compare, Distinguish, Discuss, Plan, Devise

Design, HypothesizeSupport, Schematize,Write, Report, Justify

Evaluate, Choose, Estimate, Judge, Defend, Criticize

New Version Old Version

ASSESSMENTFormative Assessment: The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning. More specifically, formative assessments:• help students identify their strengths and weaknesses and target areas that need work• help faculty recognize where students are struggling and address problems immediately

Examples of formative assessments include asking students to:• Discussion• Observations• Questioning• Peer Questioning• Journals• Homework

Summative Assessment: The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Examples of summative assessments include:• End of unit tests• A final project• A paper• State mandated assessments

Family Engagement

• It is important for both school and families to work together when working to set and implement goals and objectives for students with problem behaviors• Communication is critical between family and

school• Share resources!