Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994 Page: 25
39 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Modification and Manipulatives
The Key To Success With Special Needs Students
by
Janet Sellers, Special Education Teacher
East Campus, Keene ISDHow do you do it? How do you modify
curriculum content to meet the learning needs of Spe-
cial Education Students? What do you do with a
secondary student who reads on a second- grade level?
How do you communicate abstract concepts to stu-
dents who have difficulty comprehending the day of
the week? Is it possible to keep a student on task who
is compelled by handicapping conditions to live in a
world of fantasy? Such are the challenges teachers at
Keene ISD-East Campus face regularly.
Following seven successful years as a second-
ary, vocational teacher at non-specialized high schools,
I "stumbled" into a position at a hospital campus for
emotionally disturbed students. That first year, coping
with culture shock was my primary concern. At the
close of four years, I find I've learned, among other
things, to modify curriculum content to cope with
multiple handicapping conditions.
Perhaps our students' greatest limiting factor is
their lack of real world experiences. Couple that
problem with ED, LD, ADD, MR, and all the other
acronyms associated with Special Education and the
result can truly be called "a challenge." My goal is to
build a bridge between the students' handicaps and the
course content they need to master.
If the success of the Home Economics and
Basic Skills programs at Keene ISD-East Campus can
be briefly stated, that phrase would be "Modify and
Manipulate." The greater the connection betweenactivity oriented, "hands- on" teaching techniques and
adjustment to learning styles, the more successful is
the content mastery.
Examples? The Decision-Making Process.
How can one teach such abstract subject matter to
students with low IQ's? Answer: Relate the sequence
of steps to something with which the students identify.
My choice: thunderstorms. Picture cue cards are the
key. In your mind's eye, visualize:
A storm cloud - Name the Problem
A storm cloud with raindrops - List Alternat-
ives
Raindrops falling on flowers, houses, in
puddles, etc. - Compare Outcomes
A single droplet - Make the Decision
A rainbow in one image, a house with no roof
in the other - Evaluate Results
To you and me the sequence sounds silly, the connec-
tion obscure, but to ED, LD, or MR students it makes
perfect sense. Students who cannot successfully read
a calendar are able not only to remember, but also to
successfully use the steps of the Decision-Making
Process. As the students color reproductions of the
picture images, as we talk through case studies, the
process becomes more and more clear. The first time
this idea worked, I threw a party for two days!
In succeeding years, when I introduce the
process to new classes, former students recognize the
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 1, 1994, periodical, 1994; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201678/m1/25/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Tarleton State University.