Strategies
for Teaching Students with Disabilities
As with other unique
characteristics of students, a few basic principles can help teacher teach
science to children with disabilities. The first is the process oriented
inquiry methodology. This methodology embodies those factors that are necessary
for teaching all children, including those with disabilities. These factors
include (1) concrete, hands on learning experience; (2) reduced need for
reading and writing skills; (3) involvement in group interactions and group
activities; (4) providing for individual differences; and (5) encouraging areas
of interest and inquisitiveness (Caseau & Norman, 1997).
Research has shown that
inquiry is a successful method for teaching students with disabilities. Brown
(2006) showed that elementary science that focused on inquiry resulted in
marked improvement in science achievement on the part of both students with
special needs and regular students. McCharthy found that middle school students
with serious emotional disturbances who studied science using a hands on
program performed significantly better than the comparison students in a
traditional, textbook oriented program. Lynch, et al (2007) observed students
in inclusionary eighth grade classroom as they studied a unit on chemistry and
found that booth students with disabilities and regular students who used the
guided inquiry approach exhibited significantly better achievement than those
in the comparison group who did not use that approach.
Anoter strategy that
has been shown to be effective with students with disabilities is the Science
Technology Society (STS) curriculum model (Caseau & Norman, 1997). In this
model, teachers develop studies around problems and issues of interest to the
topic under study.
Specific
accommodations for adapting science instruction for children with disabilities
1. Prepare materials to
be explicit. specific, and delivered in small bites.
2. Ensure that children
have previously achieved the skills and understandings they need.
3. Demonstrate
procedures while giving directions.
4. Develop written or
pictorial cue cards on directions and display them in the proper order.
5. Modify reading
levels to meet the capabilities of the children.
6. Use the large print.
7. Use graphic organizers
8. Identify and define
any vocabulary words that may come up.
9. Provide consistent
feedback
10. Allow students to
improve and resubmit assignments
11. Encourage children
to demonstrate their competencies through various means.
12. Modify assessments
so students with disabilities can demonstrate their understanding and
achievement.
13. Modify equipment
and materials to sure all children can use them
14. Provide assistive and
adaptive technology resources
15. Enlarge aisles and
areas of movement to accommodate all children
Material
and Equipment for students with disabilities
In some cases,
instructional materials need to be adapted to meet the need of students with
disabilities. Some adaptations are inexpensive or free, such as putting rubber
expanders on pencils to make them easier to hold, making a variety of pictures
and drawings available to assist in conceptual understanding, putting up signs
to help students wits vision impairments, providing clipboards to serve as
tilting desktops, providing “sensory” stories, and the like (Leatherman, 2006).
Other adaptations are expensive such as ergonomic technology workstations,
wheelchairs, slant boards, angled writing surfaces, automatic page turner,
computer screen readers, and a whole range of assistive and adaptive
technological hardware and software.
It all this sounds
familiar, it should. The research on teaching science to children with
disabilities suggests using learning strategies that center on open ended,
inquiry oriented, problem solving investigations, that are challenging to
children and require their cognitive engagement. The learning experiences
should be tailored to meet the needs of each individual child, including those
with disabilities. This is the essence of the process oriented inquiry method
of instruction. From the constructivist viewpoint, teaching all children with
disabilities is seen as a special case of teaching all children rather than as
a special problem requiring a special methodology.
Above all, it is the
attitude of the teacher that encourages children with special needs to succeed
in science
David Jerner Martin. 2009.
Elementary Science Methods: A Conctructivist Approach. USA: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning.
