2.5: Apply and Reflect

Exercise

Read the following anecdotes and answer the questions.

• Which scenario shows how a teacher makes a modification, and which shows an accommodation? Use the explanation above to justify your answer.
• Explain how education is no longer “One size fits all” and use examples from the scenarios to support your answer.
• What assistive technology might be used in each scenario, and how?

Scenario 1

In Mrs. Green's third-grade class, the students were given an assignment to write a short report on an animal. They were supposed to research their animal, write down interesting facts, and then present what they learned in a few paragraphs. Most of the students were excited about the project, but one student, Max, felt nervous. Max loved animals, but he didn’t like writing. He often found it hard to sit down and write long sentences and would get frustrated when he couldn’t explain his thoughts clearly on paper.

One day, Mrs. Green noticed Max was looking upset and decided to talk to him after class. Max told her how much he loved animals but how hard it was for him to write the report. He was worried he wouldn’t be able to finish it.

Mrs. Green thought for a moment and then smiled. “Max, I have an idea,” she said. “How about instead of writing a report, you create a poster about your animal? You can draw pictures and write a few facts. You can still tell me everything you’ve learned, but you’ll do it in a way that feels more fun and less stressful.”

Max’s face lit up. He loved drawing and thought the poster idea sounded perfect. Mrs. Green explained that he could include pictures of his animal, labels showing where it lives, what it eats, and any special facts. He could even use bright colors to make it interesting for everyone to see.

Over the next week, Max worked hard on his poster. He drew a big picture of his animal, a wolf, running through the forest. He added fun facts like, “Wolves live in packs” and “Wolves can run up to 35 miles per hour!” Max was proud of his work and even showed his classmates a few sneaky wolf facts as he worked.

When it was time to present, Max stood up in front of the class with his poster. He shared what he had learned about wolves, and everyone was amazed at how much information he knew. His classmates loved the pictures, and Max felt proud of what he had done. Mrs. Green praised him for his creativity and for using his own way to share his learning.

Thanks to Mrs. Green's idea, Max was able to complete the project in a way that worked for him. It reminded him that there are many ways to show what you know, and sometimes making small changes to an assignment can help everyone shine in their own special way.

Scenario 2

In Mrs. Lopez’s third-grade class, it was time for the students to take their weekly spelling test. Most of the students seemed excited to show how well they knew their words, but one student, Lily, was feeling a little anxious. Lily had dyslexia, which made it difficult for her to read and spell words the way most of her classmates did. While she understood the words when she heard them, writing them down was a challenge.

As Mrs. Lopez began handing out the spelling tests, she noticed that Lily was staring at the paper, looking a little overwhelmed. Mrs. Lopez had learned about Lily’s challenge and knew that she needed to provide an accommodation to help her succeed. Instead of simply handing Lily the test like the other students, Mrs. Lopez quietly pulled Lily aside and gave her a special arrangement. She offered to read the words out loud to her one at a time, allowing her to focus on spelling without having to struggle with reading them off the paper.

Lily smiled with relief as Mrs. Lopez carefully pronounced each word, giving her time to think and write. With this small change, Lily was able to focus on what she knew and do her best without feeling stressed. She wrote down the words with more confidence, remembering how they sounded rather than struggling with the letters on the page.

When the test was over, Lily’s results were much better than she had expected. Mrs. Lopez praised her for doing such a great job, and Lily felt proud of her accomplishment. The accommodation helped her show what she knew without letting her dyslexia get in the way.

Mrs. Lopez understood that every student learns in their own way, and sometimes a simple adjustment — like reading aloud the test — can make all the difference in helping a student succeed.