Overview of Positive Partnerships

1. How to make adjustments and accommodations to increase engagement and participation of students with ASD in the classroom. The Positive Partnerships initiative is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education through the Helping Children with Autism Package. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government or the Australian Government Department of Education.

2. Overview of Positive Partnerships • The overall objective of Positive Partnerships is to improve the educational outcomes of school age students with ASD. • This initiative is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, as part of the Helping Children with Autism package. • Positive Partnerships comprises a professional development component for educators and a complementary component for parents/carers of school age students with ASD. • www.positivepartnerships.com.au

3. What do we believe about student learning? - Brainstorm

4. What do we believe? All students can succeed Effective schools enable a culture of learning Effective teachers are critical to students’ learning success Teaching and learning are inclusive Inclusive schools actively engage and work in partnership with the wider community Fairness is not sameness Effective teaching practices are evidence-based High expectations are essential for all students Learning occurs as a continuum

6. Differentiation At its most basic level, differentiating means ‘shaking up’ what goes on in the classroom so that students have multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they learn…providing different avenues to acquiring content, processing or making sense of ideas and to develop products so that each student can learn effectively. Tomlinson, 2001

7. Three types of adjustments Adjustments Instructional Adjust how it is taught and how learning is demonstrated Curriculum Adapt what is taught Environmental Adapt the setting Student preference Student interest Task difficulty Is it meaningful? Is it functional? Student response Oral, written, drawn, typed, videoed, high tech How is it presented Visuals, displays Broken down into manageable chunks Extra time More concentration on certain topics Who Sitting next to? Group? Support? Where Learning? Sitting? When Ideal times? Support?

8. Curriculum adjustments Adjustments Curriculum Adapt what is taught Instructional Adjust how it is taught and how learning is demonstrated Environmental Adapt the setting Student preference Student interest Task difficulty Is it meaningful? Is it functional? Student response Oral, written, drawn, typed, videoed, high tech How is it presented Visuals, displays Broken down into manageable chunks Extra time More concentration on certain topics Who Sitting next to? Group? Support? Where Learning? Sitting? When Ideal times? Support?

9. What are curriculum adjustments? • Curriculum adjustments refer to measures or actions taken in order to provide a student with a disability the same educational opportunities as everyone else. • For adjustments to be reasonable they need to be appropriate for the particular studentwith a disability in a particular situation.

10. The Australian Curriculum http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/StudentDiversity/Pdf/StudentDiversity

11. Curriculum adjustments - considerations • Input: Can the student learn from the same kinds of instruction and materials as his or her classmates? • Output: Can the student participate in the lessons, produce what is necessary, and be assessed in the same way as other classmates? • Rate: Can the student work as fast as the rest of the class? Does the student need the same amount of feedback and practice? • Support: Can the student manage independent and group work as well as his or her classmates?

12. Sample questions - unadjusted Question 1 • Name two examples of a cultural group having a differing view on the uses of science than the majority of the population • Describe some reasons for this group holding differing views • Assess the possible impacts of these differing opinions on the cultural group

13. Year 9 Assessment Task Research Question 1 Name two examples of a cultural group having different views on the uses of science than most of the population Describe some reasons for this group having different views Assess the possible impacts of these different views on the cultural groups Cultural Group ______________________ Cultural Group ______________________ a) b) Reasons Reasons Impacts Impacts c)

15. Instructional adjustments Adjustments Instructional Adjust how it is taught and how learning is demonstrated Curriculum Adapt what is taught Environmental Adapt the setting Student response Oral, written, drawn, typed, videoed, high tech How is it presented Visuals, displays Broken down into manageable chunks Extra time More concentration on certain topics Student preference Student interest Task Difficulty Is it meaningful? Is it functional? Who Sitting next to? Group? Support? Where Learning? Sitting? When Ideal times? Support?

16. What are instructional adjustments? • Teaching practices that engage students in the curriculum. • Instructional adjustments support students to: • Participate • Demonstrate learning • Produce something that becomes evidence of learning

17. Students will be successful in learning if the following information is provided: • What am I expected to do? • How much am I expected to do? • How will I know when I am finished? • What will I do next? • Having a clear understanding of what is happening and what he/she is meant to do will decrease any anxiety a student may be feeling because they are unsure and unable to ask for clarification.

18. Activity: Instructional adjustments Match the instructional adjustment to its definition

19. Environmental adjustments Adjustments Environmental Adapt the setting Instructional Adjust how it is taught and how learning is demonstrated Curriculum Adapt what is taught Who Sitting next to? Group? Support? Where Learning? Sitting? When Ideal times? Support? Student preference Student interest Task Difficulty Is it meaningful? Is it functional? Student response Oral, written, drawn, typed, videoed, high tech How is it presented Visuals, displays Broken down into manageable chunks Extra time More concentration on certain topics

20. What are environmental adjustments? • The adaptation of the setting: • The where, when and with whom learning will take place • Environmental organisation of classrooms and other learning environments is just as important as curriculum and instructional adjustments

21. Environmental adjustments • Physical environmente.g. organised areas, physical boundaries, stimuli • Learning environment e.g. seating plans, time management, grouping • Visual organisatione.g. colour coding, labelling

22. General accommodations/adjustments checklist • What adjustments are you currently making? • What adjustments could now be included as a result of this session?

23. Thank you for your participation FAIRNESS AND EQUITY Responding to every student in the same way is equal. Responding to each student based on needs is the meaning of fairness. Take golf… All golfers have different abilities Everyone tees off together So that everyone has the same opportunity to win a handicap is given No one seems to think that this is unfair. ‘Fairness is not everyone getting the same but everyone getting what he or she needs’ Socrates

24. The Positive Partnerships Website www.positivepartnerships.com.au