EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

EDU10712 Assessment 3: Report on Learning

Instructional Practices That Limit a Student
Instructional practices are actions that originate from the teacher that dictate how and what the
students are to be taught. In regards to students with additional needs, some standard practices limit
the student's ability to access the curriculum and participate effectively in the classroom.
Teachers must allow or obtain additional time for preparation, a study of Queensland
teachers found that teachers were challenged by lack of time in preparation and teaching, lack of
training and balancing the needs of the student against the rest of the class (Watson & Bond 2007).
Lack of time, resources, training and willingness are the core limitations from teachers that
influence other components of the student's schooling.
Access to the curriculum is often hampered by the method it is being delivered by.
Presentation of tasks, such as the use of worksheets, textbooks and the complexity of texts will limit
how a student with an intellectual disability can access the curriculum. Tasks that use complex
sentence structure, over use of technical vocabulary and a one-size-fits-all policy of assessment are
practices that further limit students with additional needs. Presentation of information is another
seemingly obvious limitation, reliance on technologies that require good eye-sight discourage
students with low-vision disabilities or attention deficit disorders. Teachers who do not utilise
alternate content delivery create barriers to curriculum access.
Assessments that focus on what the student was unable to do rather than their improvements
can increase the risk of students with additional needs receiving grades that are low, inaccurate and
lacking meaning (Silva, Munk & Bursuck 2005). Consistently low grades can force a student into a
'failure trap' that ultimately excludes them from parts of the curriculum.
Interaction with peers is another component that teachers can inadvertently limit. Wehmeyer
et al. (2003) argued that by having a more open curriculum with open-ended standards, students

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

have greater access to the curriculum and thus access to inclusive settings. Attitudes of peers can
also influence the student's ability to develop collaborative practices effectively.

Learning Context and Learning Outcomes

Learning Context is the environment in which all students learn. All the factors that comprise a
student's learning environment will determine a student's success in attaining learning outcomes, be
they the outcomes of regular students or outcomes tailored to advance a student into adult-life.
Factors such as classroom layout will affect any student's ability to meet outcomes. Seating
arrangements, classroom rules and set routines can assist students with intellectual or behavioural
difficulties in attaining outcomes. For example, Think-Pair-Share activities enable students
additional time to process information, opportunities to check their understanding and allow a
greater interaction with their peers. This can be implemented with pair or group seating, with
individual students placed to maximise collaboration while minimising disruptive behaviour.
The 'feeling' or attitude of a classroom has a vast impact on student learning. Teachers who
make it plain the reasonable expectations of their students, utilise a variety of instructional practices
and maintain encouragement to their students will foster a caring and respectful environment. This
context should also be extending into the school-yard and the greater community
Advantages of this are a reduction of misbehaviour and ensuring that skills can be carried on to
adult-life.

Adapting Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Strategies

Sammy the Student

Sammy is a 12 year old boy transitioning to Year 7. Sammy has a severe form of cerebral palsy that
has impaired his muscle-tone and motor-control. He uses a motorised wheelchair and requires
significant assistance with self-care tasks. Due to his issues with fine-motor-control, Sammy has a

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

minor vision impairment and prominently uses non-verbal forms of communication to express his
needs and desires. Like many other children with cerebral palsy, Sammy also has an intellectual
disability. Sammy has Stage 2 level of reading ability with low-vision adaptations.
The school has begun planning for Sammy by using its Learning Support Team (LST) to
identify
Sammy's needs, strengths and challenges
his priority learning goals
adjustments required to achieve goals
any additional considerations (medical, health, behavioural etc.)
key personnel assisting classroom implementation
From these findings a Learning Support Plan (LSP) is generated.

Priority Goals
These are prioritised before Life Skill Outcomes prescribed by the NSW Board of Studies. These
five goals are what the majority of Sammy's education will aim to address.
For Sammy to use object symbols and photographs to communicate his needs and wants
For Sammy to further develop his literacy
For Sammy to develop greater independence in self-help skills
For Sammy to use technology to communicate more effectively
Life Skill outcomes are selected based on the needs of the student. It is not necessary for a student
to be accessed on all Life Skill Outcomes (BOS 2013). Sammy could potentially attain the
following outcomes:
ENLS-1A Listen and responds in familiar contexts
ENLS-2A Communicates for a variety of purposes, audiences and contexts
ENLS-4A View and responds to a range of visual texts, media and multimedia
ENLS-6A Reads and responds to a range of written texts in familiar contexts

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

ENLS-17E Uses individual and collaborative skills in the learning process

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

Learning Support Plan

Name: Sammy
Priority Goal

Stage: 4
Teaching strategies and Curriculum Outcomes
adjustments

What knowledge/skills Which adjustments can

does the student need to be made to help the
know
student to achieve this
goal

Which outcomes is the student working towards?

Purpose of the learning activity?
Do learning experiences relate to the student's
existing knowledge and skills?
Expand on learn to and learn about in
programming

Date:

Review:

Indicators

Comments

What are the indicators Strengths?

of the student's learning Current achievements?
that you would expect Areas of concern?
to observe

Stage 4/5 Life Skills

For Sammy to use
object symbols and
photographs to
communicate his needs
and wants
For Sammy to further
develop his literacy

English

Adaptation of texts, in
complexity and
accessibility

ENLS-2A Communicates for Demonstrates

a variety of purposes,
anticipation and
audiences and contexts
planning when
informed of next
activity

Mostly uses non-verbal

communication

ENLS-1A Listen and

Increased
Vision impairment,
responds in familiar contexts comprehension abilities requires large print
ENLS-4A View and
responds to a range of visual
texts, media and multimedia
ENLS-6A Reads and
responds to a range of
written texts in familiar
contexts
ENLS-17E Uses individual
and collaborative skills in
the learning process

Shows great interest in

communication with his
peers

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

Other priority goals and Life Skills will be addressed in other Key Learning Areas. For the purpose of this example, the focus will be on English.

Programming Template
A simple example of modification for a lesson plan.
Whole Class Planning
English Year 7

Individual Planning

Unit outcomes

Content/teaching/
learning activities

Resources

Life Skill
Outcomes

Indicators

Content/teaching/
learning activities

Resources

Identify, describe
symbols and
symbolism

Examples of
symbols, then
discussion.
Class reading of
texts containing
symbolism.

Smart-board
Text
Worksheets.

ENLS-1A Listens
and responds in
familiar contexts

Connects symbols
with meanings

Student uses finemotor skills to draw

connection lines
between words and
symbols

Uses large print

worksheets that use
some fine-motor
controls.

Analyse meaning
from symbolism in
texts

Worksheet
activities,
class discussion.

Large, bold
examples of
symbols.
ENLS-6A Reads
and responds to a
range of written
texts in familiar
contexts

Checks for
comprehension,
student identifies
order of events in
the text using a
adapted individual
worksheets.

Student is asked to
mark words that are
difficult or
unknown, teacher
explains meaning.

Uses large print

example of texts
suitable for the
student's reading
ability.

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

Curriculum Based Assessment

Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA) is a framework for class-level testing of student performance,
the use of assessment information in programming and planning decisions for teachers (ArthurKelly & Neilands 2011). Unlike large scale standardised testing that assesses the wider population,
CBA is used to generate a profile of the individual student. CBA is an ongoing process rather than
an isolated event. It is direct and frequent and occurs in the classroom as a normal part of the
teaching day.
The emphasis is on measuring student performance on material that is individually relevant
and part of a class-level program (Blankenship 1985). CBA helps teachers to ascertain students'
instructional needs by identifying the current capabilities of the student and the skills and
knowledge the students will need (Choate et al. 1995).
There are 5 main steps to CBA.

1. Identify the scope and sequence of the curriculum

Important questions at this stage are What should the learner be able to know or do? and What is
the logical order of this content or skills?. Mastery of a basic skill is necessary before progressing
to the next higher skill. Teachers organise the content into a series of cumulative teaching models or
stages.
At this task tasks are analysed. A task is broken down into its component parts, and these are
identified as content (knowledge, concepts and facts) and strategies (what to do with the content)
(Howell, Fox & Morehead 1993). A teacher can then determine what is to be learned and how.

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

2. Assess the current performance level of the student on the

curriculum
The how and how well the student performed the task. Teachers use a wide range of assessments to
gather information form multiple sources to identify errors and pinpoint re-mediation efforts.

3. Establish short-term instructional objectives

These objectives are seen as small steps. Teachers regularly assess the students' progress to check
for learning. Short-term objectives are typically a precise statement of expected student
performance. Typically a statement will state the student, the cue, the desired action and the time
frame to complete the action.
It is important to remember that short term goals are built upon by the information gained
form the previous 2 steps. What the student can do and what they need to be able to do is important
information for attainable objectives (Arthur-Kelly & Neilands 2011).
Lastly it is important to note that short term objectives do not specify how to teach the
student.

4. Introduce effective instruction

These strategies are how to teach component that short-term objectives do not cover. There are
numerous strategies available to teachers than can be chosen to ensure student engagement with the
curriculum. It is also possible for teachers to combine strategies to optimise learning outcomes.
Some examples of strategies are peer-assisted cooperative learning, process-based cognitive
approaches, self-directed learning, computer-assisted instruction and direct instruction.

5. Actively monitor student progress and adjust program features

Closely monitor the student, ensure that they are mastering skills before progressing to the next

EDU10712 REPORT ON LEARNING DALE HASTINGS 22287270

short-term objective. Should teaching be ineffective, consider using or combining other strategies.

Direct Instruction (DI)

Involves highly structured and explicit teaching of content and strategies (Engelmann & Carnine
1982). Direct Instruction (DI) uses prompts and cues to elicit a response from the learner and uses
positive reinforcement to achieve the desired learning. As such it is deeply rooted in behavioural
theory (Magliaro, Locklee & Burton 2005).
Teachers who use DI are expected to deliver scripted cues and instructions to their students
and make regular program adjustments in response to assessment results and learner observations
(Arthur-Kelly & Neilands 2011). DI places emphasis on the clear transmission of information to
the learner and the student's success in achieving their objectives (Gersten 1992).
When combined with a peer-assisted instructional model, DI has been found to be effective
in teaching students with learning disabilities (Marchand-Martella, & Martella 2002). When used to
achieve the short-term objectives the teacher can ensure that the student has mastered the requisite
skills to advance further. While DI does not permit much opportunity for cognitive and metacognitive development, it does effectively teach skills to students that may be unable to fully grasp
the full depths of metacognition.

References
Arthur-Kelly, M. & Neilands, J. (2011). Planning effective teaching strategies. In P. Foreman (Eds.),
Inclusion in Action, Third Edition. (pp. 179-214). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning
Australia.
Blankenship, C.S. (1985). Using curriculum-based assessment data to make instructional decisions.
Exceptional Children, 52, 233-238.
Board of Studies (2013), 'Special Education Needs - Years 7-10', Board of Studies New South

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10

Wales. Retrieved from http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/special_ed/faq_7_10.html

Choate, J.S., Enright, B.E., Miller, L.J., Poteet, J.A., & Rakes, T.A. (1995). Curriculum-based
assessment and programming (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Engelmann, S., & Carnine, D. (1982). Theory of Instruction: Principles and applications. New York,
Irvington.
Gersten, R. (1992). Passion and precision: response to 'Curriculum-based assessment and direct
Instruction: Critical reflections on fundamental assumptions'. Exceptional Children, 58, 464467.
Howell, K.W., Fox, S.L., & Morehead M.K. (1993). Curriculum-based evaluation: Teaching and
decision-making (2nd ed.). Belmont: Brooks/Cole.
Magliaro, S.G., Lockee, B.B., & Burton, J.K. (2005), Direct Instruction Revisited: A Key Model
for Instructional Technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4),
41-56.
Marchand-Martella N., & Martella, R. (2002), An Overview and Research Summary of PeerDelivered Corrective Reading. The Behavior Analyst Today, 3, 214-235.
Silva, M., Munk, D.D, & Bursuck, W.D. (2005). Grading adaptations for students with disabilities.
Intervention in School and Clinic, 41, 87-98.
Watson, J., & Bond, T.G. (2007). Hear my voice: Mainstream secondary students with learning
difficulties speak out. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 12, 51-59.
Wehmeyer, M.L., Lattin, D.L., Lapp-Rincker, G., & Agran, M. (2003). Access to the general
curriculum of middle school students with mental retardation. Remedial and Special
Education, 24(5), 262-272.