Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Attendees will gain insight on differentiating accommodations and modifications to provide balanced support to exceptional learners, so they can rise to the challenges of their abilities. This workshop is based on the premise that the exceptional learner, that is, students with disabilities, have capabilities that need to be nourished, and not simply compensated for. Across the world there are laws and policies that direct educators to implement accommodations and modifications in an effort to assist these exceptional learners. The discussion is whether we are preparing learners for success or are we teaching them to function only with assistance? This workshop with explore some of the most common modifications and accommodations, such as discreet trial teaching, FM systems, behavior plans, and prompting, and the formal structures that require them. Attendees will be led through an immersive experience, which consists of a series of exercises designed to provide perspective on a variety of disabilities and the accommodations and modifications currently used to address them. From there, we will explore the rationale behind these processes, and discuss how each attendee/learner was assisted or hindered by each. Adjustments to the modifications and accommodations will be made and the interactive process will be restarted, followed by discussion on the efficacy of the assistance.