Synopsis
We are excited to share with you a revised and updated 2024 version of our handbook for the modification of curriculum! The authors' primary motivation for writing the original was based on the knowledge that students with special needs who were performing significantly below grade level were not receiving the right kind of support to be successful in the general education curriculum. Our impetus for updating our handbook was an awareness of so many other students, in addition to those who are designated for special education, who are now experiencing learning loss for various reasons and could benefit from our process. We profess that common barriers to learning are the large scope of the curriculum, the rapid pace of instruction, and the complexity of the content. Resources for making curriculum modifications are scarce, and those that are available are often too specific to be of much help.This handbook is different from any other you may have read on the topic of modifications in that the intent is to introduce a process that is designed for modifying courses, prepared only once and then used as the foundation for individualized modifications if needed. The goal is not only to provide students access to curriculum that is achievable and appropriate, but also to assist their hard working teachers who struggle to modify specific tasks on a daily basis. It is not an additional curriculum but rather modification of the one that teachers know so well and are currently using for all their students.Consensus from those who have tried this process has been that the initial effort required to create a basic modification plan is later rewarded by important benefits: a sharing of the work load and a significant saving of time and frustration in the midst of daily classroom instruction. In addition, benefits for students included higher achievement, an authentic assessment of what they had learned, greater independence and self-esteem, and assimilation into general education classrooms that was relevant and respectful. All things considered, our continuing answer to why we wrote this handbook is threefold: our need to insure an appropriate education for all, our empathy for those who struggle academically, and for their teachers, and most importantly, our desire to make a positive impact on the lives of those differently-abled young people who are depending on us.
About the Author
Ms. Nathan and Dr. Wahl have over sixty years of combined experience working with students with special needs, administrators, teachers and parents. Ms. Nathan began her career as a speech pathologist but soon became interested in the field of learning disabilities. She pursued a Master's Degree at the University of Arizona in preparation for working with a diagnostic team to identify children with learning disabilities in the rural schools of Nebraska. Following a move to Iowa she served as a resource teacher for elementary and secondary students with special needs for thirty years before taking a position as a special education consultant with a large Midwestern school district. Dr. Wahl has a lifelong passion for teaching. After earning her Bachelors' Degree, Master's Degree, Education Specialist Certification, and Educational Doctorate, Dr. Wahl continues to teach at the university level. Her specialties include classroom management strategies and inclusion practices. Ms. Nathan and Dr. Wahl have made presentations at the local, state and national levels regarding the modification process highlighted in this handbook. When not working with teachers and students the authors enjoy spending time with their adult children and grandchildren.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
