*This learning plan was created in ECS 303 – Fall term 2020*
Who’s in my Pocket Narrative
This student’s name is Aria, and they are in the sixth grade. Aria has many dreams; she would love to be a doctor or a veterinarian when she is older. Aria loves animals and loves watching the vet shows on tv. Her favourite animal is a horse, and she goes every week to a local stable to ride. Aria is an exceptionally bright student and when she loves something, she loves it with all her heart. Aria has one setback in her dreams, she has cerebral palsy. Aria was diagnosed at birth with this is a permanent movement disorder. This is something that Aria will carry with her all her life. As much as she would love to go to university and accomplish her goals of becoming a doctor or vet, she has certain limitations that may prevent her from going. She has the desire to learn at school, however, is easily distracted by other topics. She loves to make friends with the teachers but when it comes to focusing, she struggles. Aria’s maturity level is lower than other students her age which makes the learning process slower and more difficult. Her family is incredibly involved in encouraging her to participate in school and extracurricular activities. This has helped Aria to not give up on school completely and she continues to work on reading and writing on a regular basis. Part of what holds Aria back is that she knows her physical limitations will prevent her from doing all the things she wants to do in life. She has expressed before how she would like to be able to do certain things independently and move out of her parent’s house one day.
Adapting for Learning
We can start first with the learning environment. For Aria it would be important to have a learning environment that is free from distraction. A great way to help with this is using a tip from The Adaptive Dimension resource which suggests having a quiet, minimal clutter learning space (Education, 2017). For Aria this would help her to focus on the task set out for her. With limited people in the room, she would hopefully find it easier to stay focussed. Another idea that could benefit is helping Aria organize her material in a way that will help her prioritize her schoolwork (Education, 2017). This could be of benefit to Aria because she does seem to be motivated towards the goal of doctor or vet. If she is given the tools to stay on task, I think she could be successful in her studies.
Secondly, we can look at the types of instruction. One of the main areas of adaptive instruction that I think would benefit Aria, is having a combination of multi-sensory instructional materials, and time within the day for body breaks (Education, 2017). By having multi-sensory materials for Aria to explore, this may help her to stay focused on a learning task longer. When teaching a math concept, for example, having both written materials she needs to complete as well as math manipulatives she can use to enhance her learning may be all she needs to stay focused. This will also help her to understand concepts that may come easy to others in the class, by giving her extra time to look at it visually as well. The body breaks within learning tasks can be a way to motivate her by saying, “once we get through this question, we will move onto a just dance video”. This could also boost her confidence in her movement ability. If she is getting up daily and encouraged in moving her body in different ways, she is more likely to gain skills and confidence that could help her in the future.
Third, we can talk about resources that can be used. One point that stood out to me was the idea of the student having a say in the resources that are picked (Education, 2017). This could be a valuable approach to use with Aria. She is a bright student and is passionate about her interests. Having Aria collaborate on the resources and materials she is using to learn will help her to stay interested and focussed. An example could be, including horses within the theme of English and having Aria write a poem on riding horses. I think this will also give Aria a sense on independence and self-directed study. By letting Aria self direct her study, she may feel empowered to be focussed and engaged in all points of the learning experience. Aria is more likely to be excited about learning if it pertains to an interest she has.
Lastly, we can look at different forms of assessment. For Aria, I think it is important to involve the parents in the assessment process (Education, 2017). I think this is especially important in Aria’s case because her parents seem to be involved and encouraging in Aria’s growth and learning. Sending an email to the parents regarding what is being covered in the class and the expectations for Aria could be valuable. I think this could also help to promote a positive school-home life balance for Aria. There is great benefit in being in communication with Aria’s parents because then everyone is on the same page with expectations and goals for Aria. Aria’s parents would also be a great resource to help in deciding adaptive learning strategies. I think giving Aria and the parents specific dates that she can work towards to complete certain learning tasks would be of benefit (Education, 2017). If Aria has set dates that things are to be complete, she might be more motivated and less distracted when it comes to classwork. It also ensures that both the teacher and parent are encouraging Aria within the same timeline. I also think the idea of having daily and/or weekly check ins with the parents and Aria on how she is doing is needed. That way everyone is on the same page and can support Aria in being successful within the school and daily life.