MÁSTER EN FORMACIÓN DEL PROFESORADO DE ... - ucm.es · MÁSTER EN FORMACIÓN DEL PROFESORADO DE...

MÁSTER EN FORMACIÓN DEL PROFESORADO DE EDUCACIÓN SECUNDARIA OBLIGATORIA, BACHILLERATO, FORMACIÓN PROFESIONAL

Y ENSEÑANZAS DE IDIOMAS

“Curricular adaptations in the ESL classroom: students with special

educational needs.”

TRABAJO FIN DE MÁSTER. CURSO: 2012 - 2013 ESPECIALIDAD: Lengua Extranjera – Inglés APELLIDOS Y NOMBRE: Ramírez Montero, Susana DNI: 47544829-B CONVOCATORIA: SEPTIEMBRE TUTOR/A: Dra. Asunción López-Varela Azcárate. Departamento de Filología Inglesa II. Facultad de Filología A.

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ABSTRACT

During the last decades in Spain, the field of orientation has considerably evolved in our

educational system. It is not only a right for all students, but also a symbol of educational

quality. Precisely, the current tendency claims for the so-called “mainstream principle” or

school integration of students with special educational needs (i.e., those whose physical,

intellectual or social capacities are below or above the population average) in the ordinary

classroom, instead of segregating them in special education centres or in other kind of

institutions. Hence, curricular adaptations appear as a solution and as an alternative to

help students with special needs to develop their potential in the most successful way

possible.

Curricular adaptations can be carried out in all subjects, but the main aim of this paper is

to analyse how they are dealt with in the ESL classroom at a high school level and how

students’ performance in L2 benefits from these measures. In order to do that, a detailed

explanation about what the term “special educational needs” refers to and what curricular

adaptations consist of (both in theoretical and practical terms) will be given, followed by a

description of several particular cases (mainly, cases of mental retardation in students

from 2nd year) in which different contents and materials have been used with this kind of

students to accomplish our aim in the ESL classroom. Then, these activities and their

degree of success in our students’ performance in L2 will be analysed according to

Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Finally, a comparison between the

adapted materials and the ordinary ones will be done so that we can check to what extent

curricular adaptations are positive for these students to acquire knowledge in L2 and how

they gradually improve and evolve.

Key words: orientation, educational system, mainstream principle / school integration,

Special Education, curricular adaptations, students with special educational needs,

ordinary classroom, ESL classroom, performance in L2, mental retardation, types of

activities, multiple intelligences, adapted materials.

RESUMEN

Durante las últimas décadas en España, el campo de la orientación educativa ha

evolucionado de forma considerable. No sólo es un derecho de todo estudiante, sino un

símbolo de calidad. Precisamente, la tendencia actual aboga por el llamado “principio de

normalización” o integración escolar de los alumnos con necesidades educativas

especiales (es decir, aquellos cuyas capacidades físicas, intelectuales y sociales se

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encuentran por debajo o por encima de la media de la población) en el aula ordinaria, en

lugar de segregarles en centros de Educación Especial u otro tipo de instituciones. Así,

las adaptaciones curriculares aparecen como una solución y como una alternativa para

ayudar a los alumnos con necesidades especiales a desarrollar su potencial de la manera

más satisfactoria posible.

Las adaptaciones curriculares pueden llevarse a cabo en cualquier asignatura, pero el

principal objetivo de esta investigación es analizar cómo se trabajan en el aula de inglés a

nivel de secundaria, y cómo el rendimiento de los alumnos en la segunda lengua se ve

beneficiado por estas medidas. Para ello, se dará una explicación detallada acerca de a

qué se refiere el término “necesidades educativas especiales” y en qué consisten las

adaptaciones curriculares (tanto en términos teóricos como prácticos), seguida de una

descripción de diversos casos particulares (principalmente, casos de retraso mental en

estudiantes de 2º curso) en los que se han utilizado diferentes contenidos y materiales

con este tipo de estudiantes para cumplir nuestro objetivo en el aula de inglés.

Posteriormente, estas actividades y su grado de éxito en el rendimiento de nuestros

estudiantes se analizarán de acuerdo a la teoría de las inteligencias múltiples de Howard

Gardner. Finalmente, se hará una comparación entre los materiales adaptados y los

ordinarios para que podamos comprobar hasta qué punto las adaptaciones curriculares

son positivas para que estos estudiantes adquieran conocimiento de la segunda lengua y

cómo mejoran y evolucionan de manera gradual.

Descriptores: orientación, sistema educativo, principio de normalización / integración

escolar, Educación Especial, adaptaciones curriculares, alumnos con necesidades

educativas especiales, aula ordinaria, aula de inglés a nivel de secundaria, rendimiento

en la segunda lengua, retraso mental, tipos de actividades, inteligencias múltiples,

materiales adaptados.

1. INTRODUCTION: JUSTIFICATION AND AIMS

Curricular adaptations within the field of educational orientation are meant to be a useful

way to help students with special needs to make the most of their physical, cognitive and

social capacities in order to grow both academically and personally. These adaptations go

from a lower to a higher degree of significance, from changes in materials or assessment

to deeper modifications in the contents or the objectives of a particular subject. They also

try to make possible that this kind of students are integrated with the rest of their

classmates in the ordinary classroom, so that they are able to take advantage of

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collaborative learning in the same environment. Thus, the ESL classroom can be an

opportunity to work on these adaptations and discover how beneficial they are to the

development of these students’ skills in L2 (in comparison with the contents and materials

aimed at the rest of students with no special needs). In other words, this paper will base

its analysis on real results obtained from implementing curricular adaptations to students

with special needs (cognitive, above all) integrated in a high school ESL classroom, so

that one can check if these measures are really effective to help this kind of students to

develop their L2 learning skills in a successful way.

Why is it relevant to focus our attention on the learning process of students with special

needs within the ESL classroom? We live in a society where changes at all levels are

constantly taking place, and in this sense the attention to diversity has proved to be a

notable landmark in the world of education. Through the “mainstream principle” or school

integration, students with special needs can in theory access to the same opportunities

that the rest of their peers in both academic and social terms while they are helped to

overcome their learning difficulties and to gradually evolve by receiving individualised

attention and adapted contents and materials. To what extent this is positive and feasible

in reality is something still in process of evaluation.

2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Special Education in Spain has considerably evolved throughout the last decades. It

started as an initiative at a social and medical level to educate people considered as

“different” in comparison to the average population in terms of performance and learning

rhythm. However, from the late 50s the tendency changed towards a new educational

model against the segregated schools and known as “principio de normalización” (what

Wolf Wolfensberger called “mainstream principle” in Canada in the 70s). In this sense:

normalización significaría que es preciso plantear para las personas que

presentan cualquier hándicap los objetivos más ordinarios posibles, […]

operar sobre el entorno físico de la persona para hacerlo tan similar

como sea posible al del resto de los individuos. […] promover cambios

en la valoración social de las personas discapacitadas, así como de los

servicios específicos que éstas precisan. (González Manjón, 1995, p.10)

Thus, school integration (i.e. “integración escolar”) appeared to be the way in which the

normalisation principle would be applied in practice. In fact, in 1982 the so-called Ley de

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Integración Social de los Minusválidos was promulgated with the purpose of managing

school integration between ordinary and special centres and in four levels: “1. Integración

completa […]; 2. Integración combinada (unidades ordinarias y de Educación Especial);

Integración parcial (unidades de Educación Especial en centros ordinarios); y 4. No-

integración en Centros específicos (escolarización en centros específicos de Educación

Especial).” (Castanedo, 1998, p.20)

In Spain, educational and professional orientation had been recognised as a right for

every student thanks to the Ley General de Educación (LGE) in 1970, but it was in 1990

when it was seen as a mark of educational quality with the Ley de Ordenación General del

Sistema Educativo (LOGSE). This law went one step further in the attention to diversity in

the educational context, beginning with the introduction of the term “acnee" (alumnos con

necesidades educativas especiales, i.e. students with special educational needs) through

the Real Decreto de Regulación de la Educación Especial in 1985. This concept refers to

those students who perform below or above their physical, intellectual or social capacities

according to what is considered as a normal or average intelligence. In this way,

“curricular adaptations” (which will be explained in detail later on in our study) were

designed to cover the different needs of these students in order to help them develop their

academic and personal potential in the most effective way possible. Nevertheless, the

term “special educational needs” had been used for the first time in the English

educational system thanks to the Warnock Report in 1978 and implemented with the 1981

Education Act. Since that, “many Local Education Authorities (LEAs) have pursued a

policy of integration in which many or, in some cases, almost all pupils are supported in

mainstream schools.” (Montgomery, 1990, p.1)

The Warnock Report changed the existing ideas within the field of Special Education and

it influenced most of the educational systems in other countries. It rejected categorisation

and labelling and it presented the concept of “special educational needs” as a relative and

contextual term, referring to a continuum of students, related to learning difficulties in the

classroom and requiring extraordinary resources. (Marchesi, 2002) Likewise, what

distinguishes this concept from other approaches is that its focus is not on the student as

a problem in himself/herself, but on the educational response carried out to cover his/her

specific needs: “…la condición personal del individuo pasa a ser concebida como un

condicionante, pero lo que realmente determina la especificidad de sus necesidades

educativas […] es la interacción entre éstas y la respuesta educativa que se planifica para

el conjunto de su población de referencia.” (González Manjón, 1995, p.12) On the other

hand, the Warnock Report defined three different types of integration (physical, social and

functional):

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La integración física se produce cuando las clases o unidades de educación

especial se han construido en el mismo lugar que la escuela ordinaria, pero

continúan manteniendo una organización independiente, si bien pueden

compartir algunos lugares como el patio o el comedor. La integración social

supone la existencia de unidades o clases especiales en la escuela ordinaria,

realizando los alumnos en ellas escolarizados algunas actividades con el

resto de sus compañeros […]. Finalmente, la integración funcional es

considerada la forma más completa de integración. Los alumnos con

necesidades educativas especiales participan a tiempo parcial o completo en

las aulas normales y se incorporan como uno más en la dinámica de la

escuela. (Marchesi, 2002, p.35)

Then, community integration takes place once these students leave school and prepare

for the job market, which involves a great commitment from the part of institutions and

citizens. It is important to mention that school integration benefits all students, not only

those with special needs. Therefore, it has to be seen as a process and not as a mere

management of resources. (Marchesi, 2002)

However, there is a huge debate about school integration and about the possibility of

having a particular curriculum for students with special needs or not. As Diane

Montgomery states, “Should there be a special curriculum for pupils with learning

difficulties?” (Montgomery, 1990, p.44) In other words, should these students learn the

same or different contents than the rest of their classmates? To what extent being

identified as a student with special needs helps or is detrimental to the child in question?

Who has the biggest power of decision in the schooling of these students: professionals or

parents? What is more beneficial for these students: the ordinary classroom or a special

one? (Marchesi, 2002) Our educational system is based on a curriculum that embraces a

series of general educational experiences, objectives, contents and materials. From its

most ideal perspective, school integration aims at keeping the same curriculum for all

students respecting their individual differences. It is a difficult task, though. According to

some scholars, a special curriculum can prevent students with special needs from having

access to ordinary learning experiences, whereas a standard one may not be but a light

version of the real ordinary one. (Montgomery, 1990) Thus, “to enable pupils with learning

difficulties to participate in the ordinary curriculum, we must address ourselves not only to

curriculum development but also to pedagogical change.” (Montgomery, 1990, p.48) To

meet all our students’ needs, then, we must focus our attention on the purpose we want to

achieve (aims and objectives), what learning experiences we want our students to have

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(contents), how we want to approach those learning experiences (methods) and how we

can check if this organisation is successful or not (assessment).

It is necessary to change our conception of the given curriculum towards more open

criteria in which the curriculum serves as a tool and not as an end for educational

development. In this sense, the curriculum will be modified and gradually adjusted to

cover our students’ needs. (González Manjón, 1995) In the case of students with special

needs, the educational response is put in practise through the so-called “curricular

adaptations” (adaptaciones curriculares). They appeared as an alternative to the previous

Programas de Desarrollo Individual (P.D.I.), which had their origin in the Individualized

Educational Plans (IEPs) of the USA (Public Law 94-142) in 1975. In Spain, the P.D.I.

were devised as an educational instrument aiming at the global development of an

individual both in academic and social terms, as well as covering his/her physical,

cognitive and emotional needs. They were based on an individual and multidisciplinary

initial evaluation (once identified the problem) followed by the implementation of possible

solutions. In addition, they were functional, flexible and modifiable programmes meant to

be feasible in real life. (González Manjón, 1995) They could be classified according to the

curricular structure, the educational resources employed and the degree of integration of

the student: “en un centro específico. […] en el contexto de un aula especial en centro

ordinario. […] en un aula especial y en un aula ordinaria, complementariamente.”

(González Manjón, 1995, p.21) They appeared as the only way to deal with students’

special needs, and, instead of taking into consideration the student and his/her context,

they were student-centred and they started from the dichotomy of a general curriculum

versus a specific or special one, and that was a motive of criticism. In this sense,

curricular adaptations marked a remarkable and positive change, as they evaluated the

student taking into account his/her context and they started from the ordinary curriculum

with individual adaptations depending on the student in question. Moreover, while P.D.I

were developed by a multiprofessional team with the collaboration of teachers, curricular

adaptations are made by the tutor and the teachers with the help of the orientation

department of the school. (Galve Manzano y Trallero Sanz, 2002)

Curricular adaptations involve adaptations in the ways to access the curriculum (i.e.

personal and material resources) and adaptations in the basic curricular elements. Also,

they can be non-significant (if they carry out changes in methodology, activities and

resources) or significant (if they imply changes in the objectives and contents). They can

be designed for any subject, and they go from the lower to the higher degree of

significance (timing > material resources > personal resources > assessment > contents >

objectives). (Domínguez Pérez, 2012-2013) Of course, in order to undertake them, a

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certain pattern must be followed: “el proceso de adaptación del curriculum a las

necesidades especiales de un individuo dado ha de ser gradual y progresivo, efectuando

en cada momento las modificaciones mínimas estrictamente necesarias para atender a la

diversidad perdiendo el mínimo de comprensividad.” (González Manjón, 1995, p.82) In

order to decide the degree of significance of a curricular adaptation, we must pay attention

to several functional and pedagogical criteria, such as the individual needs of the student

in question, the type of subject in which the activities will be implemented and the

student’s learning style (visual, audial or kinesthetic), as well as contextual and

institutional factors. All these elements work together towards the most integrative

educational response possible so that students with special needs can develop their

academic and personal capacities to their full potential. It is important to clarify that when

curricular adaptations are significant, they are called “individual curricular adaptations”

[adaptaciones curriculares individuales (A.C.I.)]. The characteristics of both significant and

non-significant curricular adaptations can be seen in Figure 2. Before elaborating an

A.C.I., we should have gone through all the previous possibilities of a lower degree of

significance with more or less success to be sure that what the student in question really

needs is a complete individual programme, the last option of the educational response to

his/her situation. As expressed in the following diagram (Figure 1), the whole process has

several steps and it goes from the identification of a student with special needs and the

implementation of some measures from the part of the tutor to the elaboration of an A.C.I.

if the solutions previously undertaken have not been enough:

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El proceso decisional hasta llegar a la elaboración de una A.C.I. Adaptado de Ruiz (1988).

Figure 1. (González Manjón, 1995, p.111)

Thus, the initial evaluation (evaluación psicipedagógica) of a student with special

educational needs consists of collecting data about different aspects:

El primer apartado centra su valoración en datos no curriculares […] informes

médicos, psicológicos, logopédicos, socioeconómicos, […] situación socio-

familiar del alumno/a […] El segundo apartado de esta evaluación se centra

en datos propiamente escolares y curriculares. La parte central del mismo se

destina a describir el Nivel de Competencias Curriculares del alumno/a. se

trata de valorar las habilidades del alumno en relación a los objetivos/

contenidos del ciclo en que está integrado. […] También se evaluarán las

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competencias del alumno en relación a los objetivos/ contenidos que se

relacionan con su situación y/o dificultad más característica o más importante.

[…] El tercer apartado describe las necesidades educativas especiales del

alumno y, consecuentemente, los niveles y tipos de adaptaciones curriculares

que requiere.” (Garrido Landívar y Santana Hernández, 2001, p.137-138)

Figure 2. (González Manjón, 1995, p.86)

An A.C.I. (usually a long-term programme) tends to be elaborated for some subjects in

particular (e.g. Spanish Language, Mathematics, English, Science) depending on the type

of special need the student presents, and they can be distinguishable according to how

much they modify the contents related to the course and cycle in which the student is

immersed. (Garrido Landívar y Santana Hernández, 2001) However, an A.C.I. can also be

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thought as a short-term programme, corresponding to what we know as Didactic Unit (i.e.

a topic or field of knowledge which is covered and worked on in class for several days,

weeks or months with its concrete objectives, contents, methodology, materials, activities,

timing and assessment). In this sense, the A.C.I is carried out modifying and adapting the

different elements of the didactic unit in question to the student’s needs. We will see some

examples of this in the Analysis and the Appendix sections.

From the 80s, the Spanish educational system has considered students with special

needs as “exceptional individuals” (sujetos excepcionales) in physical, psychological or

social terms: “1. Excepcionales Físicos (enfermos crónicos, déficit sensoriales, déficit

motores); 2. Excepcionales Psíquicos (déficit intelectuales, déficit parciales,

superdotados, alteraciones de la personalidad); 3. Inadaptados Sociales

(comportamientos predelincuentes, inadaptación social y delincuencia,

drogodependencia).” (Domínguez Pérez, 2012-2013, p.13-16) This paper will focus on

A.C.I.s implemented in the English classroom and applied to students with learning

difficulties, above all at a cognitive level, but also related to sensory or physical deficits

and ethnic minorities. In any case, before analysing in depth each case, it is important to

give a general overview of what each situation consists of and what they imply both

academically and socially speaking.

Regarding cognitive disorders, the first problem we encounter is a terminological debate.

Is Mental Deficiency (MD) synonymous of Mental Retardation (MR) or are there any

differences between both concepts? Usually, the former is considered to be due to

intrinsic or medical / biological causes, whereas the latter is thought to be the

consequence of extrinsic causes, such as sociocultural factors. (Castanedo, 1998)

Anyway, either of these concepts is used in most contexts as almost synonymous. Maybe,

one of the reasons why it is so difficult to reach to an agreement in the definition is

because some of the terms employed have contemptuous connotations (e.g. disabled /

handicapped), and that is why some countries as Spain and the UK have opted for more

integrative expressions such as “sujetos excepcionales” or “exceptional individuals”.

Basically, we could consider that Mental Retardation is outlined according to three

elements: “el funcionamiento intelectual se determina por el rendimiento en un test de

inteligencia […] la conducta adaptativa, se refiere a […] la capacidad de ser

independiente. […] el período de desarrollo (0 a 18 años).” (Castanedo, 1998, p.69) Most

approaches to MR base their analysis on the results obtained in the previously mentioned

intelligence tests, which measure people’s performance according to certain parameters

represented in the well-known “Campana de Gauss-Laplace” or “Curva Normal de

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Inteligencia”, as seen in Figure 3. In this sense, someone with an IQ of 70 or less is

considered to have MR, since the average intelligence corresponds to an IQ of 100. This

is the criteria followed by the American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR), for

example. For its part, the WHO also takes into account the intelligence tests and classifies

people with MR in four types: mild (IQ 50-55 to 70), moderate (IQ 35-40 to 50-55), severe

(IQ 20-20 to 35-40) and profound (IQ < 20-25). This grouping is also interpreted in terms

of education, from people able to develop their academic and social skills (mild and

moderate MR) to those who need supervision to learn the most basic things about self-

care and communication (severe and profound MR). However, there are other

classifications which do not start from the IQ premise, but from other criteria based on the

possible causes of the MR: biological (organic, antenatal), familiar, cultural, psychological,

social or environmental factors. (Castanedo, 1998)

Figure 3. (Montgomery, 1990, p.23)

It is very important to pay attention not only to the existence of an intellectual deficit in a

person, but on the consequences it may have on his/her learning process and on the

development of basic skills who help him/her reach personal autonomy in real life. In this

way, attention and memory play a crucial role. The former involves the “temporal function”

(people with MR have the capacity to pay attention for a short period of time, but they

have more difficulties for activities which require more time) and the selective function

(they fail in their capacity to select relevant stimuli). The latter manages information

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processing and learning strategies (before information gets to the short-term memory

stage, it needs to be registered through the process of attention so that learning can then

take place, but it is precisely in this transition when these people have problems).

(Castanedo, 1998)

Nowadays, most children with RM are integrated in the ordinary classroom, and, as with

the rest of situations in which an individual curricular adaptation (significant A.C.I. in this

case) is to be elaborated, an initial evaluation of each student has to be made in order to

determine the educational response to his/her needs:

Hay, en primer término, una posible y necesaria evaluación de déficit físicos,

orgánicos, neurológicos sensoriales, motores, perfectamente identificables, a

menudo asociados al retraso mental. Esta evaluación corresponde al médico

especialista […] En otro extremo, en ámbito escolar, está la evaluación de

carácter educativo o curricular en la cual se evalúa la adquisición por parte de

un alumno de aquellos conocimientos, competencias y capacidades que

constituyen el contenido del currículo. Esta evaluación corresponde al

maestro, al profesor, […] Entre ambos extremos […] se extiende una ancha

franja de evaluación precisamente de aquellas capacidades adaptativas

básicas que se consideran constitutivas — o descriptoras — del retraso

mental. (Fierro, 2002, p.287)

It is interesting to notice that there are several features associated with MR not at an

intellectual level, but in terms of personality and social behaviour. For example, people

with MR feel comfortable with activities which imply repetition and routine, since they find

it difficult to adapt to new situations (in fact, intelligence is defined according to this

premise). However, although this can be positive for future industrial and craft jobs, it can

be negative for their personal development. That is why parents and teachers are

responsible for introducing the new in their lives in a gradual way, keeping their emotional

balance but helping them to accept changes as part of their evolution. In addition,

something which characterises these people’s interpersonal relationships is precisely that

persistence, since they are highly emotionally dependent on others. Finally, they have

many difficulties in the development of self-reflection, and they usually have a very low

self-esteem. (Fierro, 2002) They have low levels of motivation because they do not think

they will succeed in what they do, and they constantly need others’ approval in their

actions. Thus, positive reinforcement from the part of parents and above all teachers is

essential to help them increase their self-confidence. (Castanedo, 1998) Integration in the

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ordinary classroom has proved to be beneficial for these students, but there is still work to

do concerning their social integration both at school and in other contexts: “Quedan

muchas dudas de que se dé la aceptación del RM en unas sociedades donde predomina

la tecnología, […] en las que se concede a la inteligencia uno de los más altos valores

humanos. […] se necesitaría producir un cambio de conciencia individual y colectiva: […]

modificar las actitudes de la sociedad como una sola unidad hacia las personas

excepcionales.” (Castanedo, 1998, p.104)

Castanedo (1998) analyses other kind of phenomena we can encounter within special

educational needs, such as students suffering from a hearing deficit. Depending on the

degree of hearing loss [defined by the place where the damage has occurred (i.e. in the

external, inner or middle ear)], the age at which it appears and how the intervention is

managed, it will have a different impact on speech and language acquisition. We must

also bear in mind the family background of the student, for example if his/her parents are

deaf, and if he/she has other difficulties apart from a hearing deficit. Before an audiometry

and a psychological evaluation are carried out, teachers can discover if a child has

hearing and learning difficulties by observing his/her physical behaviour and his/her

language skills: for instance, if the child is not paying attention to the class, if he/she

frequently catches a cold, if he/she needs to open his/her mouth to breathe in a better

way, if he/she often pricks up his/her ear, if he/she speaks quietly or if he/she has

problems to articulate words. In addition, when evaluating the student’s use of language, it

is important to check his/her range of vocabulary (use of expressive words, for example),

as well as his/her syntactic and grammatical management and his/her capacity to employ

and to understand pragmatic language and non-verbal communication in certain social

situations. As for their intellectual capacity, it is hard to determine, mainly because

traditional psychological tests are based on verbal instructions and they usually require

verbal responses. In fact, when using non-verbal tests with these children, their

intellectual potential virtually does not differ from that of people with no hearing difficulties.

The same happens when trying to relate the academic performance of students with

hearing deficits with their intellectual development; that is, in general terms, one thing has

nothing to do with the other: “… el rendimiento académico de los alumnos con deficits

auditivos no parece correlacionar con su potencial intelectual. […] las áreas de mayor

dificultad son aquellas en las que el lenguaje es más necesario. […] incluso el CI,

obtenido con tests de inteligencia no verbal, no es un buen predictor del rendimiento

académico futuro del niño.” (Castanedo, 1998, p.215) These children are normally

integrated in the ordinary classroom, which of course has implications in the educational

response they receive. Some of them count on the help of qualified interpreters, for

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instance, and, depending on the degree of significance of their needs, the appropriate

curricular adaptations will be elaborated for them. Finally, Figure 4 shows the relationship

among the degree of hearing loss a person can have, its effects on language

comprehension and the repercussions it has in the analysis of special educational needs

within the school context:

Figure 4. (Castanedo, 1998, p.219)

Concerning physical deficits, they do not require significant curricular adaptations in

general, but only non-significant adaptations in materials and resources. However, there

are a few exceptions (for example, if physical handicaps are combined with other kind of

deficits at a cognitive level or if they occur in students from a cultural and ethnic minority).

In the case we analyse in this paper, the student in question has certain physical

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limitations and he belongs to the gypsy community, too. Usually, there are external

professional teams expert in educational and pedagogical orientation (Equipos de

Orientación Educativa y Psicopedagógica = EOEPs) which collect data about the

intercultural reality of a certain geographical area and which advise high schools on the

educational actions they can accomplish regarding integration and attention to diversity in

the academic and social context students are immersed in. (Arrillaga Aldama, 1995) Then,

teachers study all the possibilities and they carry out different measures. The main

purpose is to work on tolerance and respect so that these children can learn and develop

their personal identity in the most favourable environment possible.

Finally, this study will deal with a neurological disorder which affects a small percentage of

students (boys, above all) and known as TDAH (Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con o

sin Hiperactividad), which often implies learning difficulties. It can be defined according to

the following features:

desatención (incapacidad de resistirse a estímulos irrelevantes, lo que

dificulta su concentración durante mucho tiempo y, por tanto el mantenimiento

del “trabajo consistente” en una tarea, por un periodo de tiempo más o menos

largo), hiperactividad (alto nivel de actividad motora) e impulsividad (dificultad

de autocontrol en sus emociones, pensamientos y conductas), que se

presentan con mayor intensidad y frecuencia de lo esperado para su edad y

nivel de desarrollo, de tal forma que interfieren de manera negativa en su

aprendizaje y/o comportamiento. Estos síntomas pueden manifestarse

conjuntamente o bien predominar solamente uno de ellos. El TDAH no

siempre cursa con hiperactividad. (STILL, n.d., p.6)

TDAH can also appear combined with other kind of situations, going from learning

difficulties to physical or behavioural disorders. It is important to work on self-esteem with

these students and to foster their self-confidence and their emotional balance. In addition,

these children’s personal environment (family and school above all) can highly influence

on the disorder’s symptoms and contribute to increase or to mitigate them. Thus, early

detection and diagnosis of the problem and an effective medical, familiar and educational

response will benefit these students’ future development. (STILL, n.d., p.7)

Last but not least, we will relate the different special educational needs of our students

and the type of activities we work with them with their learning styles (visual, auditory or

kinesthetic) and with Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. According to

16

Gardner, we have eight different and independent intelligences, although one of them is

dominant over the rest: linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, musical,

interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic. (Domínguez Pérez, 2012-2013)

3. METHODOLOGY As the aim of this study is to analyse how the performance in L2 of students with special

needs integrated in the ordinary ESL classroom benefits from the implementation of

curricular adaptations, all data will be based on the comparison of the contents, materials

and activities worked with them and those used by students with no special needs who

follow the standard syllabus.

The participants (1st and 2nd year students between 12 and 16 years old) will be given

several materials on a topic to work with, such as exercises from the textbook, worksheets

to practice grammar and vocabulary, texts, images, board games, crosswords, prompt

dialogues, etc. Once they have dealt with all those activities, the different materials used

and the results obtained in students with special needs will be described, analysed and

interpreted both in quantitative and in qualitative terms and in comparison with the ones of

students with no special needs. This will tell us if curricular adaptations really help those

students with special needs to develop their potential capacities and their performance in

L2 or not and what aspects should be improved. Moreover, according to data and

depending on the success each of the activities proposed has in these students’

performance, it will be possible to determine which of the eight multiple intelligences

defined by Howard Gardner are dominant in them and the kind of learning styles that they

follow (i.e. kinesthetic, visual or auditory):

Alumnos con orientación cinestésica-táctil - […] la relación con los otros es

clave en su aprendizaje y trabajo. […] Uso de la gesticulación al hablar. /

Pierde interés ante un discurso verbal largo. Necesita involucrarse

directamente con lo que aprende. Alumnos con orientación auditiva -

Captamos su nivel de emoción por su tono, timbre y volumen de voz. Crea y

formula sus ideas mediante la discusión. Le gusta escuchar y hablar. […]

Disfruta con el bombardeo de ideas. […] Tiende a utilizar descripciones

largas. Alumnos con orientación visual - Contempla el entorno para analizar la

situación. […] La expresión facial es un magnífico índice de sus emociones.

Piensa con alto nivel de detalle […] Cualquier movimiento o desorden visual le

17

distrae. Organiza sus pensamientos para enseguida llevarlos al papel […].

(Domínguez Pérez, 2012-2013, p.14-16)

Finally, it is important to mention that, while students following the standard syllabus

usually receive all the information in L2 in addition to working on it, students with special

needs receive all the explanations in their L1 and then they are able to work on L2. This

fact will also be analysed from a teaching point of view to see how it can influence the way

in which both kinds of students learn L2.

4. ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS

In this section, five different cases of students with special educational needs to whom an

individual and significant curricular adaptation has been applied within the ordinary ESL

classroom will be analysed. The analysis will be divided in several parts according to the

type of special need each student presents (in this case, two children with MR, one child

with a hearing deficit, one child from a cultural minority and with a physical deficit, and

finally a child with TDAH). The contents, materials and activities worked on with them

during a teaching practice period of almost three months will be described in detail and in

comparison with those standardly prepared for 1st and 2nd of E.S.O. students. Then, the

degree of success in their performance will be assessed and interpreted taking into

account the course objectives and students’ learning styles (related to Gardner’s theory of

multiple intelligences). All relevant data about these children’s initial evaluation

(elaborated by the professional psycho-pedagogical team of the high school and with the

help of teachers) and examples of their A.C.I.s and materials will be provided in the

Appendix section of this paper.

To begin with, we will deal with two cases of 2nd year students with mild MR (identified as

students A and B in the Appendix section). They are 16 year-old boys whose intellectual

development and academic competence are lower than those of the average population

of their age. As mentioned before, although they are integrated in the ordinary ESL

classroom, they receive special attention in the form of individual and significant curricular

adaptations, and sometimes other teachers specialised in pedagogical therapy work with

them in a separate classroom (usually reinforcing core subjects as Spanish Language and

Mathematics). The first thing to be noticed is the simplification of contents and materials,

which are based on the ordinary curriculum followed by their peers but which have clear

modifications. Hence, they have their own textbook (which combines grammar and

18

practical exercises) in which all the instructions and explanations are given in Spanish and

in which a brief glossary related to the topic in question (also in Spanish) appears at the

end of each page to help them do the different exercises. Similar to the activities proposed

for the ordinary curriculum, those exercises mainly consist of “fill the gaps” activities

(sentences, pictures, crosswords and dialogues) and matching activities, usually based on

a model to imitate or a pattern to repeat. Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7 and Figure 8 are

good examples:

Figure 5. (Hudson, Hardy-Gould and Holwill, 2010, p.114)

19


20


21


These students are quite good at this kind of mechanic exercises in which they use

grammar and learn vocabulary on a topic through practice and in which there is a set

model to follow. However, they fail at creating by themselves from nothing, that is, they

have difficulties when the guidance they receive is minimum and when they are asked to

attempt at doing something alone using their imagination (for example, to invent

sentences or to write a dialogue). In addition, they feel more comfortable with activities

that have to do with writing and reading skills rather than listening or speaking. In fact, as

all the instructions and (grammatical) explanations are given in (or translated into)

Spanish, they hardly receive oral input in English, and that affects their oral production

22

(almost inexistent). By contrast, students following the ordinary syllabus work on

communication skills in a more active way, as shown in Figure 9 and Figure 10:

Figure 9. (Quinn, 2010, p.62)


23

This aspect should definitely be improved in the future, so that these two students in

particular, and students with (mild) MR in general, can access to a more complete

although adapted knowledge of L2. On the other hand, these children are more motivated

with activities which they think they can control, that is, similar exercises with slight

changes that do not break the routine they are used to. They constantly work on writing

and reading skills, and their learning style is more visual and auditory than kinesthetic. In

this sense, linguistic intelligence seems to be dominant in them. However, they have

difficulties with (and they are not interested in) activities related to logical-mathematical,

spatial and interpersonal intelligences which require a certain degree of abstraction,

imagination, critical thinking or social skills, such as role-plays or board games. Mind-

mapping activities, for example, are easier and a little bit more attractive for them,

although they still need individual guidance and set patterns to carry out them. Concerning

intrapersonal intelligence, it can be worked on in class by means of self-esteem building

activities, in which teachers can help these children to better their performance and to

develop their self-confidence when learning L2 through positive reinforcement.

(Armstrong, 2009)

Regardless of their different personalities, these two students have many things in

common: for instance, they always look for their teachers’ approval in all what they do,

they need to feel secure and at ease while they are doing the activities, leaving no room

for improvisation. They are quite emotionally dependent as well, and their personal and

academic balance is based on keeping a certain routine in what they do and in who they

are with every day. In that case, they try to do their best when learning with the purpose of

reaching a higher degree of normalisation in their daily life (and also in comparison to their

peers). They feel anxious for having immediate results in their evolution (precisely, it is

hard to establish evaluation criteria for them), but it is essential to make them realise (and

to realise as teachers or parents) that any single step forward, no matter how small it is or

at what rhythm it occurs, is extremely important and valuable in their development as

students and as individuals.

As for student C, she is a 12 year-old girl with a mild hearing deficit. She is integrated in

the ordinary classroom (in 1st year), but, as students A and B, she sometimes receives

supportive instruction in a separate classroom. In general terms, this child’s hearing

difficulties affect her learning process, her learning style (more visual and kinesthetic than

auditory; she frequently needs to read people’s lips, for example) and her social skills. Her

self-esteem is quite low, as well as her capacity to deal with problems and stress and her

motivation for learning, so it is important to reinforce these aspects from the part of

24

teachers and parents. Academically speaking, she has trouble with reading and writing

activities (in fact, it takes too long for her to do the different tasks and to articulate words,

and she needs to develop her vocabulary). It is hard to determine her intellectual potential,

since, as mentioned before in this paper, it does not need to be in keeping with her

academic performance. As she has difficulties in acquiring basic writing and reading skills,

the activities, contents and materials prepared for her are some steps behind the average

level of her peers. In this sense, and within the English classroom context, she works on

the same topics as the rest of her classmates, but in a more abridged way. Mainly, she

learns vocabulary through different worksheets which combine crosswords (with pictures),

matching activities, handwriting exercises (e.g. order letters to form words and then

practise by writing those words once and again), short sentences, charts to complete and

word search games. Figure 11 shows a good example (in comparison with the contents

and materials aimed at the students who follow the ordinary syllabus, in Figure 12).

Grammar is almost inexistent in those worksheets and it is limited to set patterns to follow

when doing exercises on a topic (for instance, if the student is working on Food and

Health, she can be asked to write sentences following this structure: “I like apples but I

don’t like pears.”) or to brief explanations on the blackboard about a concrete structure

(for example, if working on vocabulary on food, the teacher can explain how to form the

plural of nouns). In theory, the more this student is used to practising these repetitive

tasks, the better she performs, the more autonomous she is and the more mechanically

she learns. However, the problem with this system is that there is little room for change

and that learning of L2 can become too functional and boring instead of dynamic or

creative, which could have negative long-term consequences for the student. As students

A and B, student C is given all the explanations in Spanish, so she does not practise

listening and speaking skills in L2 in class, and that is definitely something to be improved

in the future.

25

Figure 11.

26


The dominant intelligence in this girl seems to be the intrapersonal one, since she prefers

to study on her own and she feels more comfortable and she performs better when she

receives individualized instruction. (Armstrong, 2009) When she does not feel confident

about the activities she has to accomplish (because of her fear of failure, above all), she

can quickly lose her interest in them with a negative attitude. In addition, if working with

student D (they usually work together in the English classroom), she sometimes gets

nervous and she makes a special effort to do her best and to try to understand and to do

the exercises by herself no matter how long it takes (it is a question of pride). She does

not want to make mistakes and she looks for the teacher’s guidance. Precisely, when she

receives special attention from the teacher, she asks her doubts and she shows a more

27

positive and attentive attitude. Thus, it is important to reinforce her self-confidence and to

help her express her feelings towards the subject in more active ways.

Concerning student D, he is a 15 year-old boy with a mild physical deficit and belonging to

the gypsy community. This student is also integrated in the ordinary classroom (in 1st

year) and he receives supportive attention in a separate classroom with other teachers

(usually, twice or three times a week). His individual curricular adaptation not only

includes changes in methodology and materials (due to his physical limitations), but also

in contents (although his intellectual potential corresponds to the one defined by his age,

his academic performance is below the average in comparison to his peers). In social

terms, his cultural identity has caused him some problems of discipline and some

difficulties in his relationship with others, and that is something to be worked on. As for his

learning style, he prefers to study on his own and he feels more comfortable when doing

short and functional tasks which develop his motivation (he could be considered to have a

more kinesthetic learning style instead of visual or auditory). Concerning the English

classroom, he shows interest in activities which require the use of language in a mechanic

and entertaining way, and for example he is quite good at vocabulary exercises which

combine language and pictures, such as crosswords on a particular topic (see Figure 11).

In this sense, he works on the same issues that students following the standard syllabus

deal with, but from a more simplified perspective (Figure 13 can be taken as an example):

28

Figure 13. (Whitney, 2008, n.p.)

When working with student C he tries to prove his superiority over her and to make clear

his ability to understand and to do the different tasks. Having this in mind, his dominant

intelligences seem to be the intrapersonal and the linguistic ones, but it would be

interesting to cultivate his interpersonal intelligence with activities implying cooperative

learning and social skills. (Armstrong, 2009) Moreover, his learning of L2 should be

enlarged and completed by promoting listening and speaking activities and not only

reading and writing ones (although combined with Spanish, it is important to gradually

introduce English as part of his routine so that he gets used to it in a more natural way).

Finally, student E is an 11 year-old boy suffering from TDAH. As in the previous cases,

this child is integrated in the ordinary classroom (in 1st year) and he receives supportive

attention several times a week in a separate classroom with specialised teachers. The

disorder’s symptoms (lack of attention, hyperactivity, impulsiveness) are the origin of his

29

learning difficulties. His intellectual capacity corresponds to the one expected for his age,

but his academic performance is below the average in comparison with his peers. The

objective is to make him gradually abandon the adapted curriculum and join the ordinary

syllabus. But in order to do that, he first needs to reinforce and consolidate some basic

concepts in terms of grammar and vocabulary to be at the same level that his classmates.

In this sense, he has a special book for the English classroom (elaborated by the teacher),

and although he covers the same topics that his peers work on with a very similar

structure, there are some modifications (see Figure 14, Figure 15 and Figure 16 as

representative exercises taken from his book and Figure 17 as an example of the ordinary

textbook). He prefers doing activities than studying, and he feels more comfortable when

the explanations (given in Spanish) and exercises count on a visual support and when

they follow a certain routine that he feels to control. In addition, he benefits from

individualised instruction and he performs better when he has enough time to think about

what he is doing. In this sense, his learning style is more kinesthetic and visual than

auditory and his dominant intelligences seem to be the linguistic and the intrapersonal

ones. Apart from what could be improved in academic terms (for example, to work with

him on listening and speaking skills in L2), it would be positive to help him develop his

interpersonal intelligence with activities requiring his social involvement, such as peer

tutoring or cooperative learning. (Armstrong, 2009) Lastly, for us teachers and also for

parents, it is essential to foster his self-esteem and his self-confidence towards his

learning process and to help him see any single advance as an important step in his

growth as a student and as a person.

30

Figure 14. (Mugüerza, 2012-2013, p.5)

31


32


33


5. CONCLUSIONS

In order to carry out the main purpose of this paper (i.e. to analyse how performance in L2

of students with special educational needs integrated in the ordinary ESL classroom

benefits from the implementation of curricular adaptations), different aspects have been

taken into account. In the first place, the evolution of special education throughout the last

decades till the present time (particularly in Spain) has been portrayed from a political,

social and pedagogical point of view:

Artículo 74. Escolarización. La escolarización del alumnado que presenta

necesidades educativas especiales se regirá por los principios de

normalización e inclusión y asegurará su no discriminación y la igualdad

efectiva en el acceso y la permanencia en el sistema educativo, pudiendo

34

introducirse medidas de flexibilización de las distintas etapas educativas,

cuando se considere necesario. La escolarización de este alumnado en

unidades o centros de educación especial, que podrá extenderse hasta los

veintiún años, sólo se llevará a cabo cuando sus necesidades no puedan ser

atendidas en el marco de las medidas de atención a la diversidad de los

centros ordinarios. (LOE, 2006, p.36-37)

Secondly, what curricular adaptations consist of and what kind of special educational

needs can be encountered has been explained in detail (only those relevant for this

study). Finally, the description of five particular cases of students with special educational

needs to whom an individual curricular adaptation has been applied. These have been

analysed from quantitative and qualitative perspectives with several examples of the

contents and materials elaborated for them, in comparison to those worked on by students

following the ordinary syllabus for the English classroom.

After the analysis, this paper reaches to the conclusion that curricular adaptations do help

students with special educational needs integrated in the ordinary ESL classroom to

gradually develop and better their academic performance in L2, although some aspects

should be improved (e.g. working on listening and speaking skills and not only on reading

and writing; promoting cooperative learning and social skills; combining Spanish and

English when addressing these students as teachers; helping students to see changes as

part of their evolution without breaking their emotional balance). In any case, and even

though there are still things to do, all the advances which have taken place in this field

during the last decades in our country have definitely been extremely positive and

important to help these children integrate in society and develop not only as students but

also as human beings. Thus, going on in the same direction will probably give us even

more rewarding results in both educational and social terms in the future.

35

6. REFERENCES Alumnos con necesidades educativas especiales / específicas. Universidad de

Castilla-La Mancha. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.uclm.es/profesorado/ricardo/ee/necesidades.html

(consulted in June 2013)

Armstrong, T. (2009). Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. 3rd edition.

Retrieved from

http://issuu.com/stedranet/docs/multipleintelligencesintheclassroom

(consulted in June 2013)

Arrillaga Aldama, M. (1995). Minorías Culturales: Tratamiento Educativo. En E.

González (Coord.), Necesidades educativas especiales. Intervención

psicoeducativa.

Castanedo, C. (1998). Bases pedagógicas de la educación especial. Evaluación e

interpretación. Colección Campus, vol.7. Madrid: Editorial CCS, 2ª edición.

Coll, C.; Marchesi, Á. y Palacios, J. (2002). Desarrollo psicológico y educación. 3.

Trastornos del desarrollo y necesidades educativas especiales. Madrid:

Editorial Alianza, 2ª edición.

Domínguez Pérez, D. (2012-2013). Material for the subject Procesos y Contextos

Educativos (Máster en Formación del Profesorado) elaborated by the

teacher on the following topics: “Atención a la Diversidad”, “Adaptaciones

Curriculares” and “Estudios en torno a la Inteligencia”.

English With Crosswords. Book 1: Elementary level. (2001). Photocopiable edition.

ELI Publishing.

Fierro, A. (2002). 10. Los alumnos con retraso mental. En C. Coll, Á. Marchesi y

J. Palacios (Eds.), Desarrollo psicológico y educación. 3. Trastornos del

desarrollo y necesidades educativas especiales.

36

http://www.uclm.es/profesorado/ricardo/ee/necesidades.html

http://issuu.com/stedranet/docs/multipleintelligencesintheclassroom

Galve Manzano, J.L. y Trallero Sanz, M. (2002). Adaptaciones curriculares. De la

teoría a la práctica. Fundamentación teórica. Vol. 1. Madrid: Editorial

CEPE, S.L.

Garrido Landívar, J. y Santana Hernández, R. (2001). Cómo elaborar

adaptaciones curriculares de centro, de aula e individuales. Madrid:

Editorial CEPE, S.L.

González Manjón, D. (1995). Adaptaciones curriculares. Guía para su elaboración.

Málaga: Ediciones Aljibe, S.L.; 2ªedición.

González, E. (Coord.) (1995). Necesidades educativas especiales. Intervención

psicoeducativa. Colección Campus, vol.1. Madrid: Editorial CSS.

Hudson, J.; Hardy-Gould, J.; Holwill, H. and Medina, S. (2010). 1000+ Activities for

Mixed Ability. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Marchesi, Á. (2002). 1. Del lenguaje de la deficiencia a las escuelas inclusivas.

En C. Coll, Á. Marchesi y J. Palacios (Eds.), Desarrollo psicológico y

educación. 3. Trastornos del desarrollo y necesidades educativas

especiales.

Marchesi, Á. (2002). 2. La práctica de las escuelas inclusivas. En C. Coll, Á.

Marchesi y J. Palacios (Eds.), Desarrollo psicológico y educación. 3.

Trastornos del desarrollo y necesidades educativas especiales.

Montgomery, D. (1990). Special needs in ordinary schools. Children with learning

difficulties. New York: Nichols Publishing Company.

Mugüerza García, H. (2012-2013). Cuaderno de Trabajo en Inglés (material

elaborated by the English teacher for a particular student).

Quinn, R. (2010). Switch 1. Student’s Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Quinn, R. (2010). Switch 2. Student’s Book. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

37

Selfe, L. and Stow, L. (1989). Understanding children with special needs. London:

Unwin Hyman Ltd.

Special needs education within the education system in Spain. (n.d.). Retrieved

from http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/spain/national-

overview/special-needs-education-within-the-education-system

(consulted in July 2013)

STILL. Asociación Balear de padres de niños con TDAH. (n.d.). Guía práctica con

recomendaciones de actuación para los centros educativos en los casos

de alumnos con TDAH (Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con o sin

Hiperactividad). Palma de Mallorca: Asociación STILL.

Whitney, N. (2008). New Thumbs Up! 1. Student’s Book. Oxford: Oxford University

Press.

_______________________________________________________________________

38

http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/spain/national-overview/special-needs-education-within-the-education-system

http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/spain/national-overview/special-needs-education-within-the-education-system

7. APPENDIX

INFORMES INICIALES DE LOS ALUMNOS CON NECESIDADES EDUCATIVAS

ESPECIALES CONFECCIONADOS POR EL DEPARTAMENTO DE ORIENTACIÓN DEL

CENTRO PARA LOS PROFESORES DE LAS DISTINTAS ÁREAS.

IES. CLARA CAMPOAMOR – DPTO. DE ORIENTACIÓN – PROGRAMA DE INTEGRACIÓN EDUCATIVA

ALUMNO A

DATOS PERSONALES

Nombre:

Fecha de nacimiento:

Domicilio: Teléfono:

Nombre del padre: Nombre de la Madre:

NECESIDADES EDUCATIVAS ESPECIALES

Elegir una ubicación idónea en el aula (próxima al docente y a algún alumno modelo) que le ayude

en su proceso de aprendizaje y en su socialización.

Planificación del trabajo escolar.

Supervisión en la organización del material, espacios y tiempos.

Centrar su atención en lo que se está trabajando en el momento.

Entrenamiento en hábitos y técnicas de estudio. Supervisión de la agenda.

Reforzar sus esfuerzos y éxitos para aumentar su autoestima.

Potenciar la relación familia-centro a través del trabajo tutorial para llevar una actuación coherente

en su educación.

Control de asistencia a clase.

Utilización de la agenda diariamente como una medida de autocontrol, responsabilidad y fijación de la atención.

ASPECTOS DE ADAPTACIÓN E INSERCIÓN SOCIAL

Insatisfacción personal.

Somatización del desajuste afectivo (tendencia a sentir molestias y dificultades corporales).

Imagen desajustada de sí mismo, con un exagerado optimismo, confiado e inmaduro.

39

Es introvertido y presenta hostilidad hacia los demás en algunas ocasiones.

ESTILO DE APRENDIZAJE

Es metódico en el estudio.

Tiene motivación e interés por el aprendizaje.

Prioriza los resultados obtenidos al proceso de Aprendizaje.

Le cuesta asumir errores descargando toda culpa en los demás.

NIVEL DE COMPETENCIA CURRICULAR

El nivel de competencia curricular corresponde a segundo ciclo de primaria. Sus mayores dificultades están

relacionadas con la comprensión lectora, razonamiento y resolución de problemas matemáticos.

ADAPTACIONES

CURSO 2010-2011: Inglés, Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Sociales, Lengua Matemáticas y Recuperación de

Lengua.

CURSO 2011-12: Inglés, Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Sociales, Lengua y Matemáticas.

PENDIENTES

No tiene pendientes.

ORIENTACIONES

• Reforzar su autoestima.

• Atención individualizada.

• Seguimiento sistemático con la familia.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

ALUMNO B

DATOS PERSONALES

Nombre:





Mejorar habilidades sociales.

40

Desarrollar su nivel de autonomía a la hora de realizar las tareas escolares.

Planificación del trabajo escolar



Bien aceptado en el grupo-clase y fuera de él.

Respeta las normas y se muestra afecto con los profesores.


Tiene cierta tendencia a evitar el esfuerzo, aunque se siente motivado por los aprendizajes

escolares.

Trabaja mejor con instrucciones precisas y cortas.


Tanto en Lengua como en Matemáticas se sitúa en torno al segundo ciclo de Educación Primaria.

ADAPTACIONES

CURSO 2010-11: Inglés, Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Sociales, Educación Física, Educación Visual, Lengua,

Matemáticas, Tecnología y Refuerzo de Lengua.

CURSO 2011-2012: Inglés, Ciencias Naturales, Ciencias Sociales, Lengua, Matemáticas y Refuerzo de

Lengua.

PENDIENTES


ORIENTACIONES

Necesita muchas instrucciones y pautas para realizar las tareas.

Estar cerca del profesor porque está muy pendiente de los compañeros.

Reforzar de forma explícita tanto los resultados como su esfuerzo durante el

proceso.

Potenciar las habilidades sociales, invitándole a participar en actividades extraescolares:

campeonatos escolares, refuerza…

_______________________________________________________________________________________

ALUMNO C

Los datos reflejados en este informe se han obtenido de la evaluación psicopedagógica.

41

DATOS PERSONALES

Nombre:





Elegir una ubicación idónea en el aula (próxima al docente y a algún alumno modelo) que le ayude

en su proceso de aprendizaje y en su socialización.

Se fatiga con facilidad y le cuesta mantener la atención en una tarea, incluso cuando se trata de

tareas que sabe resolver.

Planificación del trabajo escolar.

Supervisión en la organización del material, espacios y tiempos.


No gestiona bien su tiempo cuando se enfrenta sola a una tarea y comete múltiples errores por falta

de atención.

Entrenamiento en hábitos y técnicas de estudio. Supervisión de la agenda.

Habla rápida y entrecortada, poco inteligible, empleo de estructuras sintácticas sencillas.

Potenciar la relación familia-centro a través del trabajo tutorial para llevar una actuación coherente

en su educación.

Acción tutorial para reforzar autoestima y favorecer su participación en clase. Debe interpretar sus

equivocaciones como parte del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje y no como fracasos.

Dificultades muy importantes en lectoescritura. Falta de vocabulario.


Controles más cortos, con aprendizajes básicos, a veces de tipo oral, o escritos pero de respuesta múltiple.


Sociable pero infantil, teniendo poca autonomía para resolver sus conflictos y requiriendo a veces la

intervención del profesor.

Se relaciona bien con el profesorado y en general respeta las normas.

Baja autoestima.

REQUIERE PAUTAS Y LÍMITES CLAROS, asunción de responsabilidades y adquisición de mayor

autonomía.


Poca motivación hacia el aprendizaje.

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Falta de motivación e interés por el aprendizaje.

Prioriza los resultados obtenidos al proceso de Aprendizaje.

Le cuesta asumir errores descargando toda culpa en los demás


ÁREAS INSTRUMENTALES: Segundo ciclo de educación primaria.

En el resto de áreas habrá que valorar.

ADAPTACIONES

CURSO 2011-12: Presenta un desfase curricular de más de dos años en las áreas instrumentales que ha

requerido adaptaciones curriculares significativas (nivel de 3º EP).

PENDIENTES


ORIENTACIONES

• Reforzar su autoestima.

• Atención individualizada.

• Seguimiento sistemático con la familia.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

ALUMNO D

Los datos reflejados en este informe han sido recogidos del informe que ha llegado al instituto del EOEP de la zona.

DATOS PERSONALES

Nombre:





Ambiente estructurado y predecible.

43

Necesita métodos y materiales compensadores de sus limitaciones físicas. En escritura las TIC

pueden suponer una valiosa aportación.

Necesita actividades de aprendizaje cooperativo.

Necesita priorizar un mayor conocimiento de sí mismo en relación con el mundo laboral.

Necesita desarrollar y potenciar de manera específica sus capacidades mnemotécnicas.

Necesita desarrollar y potenciar el autocontrol.

Necesita aprendizajes funcionales que promuevan su motivación e interés, en todas las áreas y en

particular en matemáticas.

Es impulsivo y poco constante en la realización de la tarea. Le ayudan las tareas cortas.

Tiene dificultades de escucha y atención y le gusta llamar la atención del profesor.


En el momento actual está presentando muchas dificultades para asumir y respetar las normas de

conducta del aula y del centro. Lo que más le gusta es salir a diario con el grupo de amigos y las

relaciones con las chicas, abiertamente reconoce que no le interesan nada “los libros”. Sin embargo

le gusta leer, lo que rechaza es el estudio.

Según la información aportada por sus profesores pretende no pasar desapercibido, reafirmando su

identidad, hablando alto, pretendiendo ser respetado por sus iguales y respetando en general más la

figura masculina.


• En el área de Lenguaje muestra un buen nivel en velocidad y comprensión en la lectura. El

aprendizaje de contenidos gramaticales le desmotivan, no se esfuerza en aprenderlo. Escribe con

letra legible, no cuida la presentación de los trabajos.

• En inglés solo muestra interés ocasionalmente.

• En el área de matemáticas observan un rechazo al área que se traduce en no querer aprender las

tablas ni interesarse por ningún contenido del área.

• Los mejores resultados los ha obtenido en conocimiento del medio.

• Plástica, no muestra ningún interés.

• Educación Física, se ha comenzado a involucrar en el área en actividades que dan más importancia

a la fuerza, la resistencia y el juego en grupo, el resto de actividades las rechaza. Por sus

características físicas tiene poca flexibilidad y coordinación motora.

• Música, es disruptivo.

• Prefiere trabajar solo.


En Lengua presenta dificultades de expresión oral, falta de coherencia y expresión escrita, confusión de

fonemas…Necesita utilizar referentes temporales y nexos que den continuidad al discurso. Precisa pautas

para elaborar una narración y necesita reforzar ortografía y vocabulario. En Matemáticas, tiene automatizadas

las operaciones de suma y resta, multiplicación por tres cifras y división por dos cifras (iniciada). Resuelve

44

problemas en los que se ven implicadas suma y resta. Afianzar objetivos curriculares de segundo ciclo de E.

Primaria e iniciar el trabajo sobre los objetivos mecánicos de tercer ciclo.

ADAPTACIONES

CURSO 2010-11: Adaptación en todas las áreas.

CURSO 2011-12: Según el informe del EOEP, necesita una adaptación curricular en el área de Educación

Física y en el área de Plástica y en lengua y matemáticas. El resto de áreas se valorarán por el equipo

docente. No olvidar sus dificultades motoras finas y gruesas.

PENDIENTES


ORIENTACIONES

Necesita instrucciones y correcciones claras, asegurándonos de que las comprenda.

Favorece su aprendizaje un estilo directivo-afectivo y prefiere trabajar individualmente.

Ayudarle en la planificación del trabajo escolar.

Precisa instrucciones paso a paso en tareas y más tiempo para su ejecución.


Favorecer la implicación familiar en relación al aprendizaje y orientación profesional de Juan.

Siempre que se pueda, utilizará preferentemente los materiales que usen sus compañeros.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

ALUMNO E

Los datos reflejados en este informe han sido recogidos del informe que ha llegado al instituto del EOEP de la zona.

DATOS PERSONALES

Nombre:




45


Ambiente estructurado y predecible.

Ayudarle en la planificación del trabajo escolar, secuenciando los pasos y centrando su atención en

las tareas que en cada momento vaya a realizar.

Permitirle asistir al servicio por un problema de control de esfínteres.

Incrementar de forma progresiva su inserción en los aprendizajes del grupo de referencia.

Aumentar su confianza facilitando el éxito ante tareas nuevas. Responde bien a la ayuda tutorial.

Favorecer su nivel de atención.


Coordinación con la familia para el seguimiento escolar y para ofrecerle pautas que afiancen sus

hábitos de estudio.


Se relaciona bien con los iguales.

Acata las normas y no falta al respeto.


Prefiere realizar actividades a dedicar tiempo al estudio.


Presenta un nivel de competencia curricular situado en torno a un 5º de Primaria.

ADAPTACIONES

Valorar la utilización de ACIS por parte del equipo docente. El EOEP recomienda ir dejando paulatinamente

las ACIS para incorporarse al ritmo normal del grupo de referencia.

PENDIENTES


ORIENTACIONES

Facilitar su integración dentro del grupo; reforzando sus intervenciones y creando un clima de

seguridad que le permita preguntar y consultar cuando lo necesite.

Entrevistas periódicas con la madre para ajustar el trabajo del alumno a las exigencias.

Elevar su nivel de expectativas.

Uso de la agenda para organizar el trabajo.

Ubicarle en un lugar donde pueda centrar su atención.

Proponerle tareas que le permitan moverse: borrar la pizarra, repartir libros.

Estructurar bien su trabajo.

Apoyo visual de las explicaciones orales.

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Permitirle que termine las tareas en tiempo extra.

Utilizar el refuerzo positivo sin llegar a sobreprotegerle.

Utilizar la tutoría con iguales.

____________________________________________________________________________________

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EJEMPLO DE ADAPTACIÓN CURRICULAR INDIVIDUAL (A.C.I.) PARA EL ÁREA DE

INGLÉS (1º E.S.O.)

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