Mars-Bound

Modification 1-ADD, Modification 2-Dysgraphia, Modification 3-Dyscalculia

Modification 1 - ADD

Self-monitoring techniques can be very effective in the school setting. Self-monitoring of attention involves cueing the student so that he/she can determine how well he/she is attending to the task at hand. Cueing is often done by providing an audio tone such as a random beep, timer, or the teacher can give the cue. The student then notes whether he/she was on or off task on a simple recording sheet. Self-monitoring techniques are more likely to be effective when tied to rewards and accuracy checks.

Behavior management techniques must often be used in the learning environment. By examining a student's specific problem behavior, understanding its antecedents and consequences, teachers can help students with AD/HD to develop behaviors that lead to academic and social successes.

Provide supervision and discipline:

• Monitor proper behavior frequently and immediately direct the student to an appropriate behavior.
• Enforce classroom rules consistently.
• Avoid ridicule and criticism. Remember that students with AD/HD have difficulty staying in control.

Providing Encouragement:

• Reward more than punish.
• Immediately praise any and all good behavior and performance.
• Change rewards if they are not effective in motivating behavioral change.
• Find alternate ways to encourage the AD/HD students.
• Teach the student to reward himself or herself. Encourage positive self-talk (e.g., "You did very well remaining in your seat today. How do you feel about that?"). This encourages the student to think positively about himself or herself.

Other Suggestions:

• Reduce the amount of materials present during activities by having the student put away unnecessary items. Have a special place for tools, materials, and books.
• Reward more than you punish, especially with positive reinforcers.
• Try to be patient with an AD/HD student.
• Place these students up front with their backs to the rest of the class to keep other students out of view.
• Surround students with AD/HD with good peer models, preferably students whom the AD/HD student views as significant peers.
• Encourage peer tutoring and cooperative/collaborative learning.
• Avoid all distracting stimuli. Try not to place students with AD/HD near air conditioners, high traffic areas, heaters, doors, windows, etc.
• Encourage parents to set up appropriate study space at home, with set times and routines established for study. Also, use this home area for parental review of completed homework, and periodic notebook and/or book bag organization.
• Have a pre-established consequences for misbehavior, remain calm, state the infraction of the rule, and avoid debating or arguing with the student.
• Avoid publicly reminding students on medication to "take their medicine."

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Modification 2 - Dysgraphia

• Maintain contact with student.
• Allow students to tape lectures.
• Provide and interpreter (signed English or American Sign Language) to those who require another form of communication.
• Encourage and assist in facilitation of participation in activities and discussions.
• Be patient.
• Be a good listener.

1. Allow more time for the student to complete activities.
2. Place the student within reasonable distance from the instructor to meet their needs.
3. Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and involve the student in doing the same. Together, work out alternate procedures while trying not to disengage the student from the activity.
4. For students who cannot use the computer because of other physical limitations in their hands or arms, explore avenues for obtaining adaptive access software, (including Unicorn keyboards), special switches, Power Pads, eye controlled input systems, touch screens, footmice, and other special equipment.
5. If appropriate, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when the student shows the ability to do something unaided.
6. Use a peer-buddy system when appropriate.
7. Lastly, consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.

• Encourage classmates to accept the student with communicative problems.
• An atmosphere conductive to easy and good interactive communication should be established and maintained in the classroom.
• Encourage and assist in the facilitation of participation in activities and discussions.
• Allow more time for the student to complete activities.

• Review and explain to the student the steps involved in a research activity. Think about which step(s) may be difficult for the specific functional limitations of the student and jointly devise accommodations for that student.
• Use appropriate lab and field strategies according to the nature of the research.
• Allow more time for the student to complete activities.
• With the student, work out alternate procedures which do not disengage the student from the activity.
• Anticipate areas of difficulty in access and involve the student with a communication disability in doing the same. Together, work out alternate procedures while trying to disengage the student from the activity.
• If appropriate, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when the student shows the ability to do something unaided.

• Discuss with the student any needs, problems or alternatives he/she anticipates in the field learning environment.
• Consider alternate activities/exercises that can be utilized with less difficulty for the student, but has the same or similar learning objectives.
• Make special advance arrangements with curators during passive visiting field trips.
• When information gathering involves a physical action that the impaired student cannot perform, try a different experience yielding the same information.
• In the field, provide assistance, but also provide positive reinforcement when the student shows the ability to do something unaided.

• Allow more time for the student with communication impairments to complete tests in their optimal mode of communication.
• Design tests that are appropriate for the student's disorder (written, drawn, or oral.)
• Writers could be provided for test taking if the individual requires such assistance.
• Check to be sure that test instructions are completely understood by the child and provide any additional assistance that may be needed.

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Modification 3 - Dyscalculia

As an educator, one needs to be sensitive to the needs of students with disabilities. With a project so heavily laced with mathematics, such as the Mars Bound project, the teacher needs to especially provide modifications for those students with dyscalculia. Technically, dyscalculia means "specific learning disability in mathematics." However, people who suffer with a poor memory for all things mathematical have many other symptoms and characteristics.

According to the website, http://www.dyscalculia.org there are many modifications a teacher can make to enhance the learning of her students with dyscalculia.

• On tests, allow scrap paper with lines and ample room for uncluttered figuring.
• Problems written too closely together on the page can cause mental confusion and distress.
• Make the test problems pure, testing only the required skills. They must be free of large numbers and unnecessary distracting calculations. These can side-track students into a frenzy!
• Allow more than the standard time to complete problems and please check to see that the student is free of panic.

• Work with student after class on the material just presented.
• Assign extra problems be given for practice
• There are no logical patterns to the student’s mistakes. A lot of them are in recording or in "seeing" one part of a problem in another. Sometimes they read 6x(x+3) as 6(x+3). Sometimes they read 9 as 4 or y as 4 and 3 as 8.
• It is typical for the student to work with the teacher until he knows the material well- and then get every problem wrong on the test! Then 5 minutes later, the student can perform the test with just the teacher, on the chalk board, and get all problems correct. Be patient.
• When presenting new material, allow the student to be able to WRITE each step down and TALK it through until he understands it well enough to teach it back to the teacher.
• Go over the upcoming lesson with the student. Then the lecture would be more of a review.

For more resources, please visit the website sited above.

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