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Taking Action

Ways to make curricular materials accessible for all:

Some adaptions that educators can provide to all their students to ensure that the
curricular materials are accessible are:

• Speech-to-text software
• Smartboards
(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013)
• Large print
• eBooks
• Audiobooks
• Books in Braille
(Ontario, N.D.)

Strategies for equitable opportunities:

To support all our students, it is beneficial to implement Universal Design for

Learning in our teaching practices. Universal Design for Learning strives to support
teachers in their journey of creating inclusive learning environments for all students
to thrive. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). By also implementing Differentiated
Instruction in the classroom we are thoughtfully and intentionally making efforts to
adapt instruction to meet our learners’ needs (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013).

Some strategies that educators can use to ensure their learners with
exceptionalities have equitable opportunities are as follows:
• Cooperative learning through small groups, mixed ability groups, group work,
partner work, think-pair-shares, and peer tutoring.
• Project-based approaches such as Genius Hour, where students can pursue
and focus on topics or inquiry questions of interest. Give students the
option to work in groups or independently.
• Problem-based approach where students apply concepts learned in the
classroom to real-world situations. Students draw on prior knowledge and
make meaningful connections.
• Explicit instruction by teacher modelling of expectations and learning
activities and ensuring learning goals are made clear to students.
• Inclusive assessment practices where evidence of learning is documented in
an ongoing way to show the learner’s growth through an online portfolio.
• Allowing students to present their learning in various ways such as written,
speech-to-text, poster projects, coding projects, etc.
(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013)
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Challenges that may emerge:

Challenges that may emerge as we attempt to make curricular material accessible

are that at times it may take a lot of time to plan and implement, especially if you
are doing it on your own. Another challenge is that at times some tools and
technology that will make the curriculum accessible to all might be expensive. In my
school there are 14 iPads shared between all the primary classes, we have almost
10 divisions of primary students which makes it hard to coordinate iPad times.
Another challenge that may arise is the current issue of the COVID Pandemic where
students cannot share manipulatives or technology in their classrooms due to
health and safety reasons. This is especially challenging if there is not enough
budget allocated for each student to have their own.

References:

Ontario. (N.D.) How to Make Educational Resources Accessible. Retrieved from

https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-make-educational-resources-accessible

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2013). Learning for all: A guide to effective assessment and
instruction for all students, Kindergarten to Grade 12. Retrieved from
http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/learningforall2013.pdf