Curriculum Differentiation for Learners who Experience Barriers to Learning
Expected Outcomes: Participants will demonstrate an understanding of
 The key conceptual shifts of the policy on inclusive education and how it affects
individual teaching and assessment practice.
 The aspects of the Assessment Policy which refers the management of diversity
 How to differentiate a variety of assessment tasks to accommodate learners who
experience barriers to learning in inclusive classes
 How to support individual learners who are working at a different level from the
majority of learners in the class
Summary of White Paper 6 Messages
The facilitator gives an overview of the main elements of the policy on inclusion as it relates to
curriculum and assessment:









Barriers to learning arise from the interlocking parts of the curriculum – the content of learning
programmes, the language and medium of teaching and learning, the management and
organisation of classrooms, teaching style and pace, time-frames for completion of curricula,
available materials and equipment, and assessment methods and techniques
All learners can learn provided they receive the necessary support
Many learners experience barriers to learning or drop out primarily because of the inability or
unwillingness of those in the system to recognise and accommodate the diverse range of
learning needs
The policy moves away from the notion that barriers to learning reside primarily within the
learner and that, consequently learner support should take the form of specialist, typically
medical interventions
The National Curriculum Statement (GET) and the National Curriculum Statement (FET:
Schools) will be required to focus on the inclusion of the full range of diverse learning needs
District-based support teams and institution-level support teams will be required to provide
curriculum, assessment and instructional support in the form of illustrative learning
programmes, learner support materials and equipment, assessment instruments and
professional support for teachers at special schools/resource centres and full service and
other educational institutions
The inclusion of learners with intellectual disabilities mainly requires curriculum differentiation
and is possible to accomplish in most ordinary classrooms
There are many learners in each class who experience barriers to learning and it is primarily
the task of the teacher to identify and address these
The level of intensity and the nature of support required rather than the category of disability
will determine how support is planned and given
SUMMARY OF SECTIONS FROM ASSESSMENT POLICY (2007)
Section 8:
Assessment should be authentic, continuous, multi-dimensional, varied and balanced
Take into consideration the diverse needs of learners and the context and use a variety of
assessment strategies
Be part of teaching and learning and inform planning of support
Section 15:
Importance of early identification of barriers to learning and providing support
Section 16:
Assessment of and decisions about learners who experience barriers to learning must
involve partnership between teachers, parents, learners and support services
Section 17:
Assessment instruments and procedures must be appropriate to intensity and nature of
support needs of learners
Section 18
Assessment of all learners should follow principles of Education White Paper 6
Section 19
For learners with special needs the principle of inclusion should be applied – adaptation of
assessment task, time allocated, individualised assessment techniques and expanded
opportunities
Section 35 (h)
Teachers must report regularly to parents and learners on the progress of the learners
Section 96 and 97
Learners who are deaf and who have other special needs should be exempted from certain
promotion requirements
GETTING TO KNOW MY LEARNERS AND UNDERSTANDING BARRIERS TO
LEARNING
Scenarios 1 – 4 and example of multi-grade, multi-level classrooms
(See next page)
2
FOUR SCENARIOS THAT REPRESENT DIVERSE TEACHING AND LEARNING CLASSROOM CONTEXTS
SCHOOL A
Grade 1
VARIABLE
SCHOOL B
Grade 2
SCHOOL C
Grade 3
Mainly well-off suburban, middle
class, but also some learners from
less well-off suburbs.
SCHOOL D
Grade 3
Big township with diverse
languages, 70%
unemployment, some homes
in informal settlements
Community
Big town, mixed socio-economic
levels.
Rural, poor.
School
Mixed gender; race; language:
60% Afrikaans, 40% SeSotho
Home Language.
Farm school; mixed gender; all
XiVenda-speaking.
Urban; boys only; all Afrikaansspeaking.
LoLT
English
English
Afrikaans
Sepedi
T: L ratio
1:45
1:25
1:35
1:40
Large space, but old; adequate
furniture.
Multi-grade; no electricity;
furniture in poor condition.
Large, well equipped, class library &
plenty of LTSM.
School library, but not well
stocked; some learners have
access to computers and the
Internet; some equipment (OHP,
photocopier).
20 girls, 23 boys
Ages 6 - 8.
2 learners are learning disabled.
1 learner is hyperactive.
1 learner has spelling problems,
possibly owing to dyslexia.
1 learner has vision barriers
owing to albinism.
Large, shady school grounds.
No equipment.
20 km from a special school.
Media centre; fully equipped
computer rooms, Internet access to
all.
New school building with
enough furniture, ramps,
accessible toilets, equipment,
shortage of LTSM because of
growth in learner numbers
Provincial online computer
room equipped with range of
software, community library in
neighbouring school.
12 boys, 8 girls ages 6 - 10.
1 learner is hard of hearing owing
to repeated, untreated middle
ear infections.
1 learner is learning disabled.
1 of the older learners is head of
a household.
32 boys,
Ages 7 - 9.
1 boy is gifted and could read from
age 4.
4 boys were transferred from a farm
school which has closed down and
where the LoLT was English.
1 boy has Down’s Syndrome.
2 boys have reading delays
Classroom
Resources
Learners
3
Urban Township; mixed
gender;
28 boys, 12 girls
Ages 7 – 11
1 boy is using a wheelchair
and has fine motor problems
6 learners experience barriers
in Reading and in Maths
1 learner has Portuguese as a
home language
7 learners come from Swazi
speaking homes
All learners are on the School
Nutrition Programme
10 learners walk 7 Km to
school
Teacher
 Staff of 12:
 The particular Learning Area
teacher well qualified
(university third-year level in
the subject), experienced, but
little OBE exposure
 One teacher has specialised
knowledge and experience in
addressing barriers to learning
 One of two, this teacher is
responsible for 21 learners
 8 x Grade 1; 7 x Grade 2; 10 x
Grade 3
 She has a two-year teacher’s
diploma, but 20 years’
experience; some OBE
training
 The other teacher is the
principal
4
 One of staff of 25, novice with
only theoretical, tertiary OBE
exposure
 No experience of teaching in SA
context, but one year
experience teaching in the UK
 Teacher has been trained
in inclusive education
strategies
 Teacher is coordinator of
the Institution-level
Support Team (ILST)
 Teacher is Sepedi
speaking
REFLECTING ON CLASSROOM PRACTICE (5 Minutes individual task)
Reflecting on my own classroom practice and on how best to get to know my learners. The
facilitator asks participants to simulate a situation in which they are teachers and reflect on
their own practice by reading the extract that follows and answering the questions listed
below:
“If I am an teacher in one of the above classrooms, it will be essential for me to
understand how the ethos of the school, the context of my classroom, my own
attitudes, the way in which I manage and organise the class and my own teaching
style may impact on each of the learners. If I acknowledge that the curriculum is
broader than just what is being taught in any given lesson, I will also understand that
there are many factors that will either encourage or inhibit learners to participate and
develop their full potential.”
As individuals, start by reflecting on practices that are current in a school where you may be
teaching by responding to the following questions:
 Are curricular materials culturally relevant?
 Is particular attention paid to the accessibility of spoken and written language for both
learners and their families?
 Are alternative ways of giving access to experience or understanding provided to
learners who cannot engage in particular activities?
 Do all staff members avoid class, sexist, racist, “disablist” or other forms of
discriminatory or categorising remarks?
 Are all languages treated as equally valuable?
 Do teachers show that they respect and value alternative views during class
discussions?
 Do teachers work collaboratively, e.g. planning jointly, co-teaching, sharing
learning/teaching materials, plans?
 Are learners encouraged to take responsibility of their own learning?
 Are learners taught how to study, such as taking care of their books, reading for
pleasure, conducting surveys at home, making joint reports from the different
contributions of a group?
 Are lesson plans shared with learners so that they can work at a faster pace if they
wish?
 Are learners involved in assessing and commenting on their own and each other’s
learning?
 Are ranges of assessments used that allow all learners to display their skills?
 Are there opportunities for assessment of work done in collaboration with others?
(Booth & Ainscow, 2003)
Uncovering the thinking, attitudes and beliefs behind our practice, we can identify areas
where we as teachers need to develop ourselves in order to better accommodate
learners who experience barriers to learning and to change our practices to cater for the
entire range of learner diversity in ordinary schools.
“I need to reflect on my teaching styles because there are strategies that I personally
have been implementing in my classroom without having a clue what they were all
about.”
5
IDENTIFICATION OF BARRIERS TO LEARNING (15 minutes Group Work Task)
List the barriers to teaching and learning that are present in each of the four classes. Also
note the enabling factors in each environment.
School ________________ (A/B/C/D):
Contextual Barriers: These are factors in the school environment that have the potential
of preventing all learners from feeling welcome and reaching their full potential – the
focus is on culture, dynamics and social context
_______________________________________________________________________
Systemic Barriers: These are factors in the school and learning situation that are
systemic in nature, such as resources, physical, material and human resource factors.
_______________________________________________________________________
Individual Barriers: - These are factors that are intrinsic to individual learners.
_______________________________________________________________________
Enabling Factors: - These are factors which could improve opportunities for all learners
to reach their full potential
______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
6
SUMMARY OF BARRIERS TO LEARNING
Barriers to learning are those factors, which hinder teaching and learning. These can and do occur at
all levels of the system and include:
 Factors relating to specific individuals. In the education system these refer specifically to learners
(e.g. relating to specific learning needs and styles) and teachers (e.g. personal factors as well as
teaching approaches and attitudes);
 Various aspects of the curriculum, such as: content, language or medium of instruction,
organisation and management in the classroom, methods and processes used in teaching, the
pace of teaching and time available, learning materials and equipment, and assessment
procedures;
 The physical and psychosocial environment within which teaching and learning occurs. This
includes buildings as well as management styles;
 Dynamics and conditions relating to the learner’s home environment, including issues such as
family dynamics, cultural and socio-economic background, socio-economic status, and so on;
 Community and social dynamics, which either support or hinder the teaching and learning process.
(Conceptual and Operational Guidelines on Inclusive Education: District-Based Support Teams, 2004
)
SUMMARY OF ENABLING FACTORS
Teacher training and experience, availability of resources, accessible learning environments,
access to support, parent and community involvement
GROUP WORK ACTIVITY (45 minutes)
1. Each group will use the Exemplar Lesson Plans in the Assessment Guidelines for
Foundation Phase Grades R - 3 and adapt the assessment task to suit the needs within
each of the 4 classes.
2. Take into account the various barriers to learning in each classroom as well as the
possible learning styles of the learners. Indicate how the 9 aspects of curriculum
differentiation, namely Size, Time, Level of Support, Input, Output, Difficulty,
Participation, Alternation, Substitute Curriculum will be applied. Also refer to the tips
below to plan how to differentiate the assessment tasks.
3. Provide an exemplar of how assessment will be reported for the individual learners who
experience barriers to learning.
TIPS TO ASSIST WITH THE ACTIVITY
COMPONENTS OF CURRICULUM DIFFERENTIATION
The following THREE questions must be asked by the teacher when planning to
differentiate an activity to accommodate all learners:
1.
How can I differentiate the content/context so that it will be relevant to the life
experience and level of competence of individual learners?
(Reflect on the skills, knowledge and values that need to be assessed. Remember
that some learners coming from different backgrounds may react differently to a
specific text. While some of them may not have mastered English as a first additional
language fully, they may still understand the key concepts. Also, the text may not be
of interest to them and this may affect their behaviour during the activity. Finally,
certain learners have the skill of communicating without necessarily having mastered
the language)
7
2.
What adaptations need to be made to the LTSM and how can the method of
presentation be differentiated?
3.
What will I take into consideration when I assess the learner’s performance?
(Consider the purpose, the context, and strategies for collecting, evaluating,
recording, reporting and using the evidence to design a support programme. Allow for
a range of ways in which the learner can perform, respond, explain or demonstrate
achievement of the outcome).
Some ideas for applying any of the components above
Differentiating the content












Remember that some learners coming from different backgrounds may react
differently to a specific text.
Even if some of them have not fully mastered English as a first additional language,
they may still understand the key concepts.
The text may not be of interest to them and this may affect their behaviour during the
activity.
Certain learners can have the skill of communicating without necessarily having
mastered the language.
The level of abstract content can be reduced
Setting a substitute task of similar scope and demand
Replacing one task with a task of a different kind
A more challenging or complex text can be selected for learners who need expanded
opportunities
Shorten the tasks
Select texts and books that are culture sensitive
Provide reading material that will interest learners and that is not too linguistically
difficult to read.
Using another planned task to assess more outcomes or aspects of outcomes than
originally intended
Adapting the materials or differentiating method of presentation















Allowing the learner to undertake the task at a later date
Use study guides
Graphic organizers and guided writing
Demonstrate, model and prompt the expected response
When doing reading, choose texts that have illustrations and that are easier to
reinforce a concept, but let them attempt to demonstrate the same outcomes
Use a variety of types of tasks and texts that link and expand concepts
Reteach the content if necessary
Use supplementary materials
Provide for wordlists
Create a more positive learning environment in which learners feel valued and
encouraged to take risks
Create a classroom atmosphere in which the learners’ backgrounds and cultures are
valued and recognized
Adapt the teaching methodology to the needs of specific learners.
Read material orally
Highlight essentials in a listening or speaking text
Provide individual assistance
8

Considering the format in which the task is presented, e.g. the complexity of graphs,
diagrams, tables, illustrations, cartoons, etc. A range of strategies can be followed
to make these accessible to learners who experience barriers to learning of
whatever nature, such as:
o Picture or diagram simplified or shown differently without compromising
complexity of question
o Picture or diagram replaced by written description
o Picture or diagram supplemented by written explanation
o Picture or diagram replaced with a real item or model
o Unnecessary picture or diagram removed
o Amount of information reduced
o Measurements altered
o Inherently visual material replaced with equivalent non-visual material
Allowing for a variety of assessment strategies to evaluate performance















Design activities which would allow space for different learning styles or intelligences
Encourage learners to read for meaning as well as for personal satisfaction.
Provide opportunities for shared learning to encourage speaking and listening. Allow
for knowledge to be constructed through group discussions.
Pace or scaffold the activities
Allowing the learner extra time to complete the task
Use technology, aids or other special arrangements to undertake assessment tasks
Use an estimate based on other assessments or work completed by the learner (in
circumstances where the above provisions are not feasible or reasonable)
Keep observation portfolios for certain learners who need additional support
Record the material
Read tests or assignments orally
Give multiple-choice options
Provide tasks which require short answers
Test key concepts only
Oral reports versus written reports
Focus on the positive aspects or talents of the learners. Get to know which
Intelligence is their strongest, and work on them. (Multiple Intelligences)
(See also Inclusion Guidelines for Assessment, 2002)
REPORT BACK (20 Minutes)
REFERENCES
Booth, T., Ainscow, M. (2002) Index for Inclusion. Developing Learning and Participation in
Schools. Revised. Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education: Bristol.
Department of Education (2001) White Paper on Special Needs Education: Building and
Inclusive Education and Training System. Pretoria.
Department of Education (2008) National Strategy on Screening, Identification, Assessment
and Support (SIAS). Pretoria
UNESCO. (2004) Changing Teaching Practices. Paris.
Väyrynen, S. (2003) Observations from South African Classrooms: Some Inclusive
Strategies. National Institute for Higher Education Northern Cape in cooperation with the
South African – Finnish Co-operation Programme in the Education Sector (SCOPE).
9
10