Teachers have a fundamental role in removing barriers for learning science for children with educational special needs. As the National Curriculum (2013) states, teachers should plan lessons and provide opportunities where barriers for learning are removed and all children are able to achieve their full potential. Teachers should be able to overcome potential barriers for individuals by responding to their needs. The Education Act (1996: 6) defines educational special needs as ‘a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision’ as there is a significantly greater difficulty when learning. This rationale will explore alterations made to a lesson plan on sound to enable a child named Lorena, who has dyslexia, to have equal opportunities to access the science curriculum and develop her scientific knowledge and conceptual understanding of science through working scientifically in the lesson.
Dyslexia is a specific learning need that primarily affects the ability to accurately read and spell, and occurs at any level of intellectual ability (Rose 2009). Science, being a practical subject in the curriculum, is easily accessible to dyslexic children as literacy skills are not a prime concern (Ward 2010). Therefore, it is fundamental for teachers to effectively adapt teaching and learning to encourage, support and reduce the effects dyslexia can have on the learning of science. As explained by Eide (2011), adapting teaching is crucial for the growth, learning and success of a dyslexic child. Removing barriers to achievement can be done by ensuring lessons are structured, multisensory and practical. Hayes (2010) explains that children will benefit greatly from hands-on learning as practical experiences with develop their knowledge of scientific process skills. Therefore, implementing inclusive teaching and learning strategies and ensuring Lorena has an equal opportunity to access the science curriculum is vital for her progression (Education Act 1996).
Reid (2007) highlights the fact that 15-20% of people are affected by dyslexia. Lorena is one of these people and was diagnosed when she was five years old. Lorena demonstrates a range of poor cognitive features which include: memory and processing skills, organisation, and writing skills. Lorena also has very low self-esteem which affects her contribution in science lessons. However, Lorena has a passion for science and does particularly well when the appropriate adaptations are made. This is due to the hands-on learning approach in science.
The lesson plan outlines key adaptations which will be made to allow Lorena to explore scientific methods, processes and skills during the lesson. As highlighted in the lesson plan Lorena will be having numerous short pre-teaching sessions with the learning support assistant to introduce key scientific terminology which will be used in the lesson, for example, the words properties and insulation. This adaption has been made due to Lorena’s poor phonological awareness when encountered with new words and her lack of self-confidence when taking part in class discussions. Lorena will be introduced to these words in context and will be provided with pictures and labels to help visualise and recognise the meaning of each word. Research conducted by Gibbs (2005) highlights the importance of introducing dyslexic children gradually to key vocabulary in context to enable them to make connections between word concepts and meanings. Therefore, these sessions will firstly, enable Lorena to familiarise with key scientific vocabulary, secondly build on her scientific thinking and thirdly, will improve her confidence when contributing in class discussions as she would have already been introduced to the terminology. As Hultquist (2008) outlines, increasing a child’s self-confidence to participate within a science learning environment will enable them to achieve things they never thought they could. In contrast, Roberts (2012) argues that pre-teaching does not train children for real-life encounters with language. Robert explains the importance of teaching children the necessary skills to deal with unknown words.
During the first stages of the group work Lorena will be using a set of instructions to guide her learning when observing, discussing the properties of the materials provided and when predicting. This adaptation has been made due to Lorena’s struggle when processing information and remembering the order of instructions given. Harlen and Qualter (2014) greatly encourage the use of instructions in science to support children, especially those with dyslexia. They feel it is crucial to break down tasks into smaller pieces of information to ensure they make the most of the learning experiences in science. Jantzen and Barton (2009) further explain how instructions which are structured, clear and step-to-step are very effective to use with dyslexic children to remove barriers for learning science as it allows them to process information in smaller chunks. Furthermore, by using step-to-step instructions Lorena will be able to understand what she needs to be doing, refer back to the instructions when she feels is necessary, and will be able to engage in the activity easily developing her understanding of the properties of the materials being used for the investigation.
It has been highlighted that the use of inquiry-based learning in science for example questioning, supports children who struggle with reading (Sharp et al 2014). As explained in the lesson plan, Lorena will be developing her process skills throughout the lesson through the use of questioning. It will be implemented in particular when Lorena is predicting what type of materials she feels provides the best insulation against sound. Through the use of open and closed-ended questions, Lorena will be able to develop her understanding of the investigation as well as, her investigative and predicting skills. As Kamisah (2012: 4) states, questioning will enable children to ‘think, understand and explain’ what they believe will happen in the experiment. Therefore, questioning will enable Lorena to analyse and put her scientific process skills into practice by verbally expressing her thinking. As a result of Lorena not having to worry about writing anything down, she can focus entirely on the investigation and work scientifically to make informed predictions (Hollins and Whitby 2001). However, research emphasizes the importance of continuing to address children’s comprehension skills in order to fully access the science curriculum.
In conclusion, it is essential for adaptations to be made to enrich the learning experiences in science for all children, including those with educational special needs like Lorena. Providing an equal opportunity for children with educational special needs to access the science curriculum is fundamental to develop their understanding and knowledge of science. The above rationale provides an example of how barriers for learning can be removed for a child who has dyslexia to enable her to achieve and progress in science. Therefore, ensuring activities are planned ahead of time to enable effective, appropriate adaptations to be made will ensure barriers for learning science are removed.