Geroche 1

Taryn Geroche
Prof. Tricia Engelhardt
EDUC 450
Teacher Work Sample
1 December 2015

Modifications, Adaptations, and Accommodations

Mr. Widmiers Algebra II class this semester, unusually, has only one student who is
designated as special needs. Her accommodations require that she be given extra time on tests;
however, Mr. Widmier is usually lenient on time with all of his students, so these
accommodations are easily given. The issue then becomes this: just because the students do not
have IEPs or 504s does not mean that they all learn at the same pace, in the same way. There are
students in this class who seem to understand concepts immediately, while others need lots of
practice and clarification. There are students who can finish an assignment in fifteen minutes,
when it takes others almost the whole class period. There are students who do not quite
remember all of their basic math facts from Algebra I, while there are others who can use them
without even thinking about it. There are some students who learn well in groups, while others
prefer to work alone. And finally, there are some students who always use a laptop, and others
who never do. How can we, as the teachers, account for all of the students individual needs and
learning styles, even when they are not officially identified?
Mr. Widmier offers several solutions to these questions. First, he is rather flexible in his
classroom style. As long as students are on task, they can complete their homework however
they want to, whether that is with a laptop, or in a group, or sitting on the floor. I think that for a
class to be successful, there have to be opportunities for students to make all of these

Geroche 2
modifications to the work environment for themselves, if they so desire. This implies that either
the teacher must plan opportunities for all of these modifications to occur, or they must entrust
the responsibility to the students, with the expectation that students accommodate for themselves
in whatever way is necessary to maximize their learning. If I knew that my classroom
management could be successful, based on established class expectations, then I would choose
the second method, as Mr. Widmier does. Secondly, Mr. Widmier is very available to students
who may need extra help. Whether this involves make-up work, extra time on a test, or just
general questions about the content, Mr. Widmier is always open to accommodating for a
students needs during lunch, during his planning period, or after school. He is excellent at
making time to answer students questions, and at checking for their understanding of the
answers he gives. Finally, Mr. Widmier has set up his classroom in a way that encourages
collaboration between table partnersthey can always ask each other questions, before asking a
teacher. This is encouraging to those who enjoy working with others, and it gives students a
chance to help teach each other, which is one of the best ways to solidify their learning. These
are all easy, class-wide choices that Mr. Widmier has made to help accommodate for the needs of
every individual student.
To insure that students needs are being met, it is important to build a relationship with
your students. If a student is struggling for any reason, he/she needs to know that they can come
to me for help, whether that is for a clarification on a homework problem, a different variation of
an assignment, or even advice about life in general. When students know that they will be heard
when they express their concerns, then they will be more willing to do so, and they will learn
what it is like to advocate for themselves and their needs. Also, it is important to give frequent
formative assessments, to evaluate how students are doing. If a student is struggling with a

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topic, a formative assessment will be an immediate insight into that struggle. If a student is
frequently struggling on formative assessments, then that could be a hint that something about
my teaching is not getting across to this student successfully, and I need to reevaluate my
methods. Assessment in general is an incredible tool for measuring the extent of student
learning; frequent, informal assessments will reveal trends about how my students learn most
effectively.
An example of a student I expect to encounter in my teaching is one who is particularly
gifted in math. This student is likely to understand new concepts very quickly, and therefore
they will get bored easily when asked to complete practice problems, because they seem
unnecessary. This student needs to be challenged, so that they will not end up disliking a subject
in which they excel, just because it is always boring. It is incredibly important that this student
not be assigned extra homework problems, but different homework problems. I would modify
assignments for this student, asking them higher level questions about the big picture instead of
just requiring them to repeat practice problems. In some situations, I would ask this student to
work with others of varying levels, so that they can be an aid and mentor to the lower-level
students. However, I know that always being in this position would get tiring, so in other
situations I would ask the student to work with other gifted students, and I would have higher
expectations for that group because of their higher ability to achieve.
Another student I expect to work with is one who is behind. Mr. Widmier worked with
one student this semester whose grades started going down as the semester progressed. Mr.
Widmier eventually got a call from the students mother, asking about what could be causing this
decline. Mr. Widmier then talked with the student to try to discover why he was falling behind,
and he discovered that the student was missing some of the basic skills and knowledge that he

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needed, likely because he had not really grasped it in his previous math classes. So, Mr.
Widmier was able to spend time with him outside of class in order to refine some of those
necessary skills. In a situation like this, it is also very important to make sure that the student is
feeling motivated. Students can easily fall behind in a class simply because they are no longer
interested, so finding a way to connect the learning to the students life will help get them back
on track, which will help them regain their motivation to succeed.
Differentiation and modification are easily the areas in which I still need the most
practice. I feel like I have been given a lot of strategies and insight to use with students who
have various different needs, but I have never really had the chance to experience what it is like
to work with those students, because I have never been placed in a classroom that had many
students with special needs. I am looking forward to working with more diverse populations of
students in order to learn what it is like to accommodate for everyone in my lesson planning and
teaching.