The Adaptive Dimension, similar to the Common Essential Learnings, permeates all curriculum and instruction. It encourages teachers to adapt their instruction, the learning environment, and curriculum materials to help students achieve curriculum objectives.
When addressing the Adaptive Dimension, it may be helpful for teachers to consider the following guidelines. In order to support students in achieving curriculum objectives, teachers may find it useful to:
Adaptations required by students may vary from presenting the same content through a slightly different method of instruction, to providing additional background information, to establishing an individual or small group extension activity. The duration of the adaptation may range from five minutes of individual interaction to continuous scaffolding for a group of students. Alternative activities, differentiated assignments, and varied resources provide options to increase student learning. When designing lessons, it is important to remember that the purpose of any adaptation is to support students in achieving curriculum objectives.
Identifying the need and designing the adaptation may be adequately handled by the classroom teacher or may require the expertise of other support specialists such as the school’s resource teacher or a student’s health care professional such as a physiotherapist. It is critical that the teacher is aware of and uses those support services that are available, both within and beyond the school. Parents and/or guardians are, of course, considered to be a major resource.
Wellness 10 is an elective course that features the integration of health education and physical education. Strengthened by the Adaptive Dimension, it is designed to accommodate the needs of all students.
Physical activity is an important part of Wellness 10. When making decisions about course selection, students, teachers, parents, and administrators sometimes wonder whether a particular student, who lives with a condition or disability that limits physical mobility, can be accommodated in Wellness 10. The adjacent chart outlines the course content and the types of physical activities that are suggested.
The most frequent application of the Adaptive Dimension occurs as Wellness 10 teachers make purposeful adjustments in classroom, gymnasium, and community or outdoor settings in order to help students achieve curriculum objectives. See here for specific examples of adapting physical activities to support student achievement of objectives.
Teacher Resources
Wellness 10: A Bibliography (2003) includes resources that provide ideas regarding the inclusion of students with special needs. Using a variety of resource materials (e.g., items listed in the bibliography, school or community personnel), along with some creativity, enables teachers to accommodate the wide range of abilities commonly encountered within a classroom.
In addition to the print and video resources annotated in the
bibliography, teachers can access evaluated web sites. One example is www.pecentral.org.
Physical Activity Within Wellness 10 |
| Unit 1: Orientation A 5 hour overview of the course that does not require physical activity. |
| Unit 2: Strands of Wellness A 60 hour unit that features the knowledge and skills to balance Physical Activity and Fitness, Stress Management, Leisure, Healthy Eating, and Relationships for optimum wellness. The suggested physical activities are those that:
There are numerous adaptations that can be made within this unit. For example, while yoga and step aerobics are both beneficial in terms of managing stress, yoga may be a better choice in order to meet the needs of some students within a particular class. Similarly, slo-pitch or badminton may be better choices than walleyball in terms of meeting the needs of some students although all three activities can be enjoyed with friends and acquaintances of varying abilities and skill levels. |
| Unit 3: HIV/AIDS Education A 5 hour unit about the importance of HIV testing and the testing options available in Saskatchewan. Physical activity is not required. |
| Unit 4: Identification, Prevention, and Management of Activity-related
Injuries A 15 hour unit during which students engage in research of activity-related injuries, present their findings, and demonstrate strategies for preventing and managing these injuries. These learning experiences can be easily adapted for students with a condition or disability that limits physical mobility. |
| Unit 5: Volunteering A 15 hour unit that features students volunteering within community agencies and organizations in order to enhance the wellness of others. Adaptations are not required as students choose experiences that are suitable for them and contribute to the wellness of others. One student may choose to assist the coach of a novice girls’ hockey team. Another student may volunteer to lead wheelchair dance sessions or low-organizational game sessions at a nearby care facility for seniors. |
This web site provides the following information and services:
At www.pecentral.org,
click on “Adapted Physical Education” and “Top Adapted Websites”
for information about definitions, descriptions, and teaching strategies to
use in order to include students with a variety of disabilities.