Using adaptive learning with students with disabilities

Video Transcription

Hi, my name is Ashley. And today's lesson is titled, "Using Adaptive Learning with Students with Disabilities." In today's lesson, we will look at the demographics of students with disabilities. We'll look at the benefits of using adaptive learning with students with disabilities and the challenges that also come with using those adaptive learning technologies.

What are the demographics of students with disabilities? There is as many as 20% of students who have some kind of disability in the K through 12 classroom. Most prevalent of these disabilities is learning disabilities, which affects about 10% to 12% of all students.

Other disabilities are intellectual disabilities, emotional behavior disorders, speech and language disabilities, and the autism spectrum disorders. These disabilities can greatly impact the student's ability to learn, whether it's due to their behavior, their cognitive ability, the way they process information, or expressive or receptive language. Most students with disabilities will have difficulty maintaining grade level proficiencies and struggle with reading, writing, and mathematics.

There are many benefits of using adaptive learning with students who have disabilities. Like we have discussed before, adaptive learning is personalized and provides instruction on the student's individual needs. That learning can be catered to address areas where the student needs the most help with. Built-in support provides immediate feedback and extra scaffolding to assist students.

Adaptive learning technologies also include flexible learning, where students can access learning anytime and anywhere. Lastly, adaptive learning will go at the student's pace, which is very important with students with disabilities who have difficulty understanding concepts and need more time to process complex information. Adaptive learning ensures the student has mastered the concept before moving on.

Now on the other hand, there are some challenges with using adaptive learning with students who have disabilities. Some of the adaptive learning technologies may require extensive training. Therefore, students might not be able to use it independently until they have a full understanding of how the technology works.

Also, technology will not always be accessible at all times. As we all know, all students do not have computers and laptops or internet access at their homes. And even some schools don't have the proper equipment for students to be able to access laptops and internet on a regular basis. Because of this, this may limit the amount of time students can use the adaptive learning system, and you'll have to plan accordingly.

In today's lesson, we talked about the characteristics of students with disabilities. In the K through 12 classroom, there is as many as 20% of students who have disabilities-- disabilities that range from speech disorders to those on the autism spectrum. There are some benefits with using adaptive learning with students who have disabilities.

It is intrinsically individualized and based on students' needs. It provides extra scaffolding. It's learning that can occur anywhere at any time, as long as there's internet access available. And lastly, it goes at the pace of the student, making sure that concepts are mastered before moving on. Using adaptive learning can also cause challenges when extensive training is involved or when there's a lack of technology or internet access. This can cause limited use.

As we bring the lesson to a close, think about how adaptive learning can be beneficial for your students. But also consider how you will overcome the challenges that accompany it. To dive a little deeper and learn how to apply this information, be sure to check out the additional resources section associated with this video. This is where you'll find links targeted toward helping you discover more ways to apply this course material.