Differentiation for Students with Disabilities

This unit is designed to develop university students’ skills, knowledge and understanding of how to cater for the learning, emotional and social needs of students with disabilities across the spectrum from foundation to year 6. They will examine approaches for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the range of disabilities. Pre-service teachers will also investigate teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of these students. They will explore programs, resources, and policy documents, which enable and support teachers to develop practices that cater to the specific but differing learning needs of these students so that all can participate fully within the classroom and school. This exploration will also include a focus on the relevant legislative requirements and the teaching practices that support the participation and learning of students with a disability.
This unit builds on students’ primary school professional experiences and supports them to articulate and reflect on important questions regarding the impact of teachers' work. In particular they will reflect on their own experiences of, and learning in, primary schools by investigating personal, school-based, theoretical and socio-cultural explanations of their experiences in educational settings, including the principles underpinning the creation of differentiated classroom environments. This is a praxis inquiry unit in which students will undertake professional experience in a primary school and have the opportunity to develop a range of teaching strategies ready to trial them in future placements.