Curriculum Barriers

As students enter their new classroom in September each student comes with a new set of needs. Some students will come with IEPs from previous placements and other students will struggle with certain concepts as the school year progresses on. As the teacher it's important you recognize each students needs and remediate them with tools and strategies you have been equipped  to help each child learn.

Curriculum is to be used as a guide  to help instruct students in a certain subject area. Curriculum companies are doing a better job of providing teachers with more resources to help students who are challenged by the curriculum. However, there still may be some aspect of the curriculum or classroom acting as a barrier for the student. Curriculum barriers are potential barriers in your curriculum that can inhibit a student from mastering a specific concept or may have a significant affect on their learning. For example, a student that has a vision impairment may need to sit close the board, read bigger print, and be presented with information or worksheets on colored paper. As the teacher it's important these barriers are always apart of the planning process as they can determine how well students  respond and learn the material.

The Curriculum Barrier Tutorial on the CAST website gives you the opportunity to read a short synopsis of each students. After choosing one of the six students and a subject, you are to think about the subject and the students needs from the synopsis, and choose materials and methods that may be used for the subject area. For example, written reports or lecture/ whole group instruction maybe used in science. You fill in student qualities and then think about the potential barriers which may be posed in the subject using the materials and methods listed. Using the example previously mentioned, if students are required to write a report on matter in science a student with poor mechanics may have difficulty writing a report. As the teacher it's your job to offer various ways for the student to present their understanding of matter with drawings or a project. Below is an example of a curriculum barrier chart used in a third grade classroom.

My Own Curriculum Barrier Organizer....