What is a curricular adaptation in education? Types and advantages

In educational sciences, participation and learning within schools is increasingly considered not only depends on children adapting to school activities; rather, the school itself has the responsibility of adapting to the conditions of the boys and girls.

From this approach, different pedagogical proposals have emerged to deal with the diversity of ways of learning and participating. One of them is curricular adaptations.

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What are curricular adaptations?

Curricular adaptations, also known as curricular adaptations, are one of the strategies that pedagogy has developed to reduce barriers to learning and the participation of children.

The word "curricular" comes from "curriculum" (which means "career" in Latin), and refers to educational plans or projects that shape pedagogical activities. In this sense, a curriculum allows us to answer the questions of what is taught? and how is it taught? This may vary according to the school or educational systems.

Thus, a curricular adaptation consists broadly in planning and making the modifications that are relevant in a curriculum (for example, in the first-year primary education program) to favor the learning and participation of one or more children.

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In which cases are they necessary?

Curricular adjustments may be necessary in the event that a boy or girl has difficulties acquiring skills or knowledge at the speed demanded in a school through the official curriculum (in this case we could say that there is a learning barrier).

But not only that, it can also happen that a school needs to adapt the conditions of its space (architecture), so that children can access educational programs. For example, in the case of someone with reduced mobility.

Or it may also happen that children are going through conflictive situations on an emotional level and This affects their academic performance, which could be counteracted if the curriculum has certain flexibility.

These latter cases are about barriers to participation, and although do not involve directly modifying the educational programare important because children's participation is one of the necessary conditions to facilitate their access to the curriculum.

Types of curricular adaptations

There are several types of curricular adjustments, each one depends on the child's own condition and also on the conditions of the school or educational system.

1. Access accommodations (or scheduling the classroom)

Access adaptations are those that, as the name suggests, allow boys and girls join educational spaces. They can be of two types, access adaptations in relation to physical condition, or access adaptations in relation to communication.

1.1. Access adaptations in relation to physical condition

They consist of reviewing the means and resources that prevent or allow the child to access the curriculum for mobility or communication reasons. That is, it is about adapting the physical spaces of the schools, providing the necessary technological support and ensuring that there is adequate furniture, so that all children can be guaranteed to be integrated into classrooms, gardens, etc.

1.2. Access adaptations in relation to communication

They imply taking into account that throughout their development, boys and girls may have different difficulties in communicating with others, both orally and in writing.

Likewise, in the case of children with both sensory and intellectual or motor disabilities, there may be difficulties in communicating. An example of access adaptation in this case is to promote augmentative and alternative communication systems and the use of resources such as symbols, the system of signs, the use of hearing aids, the Braille system, or electronic or pictorial boards, which among other things can facilitate the expression and understanding of children and girls

In sum, access adaptations can be facilitated if we ask ourselves how is the movement, communication and interactions that are promoted within the educational environment.

2. Adaptations of elements of the curriculum

These adaptations consist of making modifications directly to the educational curriculum. It is a process that must be done gradually and with the participation of both the children involved and the teaching staff.

Its development can be subdivided into four general stages: diagnosis, design, implementation and assessment. However, these stages, their course and their closure depend a lot on both the person who proposes them as well as the people who will put them into practice.

2.1. Diagnosis: why do we need a curricular adaptation?

It is about knowing the institutional conditions, that is, the supports that the school has within its community, as well as identifying the knowledge of the teaching staff about the education plans that are applied according to the school year.

It also implies carrying out a psycho-pedagogical evaluation, not only of the boy or girl but of the real possibilities of the teachers to make an adjustment and to follow up. In the same sense, identify the child's condition, that is, the reasons why their access to learning is being hindered. Finally, know the nearby development zone, their needs and interests, so that they can set prudent and realistic objectives.

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2.2. Design: how to compensate for the situation?

After having analyzed the normative documents, current educational plans, school conditions and the needs of children, it is necessary to prioritize the situation that needs to be compensated through a curricular adaptation, and from there generate a proposal. For example, in some cases it is a priority for the child to acquire academic knowledge, and in others it is more necessary to stimulate social skills.

It is then a matter of developing the proposal together with the teaching team, so that a monthly, bimonthly curriculum is planned or annual according to the needs of the educational context, and adapt this proposal to the needs and the area of ​​development near the kid.

2.3. Implementation: putting it into practice

It consists of starting to use the teaching units programmed for the given time, and above all implementing them gradually. Also provide the materials, detailed strategies and consider the form of evaluation or assessment to be carried out.

2.4. Constant valuation

Finally, it is necessary to assess the access that the child has to the curriculum, both at the level of mobility as in terms of communication, and how easy it is now to acquire the knowledge that we have proposed. In addition, detect new difficulties, both of the boy or girl himself, as well as of the teachers and the educational community, so that it is possible to propose prudent alternatives.

Bibliographic references:

• Basic Directorate of Special Basic Education. (2007). Curricular Adaptations Manual. Ministry of Education: Peru
• Puigdellívol, I. (1996). Classroom programming and curricular adaptation: the treatment of diversity. Graó: Barcelona