Accommodations fall under four major categories:

Content: What the student needs to learn. The instructional concepts should be
broad based, and all students should be given access to the same core content.
However, the content’s complexity should be adapted to students’ learner profiles.
Teachers can vary the presentation of content, (e.g., textbooks, lecture,
demonstrations, taped texts) to best meet students’ needs.
Process: Activities in which the student engages to make sense of or master the
content. Examples of differentiating process activities include scaffolding,
flexible grouping, interest centers, manipulatives, varying the length of time for a
student to master content, and encouraging an advanced learner to pursue a topic
in greater depth.
Products: The culminating projects that ask students to apply and extend what
they have learned. Products should provide students with different ways to
demonstrate their knowledge as well as various levels of difficulty, group or
individual work, and various means of scoring.
Learning Environment: The way the classroom works and feels. The
differentiated classroom should include areas in which students can work quietly
as well as collaborate with others, materials that reflect diverse cultures, and
routines that allow students to get help when the teacher isn’t available
(Tomlinson, 1995, 1999; Winebrenner, 1992, 1996).
Type of Adaptation
1. Altering existing materials-Rewrite, reorganize, add to, or recast the
information so that the student can access the regular curriculum material
independently, e.g.,prepare a study guide and audiotape.
2. ƒ Mediating existing materials-provide additional instructional support,
guidance,and direction to the student in the use of the materials. Alter your
instruction to mediate the barriers presented by the materials so that you
 directly lead the student to interact with the materials in different ways. For
example, have students survey the reading material, collaboratively preview
the text, and create an outline of the material to use as a study guide.
3. ƒ Selecting alternate materials-Select new materials that are more sensitive
to the needs of students with disabilities or are inherently designed to
compensate for learning problems. For example, use an interactive computer
program that cues critical ideas, reads text, inserts graphic organizers,
defines and illustrates words presents and reinforces learning in smaller
increments, and provides more opportunities for practice and cumulative
review.
5 interactive teaching styles that make a difference
1. Brainstorming — various techniques
Interactive brainstorming is typically performed in group sessions. The
process is useful for generating creative thoughts and ideas. Brainstorming
helps students learn to pull together. Types of interactive brainstorming
include:

Structured and unstructured

Reverse or negative thinking
Nominal group relationships
Online interaction such as chat, forums and email
Team-idea mapping
Group passing
Individual brainstorming
2. Think, pair, and share
Establish a problem or a question, then pair your students. Give each pair
sufficient time to form a conclusion, and permit each participant to define
the conclusion in his or her personal voice. You can also request that one
student explain a concept while the other student evaluates what is being
learned. Apply different variations of the process—your students will be
engaged, communicating, and retaining more information before your eyes.

3. Buzz session
Participants come together in session groups that focus on a single topic.
Within each group, every student contributes thoughts and ideas. Encourage
discussion and collaboration among the students within each group;
everyone should learn from one another’s input and experiences.
4. Incident process
This teaching style involves a case study format, but the process is not so
rigid as a full case study training session. The focus is on learning how to
solve real problems that involve real people—preparing your students for
life beyond your classroom. Provide small groups of students with details
from actual incidents and then ask them to develop a workable solution.

5. Q&A sessions
On the heels of every topic introduction, but prior to formal lecturing, ask
your students to jot down questions pertaining to the subject matter on 3×5
index cards. After you collect the cards, mix them up and read and answer
the student-generated questions.

7 Learning Styles