top of page

What is adaptive

teaching?

Adaptive teaching is high quality teaching which meets the needs of all children. Every child is given an equal opportunity to learn the intended knowledge and skills of a knowledge rich curriculum coherently and encounter pedagogy, behaviour approaches and an environment which has considered their unique capabilities or barriers and adapts accordingly.   

​

Adaptive leaders build a ‘find out’ culture which continually seeks to identify the knowledge needs, capabilities and barriers of the child, the class and the cohort. A find out culture develops a deeper understanding of children, detects issues early and prevents small problems escalating into unmanageable situations. 

A find out culture swiftly identifies the most vulnerable children in the school, those with more complex issues and gathers evidence first hand to ensure adaptations are compatible.

A find out culture academically safeguards children and enables leaders and teachers to build knowledge skilfully and lead proactively.   

​

Adaptations include adapting the curriculum strategically and then operationally to ensure knowledge builds skilfully upon the prior knowledge of the entire cohort (KS2 scores <80-120). Once the knowledge is meaningful and within proximity of the learners existing knowledge base, adaptations can be made to pedagogy, behaviour approaches and environment. If leaders neglect adapting the curriculum strategically to ensure knowledge is meaningful, all other adaptations will be fruitless. No strategy, policy, routine or adaptation will be effective if the knowledge is meaningless.

2732589_edited.png

ADAPTATIONS INCLUDE:

ADAPT THE CURRICULUM / KNOWLEDGE
Adapted strategically to ensure each child is provided with an equal opportunity to learn the intended knowledge and skills in a meaningful and coherent way. Also minimises teacher workload by reducing the scale of adaptations. Teachers consider and plan for the knowledge strengths and weaknesses in a class.  Planning is inclusive of all learners, teachers do not exclusively plan and teach to the top.
 

PEDAGOGY

Adapted to meet the learning needs within the class. More complex learners have unique barriers to learning removed through skilfully adapted teaching which is compatible with the pre-identified needs of the children.   

 

BEHAVIOUR APPROACHES 

Adapted to meet the needs of the children, approaches may vary and more complex children may require the need to feel psychologically and emotionally safe as a pre-requisite to learning.


ENVIRONMENT

Adaptations include, but not limited to: seating arrangements, classroom displays,
removing distractions or enabling physical access.

l.png

 The initial stages of adaptive teaching equips teachers to:

  • Identify the needs of the class as a whole

  • Understand the academic parameters within a class

  • Identify children with the greatest barriers to learning

  • Understand the complex and unique barriers of individual children 

  • Understand causal factors contributing to disruptive behaviour

  • Identify gaps in knowledge and skills

  • Identify interventions 

  • Provide an evidence-based rationale for adaptations
     

The entire process occurs in stages, more precisely, The Five Stages of Adaptive Teaching

Teachers  identify the needs of children during Stage 1 and Stage 2 to gather sufficient evidence to make whole class and individual adaptations during Stage 3 and Stage 4. Stage 5 is a process for reflecting to refine adaptations or recording and escalating concerns regarding children such as with the SEND team, curriculum leads or parents.  

Adaptive Teaching requires Adaptive Leadership

Leadership teams implement adaptations at a strategic level to ensure greater efficacy at an operational level and to reduce teacher workload by reducing the scale of adaptations teachers make in the classroom. 

 

Whole school adaptations include, but not limited to:

  • Children are assessed on entry to identify key conceptual knowledge strengths and weaknesses. 

  • Children have key conceptual knowledge gaps closed

  • Children encounter curriculum knowledge in a meaningful and coherent manner through the sequencing of the curriculum

  • Swiftly identify the most vulnerable learners with the greatest barriers to learning

  • Reduce academic parameters within classes to reduce the scale of adaptations.

  • Provide valuable opportunities to dynamically assess children with the greatest barriers to learning

  • Allocate the most skilled adaptive teachers to the highest needs classes

  • Focus on the compatibility of teaching with the needs of children during quality assurance procedures

  • Ensure data is up to date and reliable. 

bottom of page