Adapting Unstoppable Learning. Rebecca Brooks

students daily by their first names, touching base with students when they return from an absence, noticing students’ emotional and physical states and addressing them as needed, and getting to know each student’s interests and aspirations. Building supportive relationships with students is impossible without communication.

       Communication

      Communication applies to all aspects of the learning environment up to and including the classroom’s physical features. Not only do verbal directions and admonitions convey what is important to students, but so do wall posters and daily routines. When engaging in verbal communication, teachers can focus on language that encourages students to see how their learning applies beyond the classroom. Seeing how content relates to their own lives can increase relevance, which deepens understanding and future knowledge application (Roberson, 2013). Presenting concrete personal examples is a common accommodation. For example, while reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, a book that highlights the unsanitary practices in the American meat-packing industry during the early 20th century, the teacher can discuss current restaurant cleanliness grades (A, B, C), since students encounter that food safety language in their community. Both the teacher and student should also prioritize clear and specific academic language. Teachers can support students in using academic language during small-group and whole-group opportunities by modeling; pairing students who will learn from each other; and encouraging repeated oral practice with sentence starters or frames.

      Communication evolves between educators and students as relationships form in the classroom. This evolution motivates students to communicate more personally, sharing insights into how life outside school may affect their performance in school. This information can inform the need for and the necessary type of adaptations. In addition, each activity in a classroom will lead a student to interpret the learning in a slightly different manner, which again highlights the constant need for communication regarding both a student’s academic and home life.

      Educator-to-educator communication is as important as student-to-educator communication. Some students require more support staff, including related service providers. Whatever the team size, communication about the student’s progress toward learning goals is crucial. Chapter 4 (page 59) lays out potential team members and ideas for successful collaboration. One outcome of this communication is a team’s responsiveness.

       Responsiveness

      Responsiveness is one of the systems thinking principles that educators can apply to all aspects of the learning environment—especially the critical component of instruction. Systems thinking requires purposeful planning. A teacher’s ability to provide differentiated instruction depends on his or her planning with the full range of abilities in mind before delivering the lesson in the classroom. Hall, Vue, Strangman, and Meyer (2014) explain that “to differentiate instruction is to recognize students’ varying background knowledge, readiness, language, preferences in learning and interests; and to react responsively” (p. 3). Differentiated instruction is therefore a process of adapting learning by using a variety of accommodations and modifications in the following three areas as needed: teaching, learning activities, and student (coursework) requirements (California Services for Technical Assistance and Training, 2013). Tomlinson (2014) suggests that educators ask what it will take to adapt curriculum and instruction so that each learner gains the knowledge and skills required to succeed. A systematic way of providing differentiated instruction for students who are struggling is known as a multitiered system of supports (MTSS). MTSS includes response to instruction and intervention (RTI²), which is a multitiered, data-driven intervention approach to helping students achieve standards.

      This differentiation ensures rigor for every student, whatever adaptation is made. These teachers plan contingencies as well. Given students’ dynamism, systems thinkers must respond to their changing needs and their myriad instruction interpretations. These responses are crucial to providing academic support through adaptations. The classroom environment evolves, and each student constantly changes. Therefore, teachers must be ready to adapt their classrooms and instruction. As the year progresses, the systems thinking teacher anticipates and responds to specific student needs by way of the relationships and communication he or she has with students and educational team members.

       Sustainability

      Sustainability cycles back to the other key principles of a systems thinking approach, where it is evident that building relationships on communication and deliberate responsiveness to students is vital for establishing consistent growth. Therefore, consistent, equitable structure and support for all learners creates sustainability, which is imperative not only within the four walls of a teacher’s domain but within the school system to which all members belong. Adaptations are unsustainable if teachers implement them on the fly or if not all teachers implement them, especially in schools where students travel from class to class.

      Staff and funding changes can directly impact supports’ systemic sustainability. Through collaboration with staff and administration, educators must determine how to maintain structured supports as systemic changes occur. Creative planning and forethought allow for proactive planning, such as using readily available resources (like peers) and sharing the responsibilities of adaptations amongst staff to maintain lasting support. Sustainability is key to a systems thinking classroom.

       What Adaptations Do I Need to Provide for Specific Students?