Click the Play Button to View Phyl's NEW Introductory Video on T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Get the Flash Player to see this player. This makes so much sense! It is like opening a door to pull all of the pieces together — it is so simple, yet a comprehensive and consistent approach. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is very practical and functional. - Susan Toner Speech-Language Pathologist

REGISTER NOW The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T 1-Day Course » September 29,2010 West Lebanon, New Hampshire What is so great about T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is that any instructor has a framework for adapting materials that they can follow with each new lesson. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. modules address the four areas of language: reading, writing, listening, and speaking – ensuring that a learner of any age or disability greatly improves in knowledge, skills, and performance. - Jean Slater President of Slater Software REGISTER NOW The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T 2-Day Intensive Lab » September 30,2010 & October 1, 2010 West Lebanon, New Hampshire Prerequisite: Completion of 1-Day Course

Designing "Learn About, Read About,
Write About, and Talk About™" Modules

Authored By:
Phyl T. Macomber
Assistive Technology Specialist

CLICK HERE for "About the Author" Bio

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. will help when integrating students into general education curriculum. As a special educator, I would be able to (not only) identify specific educational objectives, but now easily see the progress and delivery by paras on these objectives. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. will also help students navigate through the world of developmental service agencies, employment services, and voc rehab. - Kathy Boudreau Special Educator

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The Problem

Providing curriculum support – whether academic or under the life skills umbrella - to individuals that are special learners in a classroom environment, work setting, community, or group home can be very challenging.

In the field of education, inclusion requires us to look at the specifics of how these students can best learn in a least restrictive environment.

Once leaving the educational system, these individuals continue on a life-long learning process to improve their level of independence related to domestic living skills, vocational training, leisure and recreation interests, and accessing their community.

Our learners, regardless of their age, may be faced with the following challenges:

	a cognitive impairment
	a learning disability
	physical challenges
	sensory deficits or regulation issues

When adapting any learning unit, that individual may need the following customized:

	learning strategies
	instructional materials
	curriculum content
	assessment procedures

This type of customization for a learner takes time when looking at how to adapt the content of what is being taught in the instructional setting.

Oftentimes, we then add technology supports to the equation – technology that is supposed to make our jobs easier and, most importantly, help the individuals become more independent – and the outcome of all of this, is a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Because of time constraints, I often see educational teams and agency teams playing catch-up to put their best effort forward to adapt the ever-changing curriculum to the needs of the individuals they serve.

Click the Play Button to View an Instructional Assistant's Experience Implementing T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Get the Flash Player to see this player.

When introduced to T.H.E. P.A.C.T., my first reaction was,'This will work for everyone - students, special educators, paraprofessionals, and parents!' It is truly practical, user-friendly, and focuses on the basic academic and life skills: Learn About, Read About, Write About, and Talk About. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. lays the groundwork and support for Alternative Assessment Portfolios – key once again for students of all ages and grades, special educators, and parents. - Donna C. Jones, Special Education Director

Kristen Sennett Instructional Assistant

The Solution

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. – A Recipe for Success

Adapting the curriculum – whether academic or life skills - is crucial for our special learners. It is essential that the design formats and tools that we select to create and customize when adapting the curriculum are:

	easy to use
	practical for the team and the learner

The most consistent use and effective application of assistive technology solutions for children and adults– to enhance learning and communication - follow a predictable, step-by-step format for teams to use when serving these populations.

I have developed a framework for teams to use when adapting the curriculum. It is called T.H.E. P.A.C.T., which stands for:

T.H.E. P.A.C.T.framework outlines:

	The learning objective(s) targeted for the curriculum content of each module;
	The consistent learning activities and formats used for each objective; and
	The corresponding assistive technology solution for each learning activity.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is an easy framework for adapting any curriculum to any individual using the tools that are already available to you. Learners will have a practical framework to understand new information and communicate their new knowledge. You will have consistent tools to record progress, capitalize on a learner's strengths, and target areas for remediation. - Cara Leckwold, AAC Specialist & Speech-Language T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is the perfect resource for providing meaningful access to the general education curriculum for students with developmental disabilities. Standards-based instruction and assessment can finally make sense for all of our kids! - Darlene Petke Intensive Needs Special Educator

Teaching undergraduate and graduate students to implement the principles and underlying theory of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. framework across all speech and language environments ensures that they will never miss an opportunity to provide complete curriculum support – whether in language-based academics, in motor-based speech, or in social and life skills content. - Sandra Stark, Adjunct Faculty at University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. offers a step-by-step method of adapting the curriculum for teams by implementing four essential, easy-to-design and use modules:

Module:

	activities expand the learner's receptive language skills to understand the language of any adapted curriculum lesson
	involves learning a targeted single word vocabulary set about all the concepts and content vocabulary related to the curriculum unit to increase word knowledge and meaning

Module:

	activities further build the learner's receptive language skills with more sophisticated language structures and forms
	targets listening and reading comprehension in a narrative form, even if this form is scaffolded down to a simple repetitive line sentence, and various literacy-based instruction

Module:

	activities offer formats for the learner to express understanding of what was learned and write about the curriculum lesson
	offers expression in a concrete, tangible visual format in the form of pictures, pictures paired with text, text-based word banks, or letter-by-letter spelling - with the option of printing out the expressed thoughts of the learner if this occurs on a computer

Module:

	activities focus on the learner talking about what was learned using visual and/or auditory supports
	allows the learner to increase participation in the learning environment and to provide information on the curriculum content learned

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. uses predictable assistive technology supports for each of the four modules of the process - which are identified based on the profile of the individual with a disability - when adapting any curriculum unit for the learner.

All too often, therapists end up providing less integrated, profession-specific interventions and service delivery options that are disjointed from the learners' roles and participation in their natural settings. Using T.H.E. P.A.C.T. will better enable related service providers to gear their direct service, consultation, and program planning toward integrated priorities with ongoing collaboration among team members.

- Leigh Prince, OTR-L, ATP
Occupational Therapist

The Result

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. offers teams the following:

	a system of organization
	a practical implementation structure when adapting the curriculum
	a framework to eliminate starting from scratch when adapting each curriculum unit
	a solution of no longer playing “catch up” with the ever-changing curriculum

The result is that the team knows:

	what to teach
	in what format to teach it, and
	what to use to teach it – similar to following a recipe

By using T.H.E. P.A.C.T., math skills can be improved using consistent learning activities and predictable AT supports for the required methods of drill, practice, and repetition. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. provides a consistent framework for presenting math concepts in a clear, concise format, allowing for varied activities and differentiated learning.

- Karen Hrank
Assistive Technology Specialist

An Example of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Workbook

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. framework does the following:

	places less cognitive demand on the learner and sets up predictable learning formats for the individual
	sets up consistent assistive technology supports for each step outlined in the learning process so that the learner is able to focus on the new curriculum content - with each changing unit - in a familiar learning format
	allows for better time management related to materials development on the part of the team

Who can benefit from using T.H.E.  P.A.C.T.?

The following team members can benefit from using T.H.E. P.A.C.T. framework:

	Special education teachers
	AT consultants
	Case managers
	Employment and vocational rehabilitation staff
	Teachers
	Instructional assistants and paraprofessionals
	Speech-language pathologists and their assistants
	Occupational therapists and their assistants
	Physical therapists and their assistants
	Educational consultants
	Behavioral consultants
	Developmental service agency staff
	Early intervention staff
	Program administrators
	Parents

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