A Review of the Literature on Teachers' Instructional Adaptations

• In Event: Multiple Perspectives on the Lives of Teachers

Abstract

Adaptive teaching is recognized as a component of effective instruction. Teachers must adjust their teaching according to the social, linguistic, cultural, and instructional needs of their students. While there is consensus that effective teachers are adaptive, there is not consensus on the language to describe this phenomenon. Diverse terminology surrounding the same phenomenon impedes effective communication and comprehensive understanding of this important aspect of classroom instruction. Therefore, our research team completed a comprehensive literature review of the empirical research studying adaptability across a variety of disciplines. In this session, we describe how adaptive teaching is defined and conceptualized in the education research literature, how these conceptualizations are practiced during instruction, and the implications of adaptive teaching on student outcomes.

Authors

• Margaret Vaughn, University of Idaho

• Seth A. Parsons, George Mason University

• Melissa Gallagher, George Mason University

• Roya Qualls Scales, Western Carolina University

• Stephanie Grayson Davis, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

• Melissa Pierczynski, George Mason University

• Allison Ward Parsons, George Mason University

• Melony H Allen, Georgia Southern University