T.H.E. P.A.C.T. 1-Day Course

Need an easy and consistent way to adapt any curriculum content for learners of any age with developmental disabilities and varying learning disabilities that is time-efficient and cost-effective?

During The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. 1-Day Course, you will learn how to set up 4 essential, language-based modules when adapting ANY content that you need to teach – and walk away with practical teaching ideas and photographs of simple AT solutions that you can reasonably implement in any given day – using inexpensive office supplies and things you may already have in your closet or sitting on your shelf.

There is a hole in special education - like one you see in a doughnut - that has been there for a while. And that hole is the integration of our kids and their technology into the classroom curriculum. But T.H.E. P.A.C.T., well . . . It is the missing doughnut hole! - Barry Gardin, Board President United Cerebral Palsy San Fransisco Bay Area

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is brilliantly simple. It provides a solid framework for team members to assist in the identification of key content areas and in the organization and sequencing of a learner's individualized plan - whether it is inclusive of low tech or high tech teaching materials or both. - Byron Wilkes, President Learning Magic, Inc.

What is T.H.E. P.A.C.T.?

T.H.E. P.A.C.T.™ is a step-by-step method of adapting any curriculum content – academic, life skills, or social language – by giving you a system of organization to set up four basic modules for your language-based instruction. The first two modules build comprehension of the content and the other two modules focus on expression of what was learned.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T.™ is a color-coded framework that uses consistent teaching activity formats and predictable, simple assistive technology solutions – both low tech and high tech – in Learn About, Read About, Write About and Talk About modules - based on a "one size does NOT fit all" philosophy.

Meet the Author / Course Director:
Phyl T. Macomber,
Curriculum Strategist & Assistive Technology Specialist

Phyl T. Macomber, Assistive Technology Specialist, is the President of Make A Difference, Inc. and Practical Assistive Technology Solutions. Since completing a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital's Kennedy-Krieger Institute in 1988, Phyl has become an award-winning national speaker, author, trainer, and curriculum strategist on topics of adapted curriculum and teaching, augmentative communication, collaborative team building, and specialized software. Her adapted curriculum framework called T.H.E. P.A.C.T.™ – Technology Helps Easy & Practical Adapted Curriculum Teaching™ - outlines how to design "Learn About, Read About, Write About, and Talk About™" modules for special needs learners of any age. Phyl is also authoring the PracticalATSolutions.com Book Series, with the initial book in the series titled, The Power of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. – the first of several volumes that will be written about this language-based, systematic approach. She is donating 50% of the profits of the entire book series to fund ovarian cancer research in honor of her mother who passed away of this disease in 2007. In addition, Phyl has developed T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Multimedia System for the framework, with a corresponding organizational workbook software tool called T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Workbook Software Tool, and an expanding low and high technology resource collection. Phyl provides skill-building training & customized consultation – both onsite and through distance learning formats – in New England and on a national basis. Some of Phyl's volunteer work includes having collaborated with the television crew of ABC Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for a special needs learner and family, as well as assisting with the set-up and design of AAC camps using T.H.E. P.A.C.T.™

The beauty of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is that it can be used with ALL students and allow academic growth for ALL! That is the glorious thing . . . the student with special needs in the regular educational classroom can further promote their social growth along with the academic! - Jaime Kamel Special Educator

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. equals hope for my cognitively appropriate child who has moderate to severe physical and speech disability due to a stroke at birth. Finally, a comprehensive plan to allow him to learn, demonstrate his learning, and grow as a person! T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is an easy roadmap for his team to follow which will help my son succeed. - Mary Beth LeFevre Parent

The Top 10 Reasons Why T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Produces Results

	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is logical.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is efficient.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is effective.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is cost-effective.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is collaborative.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is learner-centered.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is family-friendly.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is accountability-oriented.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is morale-boosting.
	T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is EASY!

The Benefits of Using T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Framework

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. structures your adapted curriculum teaching in a 4-step, language-learning format. This color-coded framework outlines a roadmap in the form of an easy-to-use workbook.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Workbook plots out a handful of manageable activity formats - along with corresponding assistive technology supports - aligned with each targeted I.E.P. or Individual Service Plan objective.

The result is that the team knows:

what to teach

in what format to teach it

what to use to teach it — similar to following a recipe

The 4 language-based modules of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. are:

	"Learn about" single vocabulary & word meaning to build word knowledge and use
	"Read about" vocabulary in sentences & paragraphs to gain more knowledge about about the curriculum topic
	"Write about" what was learned using the vocabulary in concrete visual form
	"Talk about" what was learned using the vocabulary to share knowledge & increase participation in the learning community

We've been asking the wrong question in Special Education! We have been asking 'How do I teach this thing?'. We should have been asking 'What activities and tools does this student need to learn anything?' Your program is practical and user-friendly which may make it easier to get regular education teachers to buy in. Thank you for creating this approach and thank you for sharing it so effectively through this workshop. - Connie Ryan Speech-Language Pathologist

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. is teacher friendly, practical, and integrates all aspects of the educational program. The beauty of it is that it's easily customizable for each individual student's needs and learning style. It makes assistive technology not so intimidating to those who need to implement it. Just love it! - Gwen Bertrand Assistive Technology Specialist

Who Will Benefit from Attending?

Anyone who is struggling with not enough time to customize and adapt content for academic, life skills, or social skills training & needs a systematic way for this to be done for a learner of any age with a disability.

Special education teachers & case managers

Speech-language pathologists & assistants

Occupational therapists & assistants

Teachers & curriculum specialists

AAC & AT consultants

Instructional assistants & paraprofessionals

Educational consultants

Behavioral consultants & autism specialists

Vocational rehabilitation & employment staff

Early intervention staff

Program administrators

Parents

Undergraduate & graduate students

Types of Learners Who Can Benefit
From Using T.H.E. P.A.C.T.

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. can be set up for any person with a disability – mild to significant – ranging from learners with a developmental disability to those with verbal or nonverbal learning disabilities. Examples include learners with:

Developmental disabilities

Intensive needs

Verbal learning disabilities

Nonverbal learning disabilities

Neurotypical disabilities

T.H.E. P.A.C.T. can be set up for diverse learners with diagnoses including, but not limited to: cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's, Down syndrome, learning impairment, Rett's syndrome, central auditory processing disorder, social thinking disorder, traumatic brain injury, and/or language-based learning disabilities.

1-Day Course Schedule

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of the course, the participants will be able to:

	State four underlying principles of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. framework which are essential when adapting academic, life skills, or social language curriculum.
	Give two reasons why it is critical to use consistent activity formats & predictable AT supports when adapting any curriculum content.
	Outline and describe the four modules of T.H.E. P.A.C.T. framework.
	List three examples of activity formats & corresponding AT solutions for the Learn About module when teaching vocabulary.
	List three examples of activity formats & corresponding AT solutions for the Read About module when adapting literacy-based materials.
	List three examples of activity formats & corresponding AT solutions for the Write About module for various writing tasks.
	List three examples of activity formats & corresponding AT solutions for the Talk About module to increase a learner's participation in the learning community.
	Discuss two ways of how to use T.H.E. P.A.C.T. Workbook Software Tool when adapting the curriculum for a learner.

Using T.H.E. P.A.C.T. each day will help you put your best effort forward to provide learners with what they need for effective communication. T.H.E. P.A.C.T. will help you provide individuals with disabilities with a fighting chance to share the same world their able-bodied counterparts enjoy.

- Keith Woodbury
North American Content Developer for Tobii ATI