What does great adaptation actually look like?

Adaptation is one of the most misunderstood words in education. It is not about doing less. It is not about a separate worksheet. It is about understanding what a learner needs in order to access the same ambitious curriculum as everyone else.

The best teachers I have worked with do not think about adaptation as an add-on. They build it into the way they plan, the way they explain, the way they check for understanding. It is woven into the fabric of the lesson rather than bolted on at the end.

What does that look like in practice? It looks like a teacher who knows their pupils well enough to anticipate where the difficulty will come. It looks like careful sequencing that builds the knowledge pupils need before they are asked to apply it. It looks like questions that probe understanding rather than simply confirm coverage.

Adaptation is not a strategy. It is a habit of mind.