ASSIGNMENT 2 1

Application of Universal Design for Learning

Part 1. Universal Design for Learning and Case Study

John Doe is in Year 8 and is fourteen years old. He has been diagnosed with

mild intellectual disability (MID) and also displays symptoms of behavioural

difficulties. MID is a form of cognitive disability that is estimated to present in

approximately one per cent of students (Lindblad et al., 2013). MID can present in

children as low academic achievement, with students finding problem-solving and

abstract concepts particularly difficult to comprehend (Hord and Xin, 2015). Learners

with MID also have difficulties regarding working memory (Hord & Xin, 2015). Due

to the increase in inclusive education and the decrease of the segregated classroom

approach to education, learners with MID are increasingly educated in mainstream

classrooms (Pacoricona Alfaro et al., 2017; Vitelli, 2015). In response to increasing

inclusive education, teachers must create lesson plans that allow all students in their

classroom to achieve their optimal potential. John’s strengths include working with

technology and he particularly enjoys playing video games. He can be an enthusiastic

worker, when he is in a positive emotional state. He demonstrates this enthusiasm by

engaging in classroom discussions, answering questions in class, completing

classroom tasks and complying with teacher instructions. When he is engaged in

class, John can operate effectively both independently and with limited assistance.

Generally, he becomes engaged in numeracy application tasks, independent research

tasks, game-based learning and tasks where he perceives there is a high degree of

relevancy. During such tasks, he has proved to have a creative mind and readily and

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enthusiastically engages with the class with limited distraction to other students.

While his creativity and wish to excel in application tasks positively impacts his

educational progress, his behavioural and cognitive issues mean he has difficulty in

class. He presents as having low engagement in the majority of his classes, has issues

following instructions and low levels of comprehension, particularly regarding

literacy. His behavioural issues and difficulty with self-management mean that he can

become argumentative in class and is often unresponsive to working (Johnson-Harris

& Mundeschenk, 2014). It is therefore likely that the underlying purpose of his

behavioural issues in class is in the avoidance of work. In some instances he refuses

to complete any work. He also frequently distracts other students, for the likely

purpose of gaining attention from peers. His poor organisational skills also mean he is

often unprepared for classwork, especially when activities are carried out over two

consecutive lessons (Johnson-Harris & Mundeschenk, 2014).

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a concept developed based on the

idea of creating a classroom that caters to the needs of the entire student population. It

includes classroom environment, lesson activities and equipment used, and can

especially benefit learners with cognitive or behavioural difficulties (Johnson-Harris

& Mundschenk, 2014). However research suggests the strategy can equally assist

mainstream students as well as learners with disabilities (Vitelli, 2015). Contrary to

ideas which dictate that a student most mould themselves to the teaching style, UDL

requires the flexibility of the teacher to provide students with varying strengths the

opportunity to excel in their own manner (Kortering, McClannon & Braziel, 2008).

However, this can also have a positive effect on the teacher by reducing time spent on

modifications to lessons after the planning process (Johnson-Harris & Mundeschenk,

2014). There are three principles that are fundamental to the implementation of UDL.

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These principles involve providing students with multiple means of representation,

multiple means of expression and multiple means of engagement (Johnson-Harris &

Mundschenk, 2014; Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011; National Centre on

Universal Design for Learning, 2014; Rao & Torres, 2016; Vitelli, 2015).

Multiple means of representation involves the prearrangement of a variety of

methods by which students may comprehend the content materials (National Centre

on Universal Design for Learning, 2014; Rao & Torres, 2016). This means that the

same area of focus is presented to students multiple times in multiple different ways.

The use of a variety of learning strategies allows all students the opportunity to build

an understanding of the content, using their individual learning methods and

experiential and contextual influences (Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk, 2014). In

reference to John, a multiple means of representation approach to learning may

decrease levels of frustration and thereby decrease disruptive behavioural issues and

improve outcomes (Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk, 2014). This may also lead to in

increase in John’s cognitive understanding of content as activities that are designed to

improve behavioural issues may also positively impact cognitive ones (Johnson-

Harris & Mundschenk, 2014). By providing information multiple times using a

variety of strategies, teachers can cater the activities to the classroom students,

ensuring that learners with cognitive difficulties can comprehend the content

alongside mainstream students.

The adjusted lesson plan accomplishes this by first addressing student mental

wellbeing. Mental wellbeing has increasingly become an important aspect of

educational settings (Wyn et al., 2000). During the lesson, students are encouraged to

participate in a breathing exercise prior to beginning the lesson. This strategy for

mental wellbeing is embedded in the lesson as a means of early intervention for the

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improvement of student mental health and the creation of a positive classroom

environment (Rabaa, 2010). The strategy supports not only John, but other students

who are struggling with emotional issues thereby implementing UDL. The lesson plan

also addresses scientific metalanguage, mainly the terms ‘observation’ and

‘inference’, exploring the differences between the terms. The lesson plan uses

multiple means of representation to present this content by using teacher discussion,

written vocabulary sheets (both hard copies and online) (Teaching for Inclusion,

2017), examples and teacher modelling. By allowing students to have access to

hardcopy worksheets online, students with poor organisational skills, such as John,

have the ability to access all tasks, even when they forget or loose worksheets. This

guidance and support helps students with both cognitive and behavioural issues who

have not developed necessary skills for language comprehension (Kortering et al.,

2008; Miller & Lang, 2008). Similarly, the lesson plan also supports students during

the Jurassic Park clip activity by providing students with links to the online clips,

enabling on screen captions while the clips are playing and providing students with

transcripts to assist their comprehension. Multiple means of representation is also

demonstrated by the allowance of students to choose their method of recording

information in class, either by handwritten or typed notes, thereby allowing students

to use technological support if preferred (Miller & Lang, 2008).

Multiple means of expression involves the prearrangement of a variety of

methods by which students may demonstrate their understanding of content

knowledge and the ways by which students operate to complete classroom tasks

(Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk, 2014; National Centre for Universal Design for

Learning, 2014; Rao & Torres, 2016). This lowers the stress placed on executive

functioning as it allows students to utilise their strengths (Rao & Torres, 2016).

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During the lesson plan, to support John with completing the tasks, the teacher must

further assist by providing John with organisational supports (for example reminders

about time constraints or collaboratively creating a scaffolded checklist to complete

the task) (Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk, 2014). Multiple means of expression could

also be used to assist John’s behavioural issues (Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk,

2014). Allowing students, including John, to choose the method by which they

conduct classroom tasks can increase student outcomes by both allowing students to

work according to their individual strengths and by encouraging self-determination in

the classroom (Xiang, Gao & McBride, 2011).

The lesson plan specifically uses this aspect of UDL by presenting multiple

opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of differences between

observations and inferences (Miller & Lang, 2008). In the first instance, students’

work by comparing images presented to them via SmartBoard. In the second instance,

students work by viewing clips of a well-known movie, Jurassic Park. During these

activities, UDL is also used by allowing students to record their ideas in a variety of

ways, either by writing lists, creating tables or creating a narrative story. This strategy

is also incorporated into the final activity of the lesson regarding professional

institutions and real world relevance by providing students choice as to whether they

record information by copying a class mind map, by writing lists or by creating a

quick sketch.

Multiple means of engagement involves the prearrangement of a variety of

pedagogical methods to encourage and maintain student interest (National Centre on

Universal Design for Learning, 2014; Rao & Torres, 2016). Both the teacher and the

students can support multiples means of engagement within a classroom. The teacher

can accomplish this by providing students with the opportunity to study the prescribed

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content in ways they can perceive as being relevant and realistic (Johnson-Harris &

Mundscenk, 2014). This can be accomplished by linking content to real world

situations and examples students can identify with. Another method by which

teachers can support multiple means of engagement is in the provision of timely

feedback to student work (Johnson-Harris & Mundscenk, 2014). Research has

demonstrated that students appreciate and respond to feedback and use this to guide

future learning (Clarke & Pittaway, 2014; Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). This is

accomplished in the lesson plan by feedback given during classroom discussions. The

students can contribute to multiple means of engagement by working in the classroom

environment in a way that benefits their learning style, either individually, in pairs or

in a small group. Collaboration in the classroom can also be facilitated by the teacher

in the form of classroom discussions, which provide students with the opportunity to

express their understanding of content knowledge and any ideas that interest them in

relation to the topic (Johnson-Harris & Mundschenk, 2014). Multiple means of

engagement could be specifically used to assist in the management of John’s

behavioural issues. Encouraging all students to be engaged in the classroom work can

increase student interest, improve student outcomes and help manage behavioural

disruptions (Johnson-Harris & Mundeschenk, 2014).

The lesson plan specifically utilises this concept of UDL by using ICT in the

form of showing students clips from the movie Jurassic Park. Lesson activities using

ICT and technology have increased in recent years (Basham, Smith & Satter, 2016).

The use of popular media to assist learning can help increase student relevance to the

subject (Stack & Kelly, 2006). While the Jurassic Park observation and inferences

task in the lesson plan is not game-based learning, John has the option to re-watch the

clip to gain a better understanding of the content and write his answers using his

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device, allowing him to rely on technology. Also, the lesson allows students to choose

the way in which they complete the classroom tasks, whether that be individually,

collaboratively (pairs or groups) or in discussion with the teacher (Kortering et al.,

2008). The lesson plan also incorporates the strategy of teacher modelling of the

tasks prior to student individual or group completion of similar activities. This

strategy can increase engagement (Kortering et al., 2008) by increasing levels of

understanding, thereby decreasing levels of task-orientated frustration, which is not a

beneficial frame of mind for student learning (Miller & Lang, 2016).

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Part 2. Lesson plan

Colour key:

Multiple means of representation

Science
Year 8
10.10.2016
Science ES1f.
WS7.1 a.; WS7.1 c.; WS7.1 d.; WS8 d.
Timing Organisation Teaching Strategies
5 mins Mark roll Instruct students to participate in breathing exercise.
Facilitate classroom discussion on observations versus inferences. Provide
students with written definitions of the terms ‘observation’ and ‘inference’
PowerPoint on PowerPoint presentation and provide an example of each. Use image of
10 mins Vocabulary a fossil fish to model determination of observations and inferences.
sheets Provide students with vocabulary sheets, including several examples to
assist comprehension. Students are informed they may access this
information online.
Continue classroom discussion using a series of three pictures with images
of footprints. Students are instructed to suggest observations and
inferences they think apply to the fossil evidence.
Picture 1: Sets of footprints
Picture 2: Converging footprints
Picture 3: One set of diverging footprints
15 mins PowerPoint
Students are instructed that they may work in pairs, in table groups or as a
small group in discussion with the teacher. Students create
(handwritten/typed) either a:
• List of observations and inferences
• Table of an observation and resulting inference
• Narrative story (inferences) with observations explicitly included
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in the writing
Students differentiate between observations and inferences by watching a
video. Students are shown two clips from Jurassic Park. Instruct students
to write down observations and inferences they can detect from the two
clips (handwritten/typed). Instruct students they may write ideas as the
15 mins YouTube clips are playing or watch the video once without writing or re-watch the
clips. The video is captioned and students are provided with a transcript.
Provide students with links to the resources, so that they may re-watch
clips to reach their conclusions. Students are instructed they may work
individually, in pairs or table groups.
Facilitate a classroom discussion by asking students: In what other
professions is it important to know the difference between observations
and inferences? Discuss specifically forensic scientists, doctors, lawyers
5 mins Whiteboard and insurance.
Write student ideas on the board as a mind map for easy visualisation.
Instruct students they may copy the mind map, write the professions as a
list or draw a quick sketch (handwritten/typed).

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References

Basham, J. D., Smith, S. J. & Satter, A L. (2016). Universal Design for Learning:

Scanning for alignment in K-12 blended and fully online learning materials.

Journal of Special Education Technology, 31(3), 147-155. doi:

10.1177/1062643416660836

Clarke, M. & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh’s Becoming a Teacher (6th ed.). French’s

Forest, Australia: Pearson Australia.

Hord, C. & Xin, Y. P. (2015). Teaching area and volume to students with mild

intellectual disability. The Journal of Special Education, 49(2), 118-128. doi:

10.1177/0022466914527826

Johnson-Harris, K. M. & Mundschenk, N. A. (2014). Working effectively with

students with BD in a general education classroom: The case for Universal

Design for Learning. Issues and Ideas, 87(4), 168-174. doi:

10.1080/00098655.2014.897927

Kortering, L. J., McClannon, T. W. & Braziel, P. M. (2008). Universal Design for

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363. doi: 10.1177/0741932507314020

Lindblad, I., Svensson, L., Landgren, M., Nasic, S., Tideman, E., Gillberg, C. &

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Loreman, T., Deppeler, J. & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive education: Supporting

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Lyons, G., Ford, M. & Slee, J. (2014). Classroom management (4th ed.). Melbourne,

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Miller, D. K. & Lang, P. L. (2016). Using the Universal Design for Learning

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Chemical Education, 93(11), 1823-1828. doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00108

National Centre on Universal Design for Learning. (2014). Three principles of UDL.

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Pacoricona Alfaro, D. L., Ehlinger, V., Spilka, S., Ross, J., Sentenax, M. & Godeau,

E. (2017). Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use: Do students with mild-

intellectual disability mimic students in the general population? Research in

Developmental Disabilities, 63(1), 118-131. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2016.10.009

Rabaa, C. (2010). Towards improving the social and emotional wellbeing of

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Rao, K. & Torres, C. (2016). Supporting academic and affective learning processes

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Quarterly, 0(0), 1-13. doi: 10.1002/tesq.342

Stack, M. & Kelly, D. M. (2006). Popular media, education & resistance. Canadian

Journal of Education, 29(1), 5-26. doi: 10.2307/20054144

Teaching for Inclusion. (2017). Student profile builder. Retrieved

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Wyn, J., Cahill, H., Holdsworth, R., Rowling, L. & Carson, S. (2000). MindMatters, a

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Xiang, P., Gao, Z. & McBride, R. E. (2011). Student teachers’ use of instructional

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