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Ruben is a very enthusiastic student. He thoroughly enjoys exploring scientific ideas through
experiments and has a genuine thirst for knowledge. He excels at research tasks using
electronic devices, and follows direct instruction. He has a loving support network at home
and his guardians actively work with the school to ensure Ruben meets his education goals.
He is passionate about soccer and enjoys watching his favourite team the Western Sydney
Wanderers. Ruben also enjoys playing video games such as Minecraft and watching
YouTube videos on his computer (Knight, Spooner, Browder, Smith & Wood, 2013). Whilst
Ruben excels in his factual knowledge and vocabulary he often has difficulty with dense texts
and prefers verbal instruction (Ryan, Hughes, Katsivannis, McDaniel & Sprinkle, 2014).
When working in pairs or groups, Ruben often fixates on his subject of interest during
conversation and sometimes misses verbal or physical ques from other group members
(Daubert, Hornstein & Tincani, 2015). Due to this, Ruben has poor motivation during group
tasks and may disengage which acts as a barrier to his learning (Daubert, Hornstein &
Tincani, 2015). Whilst Ruben follows instructions well, during class he often needs to have
The Salamanca Statement of 1994 calls for all students to have an equal education, regardless
of student disability. The classroom has become more diverse with students from various
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backgrounds, learning needs and abilities (Nelson, 2013). The need for inclusive education
has required teachers to adjust teaching strategies to assist learners with varying abilities
(Capp, 2016). This has informed teachers to develop learning activities that benefit all
students, this framework is referred to as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a
framework for curriculum design that enables all students to have an accessible education,
this is achieved through simultaneously removing educational barriers and providing students
with support (Nelson, 2013; Ralabate, 2011; Loreman et al., 2011; Maxam & Henderson,
2013). By utilising three principles from within the UDL framework, this paper seeks to
justify modifications to improve a year 8 Science lesson. The justifications will be informed
by a case study of a student named Ruben who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD).
Curriculum, broadly refers to content imparted from teacher to student in the form of
knowledge, skills or attitudes (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011). Unfortunately, the
curriculum is not immediately accessible to all students, thus, it is the role of a teacher to
manipulate curriculum to enable students (Loreman et al., 2011; Ralabate, 2011). The UDL
refer to the planning and implementation of curriculum into carefully devised activities to
enable learners. Teachers can utilise representation by providing students with options
through various modes of information, these can include but are not limited to: visuals aid,
direct teaching, group learning, auditory (Loreman et al., 2011; Nelson, 2013). Similarly,
teachers can use expression to vary the way in which students present their knowledge which
can include more than just written answers (Loreman et al., 2011; Nelson, 2013). Lastly,
engagement, refers to the continued involvement of students throughout the lesson, teachers
need to incorporate students interests and goals to promote motivation for learning (Loreman
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et al., 2011; Nelson 2013). To be successful with the implementation of UDL teachers need
responsible for the removal of learning barriers through planning with the UDL framework,
and that students of diverse needs will benefit greatly from this implementation. The UDL
framework enables greater choice for students within the classroom, these changes enable all
The lesson plan, with UDL modifications in red, can be found below as Part 2: Science
Lesson Plan (Part 2), with the lesson focus, human body systems. The lesson involves
students cooperating with group discussion and practical work and carries minor elements of
inclusion. The lesson required many modifications to properly incorporate the three
principles from within the UDL framework. These modifications seek to improve the
Science content, requires students to maintain an extensive vocabulary, whilst also being able
Spooner, Browder & OBrien, 2015). This can be difficult for all students and even more
difficult for students with special needs (Knight et al., 2015). Originally, this lesson did not
incorporate a connect the learning activity, changes needed to be made to incorporate UDL.
By adjusting the lesson introduction to include a short summary of the previous lesson, the
teacher will be able to assist students with connecting knowledge. Skowron (2015), suggests
the opening activity for a lesson should enable students to connect prior knowledge with new
knowledge to improve student learning, this specific example will help Ruben as well as
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Understanding scientific content also requires students to be able to make inferences from
abstract concepts as well as grasping metaphors relating to science, students with ASD often
have difficulty within this context (Knight et al., 2015). By adjusting the worksheet to
incorporate different modes of representation students are provided with greater options,
some students may prefer to use their computer, some students will prefer the physical
worksheet and other students will benefit from the visual imagery on the worksheet,
providing these options benefits all students as part of UDL (Loreman et al., 2011). Ruben
may prefer using the computer as a resource for learning as some students with ASD have
shown to prefer learning with a computer, as well as this being a personal interest of his
Google Classroom is used to enable students to have additional choices for material use in the
form of e-documents and access to their answers and additional feedback at any time they log
into the online classroom (Loreman et al., 2011; Izenstark & Leahy, 2015). The lesson was
adapted to incorporate a virtual classroom to allow students to access information prior and
post class time, before this modification students did not have as many means of
representation. Links to 4 relevant video clips on specific body systems, the body system
worksheet, ideas board and teacher feedback will all be viewable for students. The video
clips are the same 4 videos that can be used to replace 2 stations during the practical
component if students choose this option. The use of Google Classroom is to enhance
students learning, provide greater means of representation as well providing an engaging way
for students to access information (Izenstark & Leahy, 215). In doing so, all students are
provided with greater access to classroom materials and has been informed by UDL
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(Loreman et al, 2011; Nelson, 2013). Similarly, these changes also benefit Ruben who enjoys
using his computer to study and will be able to access the informative videos on demand.
The stage 4 Science syllabus, under outcome SC4-5WS, requires students to, collaboratively
and individually produces a plan to investigate questions and problems (Board of Studies,
2012). Part 2 involves a collaborative heavy lesson, with group activities consisting of greater
than 50% of the lesson. Peer-peer support is regarded as a strong support for students with
ASD, and the interaction provided by students of the same age may also enhance overall
achievement within the class (Boutot, 2007). The lesson has been modified with student
engagement in mind, to ensure students have clear goals and expectations from the lesson the
teacher will continue to provide explicit guidelines throughout the lesson for all students
(Loreman et al., 2011). The explicit instruction will relate to turn taking during group tasks,
the teacher will call out stop or time to signify a change for student interaction or body
system station. This strategy will be used to assist Ruben with clear guidelines, students with
ASD have shown problems with social interaction and turn taking and by reinforcing
expectations all students will have a clear goal for what is expected during group learning
(Daubert, Hornstein & Tincani, 2015). Importantly, Ruben often has difficulty in group
situations, Boutot (2007), recommends giving students with ASD the opportunity to work
with regular students to foster and develop bonds. By applying UDL to Part 2, students are
given a greater amount of choice when it comes to group tasks, this gives Ruben the choice of
how many peers to work with. They can work in pairs and/or swap out a maximum of 2
stations for educational video clips on the body system of their choosing. This enables
students to have greater choice and options that benefit their learning style within class and
places more autonomy on students (Loreman et al., 2011). The teacher will proactively assist
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students as they undergo the practical component of the lesson and answer student questions
as they arise.
Formative assessment is used throughout the lesson via the classroom Ideas Board, which
acts as a collaborative learning space for the whole classroom. The way students choose to
express their answers can vary depending on their choice of physical paper or Google
Classroom submission. Students will be required to perform 2 updates to either the Ideas
Board or Google Classroom, during the first activity and the end of the lesson. This will be
used to help students assess their own learning in a reflective way to compare their prior
knowledge with new knowledge upon lesson completion. By doing this, students will be
appropriately given feedback during the lesson to inform their learning (Dixon & Worrell,
2016). Formative assessment plays an important role for all students, which allows the
teacher to provide feedback dynamically throughout the lesson to benefit all students learning
which has been informed by UDL (Dixon & Worrell, 2016). The multiple means of
expression, through digital, verbal, and written have been included as part of UDL to provide
students with various methods of assessment to benefit all learners (Loreman et al., 2011).
There is an increasing need for the UDL framework to be considered when planning lessons
and is needed now more than ever due to the increasingly diverse learner needs within
modern classrooms (Loreman et al, 2011; Nelson, 2013). The three principles which portray
multiple ways of representing, engaging and expressing, have informed content delivery and
assessment to improve outcomes for all students as well as Ruben a student with ASD. As
outlined by Capp (2016) and Ralabate (2011), teachers need to be dynamic, they need to
adjust lessons and material per student needs. The professional standards of teaching, know
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your students and how they learn require teachers to understand these diverse needs (AITSL,
2010). Education has been referred to as a tree with students being required to climb to the
top. In this analogy, the students are represented as various animals with varying abilities that
assist or impede (special needs) their goal to reach the top. The UDL framework suggests
modifications and adjustments are to be made to the tree prior to students engaging, to make
this tree accessible for all students and to provide an equal learning environment for all
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Kamil James 16525694
Provide students with worksheet and Stations are clearly labelled with relevant
explanation of each station (4 in total) equipment and with enough space in walk
ways.
Worksheet includes clear and
appropriately sized font and visuals Teacher to assist students around
images, and will be available on Google classroom during practical.
Classroom.
Teacher to use stopwatch throughout
Teacher to clearly state goals and activity calling out 2 minute and 4 minute
expectation of groupwork. intervals to ensure students are taking turns
and rotating between stations.
Students may choose to substitute 2
stations for short educational YouTube Students work in groups of 4
videos that have been selected to
Choice of group size, 4 max.
demonstrate the information gained from
those stations
10 Conclusion: Ideas Board Comparison Ideas Board set up
mins
Completed through verbal, e-text or Place in a visible location. Highlight key
written format and a group speaker may terminology.
be allocated from each group.
Compare board from before activity and
after activity.
Take pictures to upload to Google
Classroom so it is accessible for all
students online. The ideas board acts as
formative assessment that gauges student
learning.
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References
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2010). Australian Professional
Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-
professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list
Board of Studies (2012). Science K-10 syllabus: NSW syllabus for the Australian curriculum.
Sydney: Board of Studies NSW
Boutot, E. (2007). Fitting In: Tips for Promoting Acceptance and Friendships for Students
With Autism Spectrum Disorders in Inclusive Classrooms. Intervention in School and
Clinic,42(3), 156-161.
Capp, M. (2016). Is your planning inclusive? The universal design for learning framework for
an Australian context. Australian Educational Leader, 38(4), 44-46.
Daubert, A., Hornstein, S., & Tincani, M. (2015). Effects of a Modified Power Card Strategy
on Turn Taking and Social Commenting of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Playing Board Games. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 27(1), 93-
110.
Dixon, D. D. Worrell, F. C. (2016) Formative and Summative Assessment in the Classroom,
Theory into Practice, 55(2), 153-159
Graham, L., & Sweller, N. (2011). The Inclusion Lottery: Who's in and who's out? Tracking
inclusion and exclusion in New South Wales government schools. International
Journal of Inclusive Education, 15(9), 941-953. DOI: 10.1080/13603110903470046
Izenstark, A., & Leahy, K. (2015). Google classroom for librarians: Features and
opportunities. Library Hi Tech News, 32(9), 1-3.
Knight, V., Spooner, F., Browder, D., Smith, B., & Wood, C. (2013). Using Systematic
Instruction and Graphic Organizers to Teach Science Concepts to Students With
Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disability. Focus on Autism and Other
Developmental Disabilities, 28(2), 115-126. DOI: 10.1177/1088357612475301
Knight, V., Wood, C., Spooner, F., Browder, D., & OBrien, C. (2015). An Exploratory
Study Using Science eTexts With Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Focus on
Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 30(2), 86-90.
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Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D,. (2011). Inclusive education: Supporting diversity in
the classroom (2nd ed.). Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Maxam, S., & Henderson, J. (2013). Inclusivity in the Classroom. Journal of Cases in
Educational Leadership, 16(2), 71-81.
Nelson, L. L. (2013). Design and Deliver. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing. Retrieved from
http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UWSAU/detail.action?docID=1787427
Ralabate, P. (2011). Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of All
Students. ASHA Leader, 16(10), 14-17.
Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD
Ryan, J., Hughes, E., Katsiyannis, A., McDaniel, M., & Sprinkle, C. (2014). Research-Based
Educational Practices for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders. TEACHING
Exceptional Children, 47(2), 94-102.
Skowron, J. (2015). Powerful Lesson Planning : Every Teacher's Guide to Effective
Instruction. La Vergne: Skyhorse Publishing.
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