17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

Part One – Case Study

As part of inclusive education, students with disability are being placed in mainstream
schools and classes (Konza, 2008). A core aspect of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is
understanding the needs and strengths of students to provide equitable education (Basham,
Smith, & Satter, 2017). That is, teachers must create lessons which support all students,
including those with additional needs. UDL dictates that this must occur at the planning
stage of a lesson – equity cannot be an afterthought if it is to be effective. This requires
teachers to know their students, and how to utilise students’ needs and strengths to
enhance representation, engagement, and expression in class (AITSL, 2011; National Center
on Universal Design for Learning, 2014).
J is a fourteen year old student in Year 8. He has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD). ASD is a “complex developmental disorder” (American Psychiatric
Association, 2016, What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?) which manifests in different ways
depending on the individual. These behaviours fall into three main categories which include
problems with communication, repetitive behaviours, and difficulty interacting with people
and objects (APA, 2016). For J, this manifests in distress resulting from unexpected changes
in routine, difficulty monitoring the reactions of his peers during social interactions, and
difficulty in comprehending complex instructions and abstract concepts without becoming
overwhelmed. He has been observed avoiding work by disrupting others through initiating
them in conversation, making jokes, singing, tapping loudly on his desk, and imitating
characters from movies and television shows. J disrupts other students one to three times a
lesson for about with varying duration from thirty seconds to ten minutes. The more intense
the behaviour is, the shorter its duration. Each time he disengages from the current task, J
also disrupts other students. The antecedence to each of these behaviours is a lack of
engagement with the current task. This lack of engagement can be due to the work being
uninteresting, if he feels overwhelmed by the task, or if he does not understand the task. In
addition, it is critical that J knows what to focus on during class – his attention to detail can
result in him feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information he is processing. When
overwhelmed, J will ask multiple questions in quick succession, and his voice will become
louder and louder. When this occurs, J can be directed to a quiet space within the classroom
until he calms down (Chalfant, Rose, & Whalon, 2017; Teaching for Inclusion, 2018). This
quiet space is available for all students when they become emotionally overwhelmed.
Based on the above description, it can be inferred that the motivation behind most of J’s
behaviour when disengaged is to gain peer attention (Autism Education Service, 2015).
To effectively support all students, teachers must know their students’ strengths
(Hammond, 2010). J’s strengths include his musical skill, friendly attitude, attention to
detail, and his eagerness to please and succeed. This manifests in being able to play the
guitar, a friendly attitude to his teachers and peers, a fondness for puzzles and problem-
solving, an enthusiasm to contribute to class discussions, and an enthusiasm to
independently complete any task when given adequate support. J will work independently
once appropriate support has been provided – this includes clear instructions, scaffolding,
and examples (TFI, 2018). It is also important to provide visual prompts to assist his learning
and to remind him of the current task; to provide positive reinforcement when he is on-task
as to further encourage this behaviour and to reduce any potential anxiety; to provide clear
and literal instructions to enhance clarity and reduce anxiety, and; to monitor his
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17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

interactions with other students as J finds it difficult to tell when he has overstepped the
social boundaries of his peers (Chalfant et al., 2017; van Hees, Moyson, & Roeyers, 2015).
These are all strategies which tend to be effective when teaching students with ASD.
The lesson plan in Part Two adheres to UDL by containing multiple means of representation,
engagement, and expression (Basham et al., 2016; NCUDL, 2014). The changes in Part Two
aim to enhance the engagement of the whole class, as well as enhance J’s engagement by
targeting his strengths and interests throughout the lesson. It also aims to decrease the
frequency and duration he spends off-task, distracting his peers, feeling overwhelmed, and
wasting time which would otherwise be spent exploring the content.
Multiple means of representation can be seen in the various media types in which
information is presented throughout Part Two. This enhances learning for all students –
different students will learn more effectively through different forms of representation
(Basham et al., 2016; NCUDL, 2014). In response, there are several ways in which
representation is varied during Part Two. For example, students read from the topic
checklist, use their peers’ background knowledge to recall and build their own, and watch a
video. These means of representation were selected based on their overlap with J’s
interests and strengths. For example, the video in Part Two features a song about
photosynthesis, accompanied by matching visuals. This would pique his musical interest,
and the visuals help him to process the information (Autism Spectrum Australia, n.d.). The
combination of audio-visual information and textual information via subtitles means that
this one resource provides multiple means of representation within itself, and this makes it
an accessible resource for all students (Krejtz, Szarkowska, & Łogińska, 2015).
Multiple means of engagement can be seen in the variety of tasks in Part Two. This
enhances student learning by increasing their engagement with the content, and their
attitude to learning. Students will not learn effectively unless engaged (van Uden, Ritzen, &
Pieters, 2013). In J’s case, lack of engagement results in behaviour which is disruptive to his
learning, and the learning of his classmates. However, once J is engaged with the current
task, he will work effectively and enthusiastically, and disruptive behaviour will be minimal.
In order to enhance engagement, Part Two features a clear routine, different sources of
information, and a variety of tasks. For example, writing the lesson tasks on the board and
then walking students through them will enhance engagement as it shows students the
scaffolding process which will occur throughout the lesson. That is, it justifies earlier
activities by showing students what they are building up to (Koegel, Koegel, Frea, & Green-
Hopkins, 2003). This is especially useful for teaching students with ASD as it reduces anxiety
about the unknown by making it known (Koegal et al., 2003). In addition, there are multiple
sources of information available to students – the topic checklist, their own pre-existing
knowledge, their teacher, and the aforementioned video about photosynthesis. Different
students will find different tasks engaging. It is important to have a variety of tasks in order
to support the learning of all students (Basham et al., 2016; NCUDL, 2014).
Multiple means of expression enable students to develop and express their understanding.
As with engagement and representation, different students express their knowledge and
understanding more effectively through different mediums (Basham et al., 2016; NCUDL,
2014). This plays a large role in how teachers assess their students, and in choices
concerning how students can present their knowledge and understanding (AITSL, 2011). In
the featured lesson plan, students discuss content in small and large groups, draw a flower,

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17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

and choose to use traditional paper or digital methods when constructing a mind map (ASA,
n.d.; Hedges, Odom, Hume, & Sam, 2017). Each of these tasks could be used as formative
assessment.
The mind map activity offers students a choice as to whether they would like to use an iPad
or paper in the construction on their mind map, thus enabling them to express themselves
through their preferred medium (Chalfant et al., 2017). For students with ASD, the iPad
could also function to enhance learning as the use of technology makes them feel more
comfortable in expressing their ideas, and in collaborating (Hedges et al., 2017).
In addition, students can use both text and images on their mind maps – this will enable
students to understand and convey their ideas in the way which they are most comfortable
with. This use of images in the small group and whole class mind maps would make the
information more accessible to students with ASD (Chalfant et al., 2017). Students with ASD
benefit from visual representations and expressions of knowledge as it is less likely to be
misinterpreted than text (ASA, n.d.).
The lesson plan in Part Two uses a strengths-based approach. That is, the lesson plan utilises
J’s strengths and interests to enhance his engagement in the lesson. For example, J works
best when the lesson is structured, and when there is a clear routine and order of activities.
To provide this structured routine, tasks are written on the board at the beginning of each
lesson and then read out to the students (Chalfant et al., 2017). The lesson tasks are also
beneficial as they act like a checklist. This also helps students to transition from one activity
to the next in a predictable fashion, thus lowering anxiety (Koegal et al., 2003). There is a
small amount of pre-teaching involved in this. Once established, it requires little
maintenance, and is very effective in lowering the anxieties of students when transitioning
between tasks.
When disengaged, J seeks the attention of his peers. As a result, the lesson plan contains
small group work within ten minutes of the lesson starting. J will receive peer attention
proactively by this small group interaction, followed by a whole class interaction in the
activity where students write or draw their contribution from their small-group mind map
onto the whiteboard, and then explain their contribution (O’Neill, Albin, Storey, Horner, &
Sprague, 2015).
There are a multitude of videos about photosynthesis widely available on the Internet, but
the video which features in the lesson plan was chosen based on it containing a song. J’s
interest and skills in music will enhance his retention of the content it presents, and will
enhance his engagement for the duration of the video, and the activity which follows its
appearance (Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment, n.d.).
Toward the end of the lesson, there is an activity in which students construct the word
equation for respiration from the word equation for photosynthesis. To complete this
activity, students need to reverse photosynthesis, but realise that the sunlight catalyst
would not take place during respiration. This is a form of problem-solving – students must
consider that animals also respire, and do not use sunlight to do so. This differentiates for
students with high level skills to engage in a challenging task. This activity also aims to
engage J through his interest in puzzles and problem-solving (Queensland DETE, n.d.).
To conclude, planning a lesson which supports J based on his needs and strengths would
also enhance the learning of all students in the same class. The lesson plan in Part Two

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17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

achieves this by embodying the core aspects of UDL. It does this by containing multiple
means of representation, engagement, and expression. While there is a focus on J’s
strengths and needs, the suggested enhancements could be utilised for other students with
ASD, and would also enhance the learning of all students.

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17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

Part Two – Lesson Plan

Key: Representation-Expression-Engagement

Science Year 8 October 20, 2017

LW: Functioning organisms LW3a WS4b, WS7.2e, WS8a

Time Activity Resources

5 Students collect and read topic checklist. Topic checklist.

min Teacher writes lesson tasks on board. “1 - Topic

introduction; 2 – Drawing plants; 3 – Discussion

about photosynthesis”

Teacher walks students through lesson tasks.

15 Independently, or in small groups of 2 – 3, students A3 paper. iPads.

min construct a mind map on A3 paper or iPads about Coloured pencils and

plants based on topic checklist. Mind map can markers.

contain images and text.

10 Groups write or draw one idea on the board in class Whiteboard markers.

min mind map. Teacher engages whole class in

discussion, visiting each dot point, and enabling

students to explain their contribution.

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17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

5 Utilising student input, draw and label a simple plant

min diagram with roots, stem, leaf, and flower.

5 Engage students in class discussion about roots and

min shoots systems. Utilise student input to label

previous plant diagram as roots or shoots. As a class,

construct a simple definition for both.

10 Students watch The Photosynthesis Song video. The Photosynthesis Song

min As a class, recall photosynthesis definition and word

equation from Year 7. https://www.youtube.com/

Using student input, discuss and define respiration watch?v=C1_uez5WX1o

in plants, and construct word equation for

respiration.

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 17218812 Aspasia Taktikos 2018 Inclusive Education Case Study

References
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https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/autism/what-is-autism-spectrum-disorder
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian Professional Standards
for Teachers. Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth
Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-
source/apstresources/australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf
Autism Education Service. (2015). Functional Behaviour Analysis. School of Special Education Needs.
Retrieved from http://det.wa.edu.au/oneclassroom/detcms/cms-
service/download/asset/?asset_id=18216049
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Chalfant, L., Rose, K., & Whalon, K. (2017). Supporting Students with Autism: a lesson embedded
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http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1036&context=edupapers
Krejtz, I., Szarkowska, A., & Łogińska, M. (2015). Reading Function and Content Words in Subtitled
Videos. Journal of deaf studies and deaf education, 21(2), 222-232. doi:
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assessment and program development. Nelson Education. CT, USA.

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Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment. (n.d.). Supporting information:

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