OAKLEY ~ ACTION RESEARCH 5301: Team Reflection ~ Group Project

SOS consisted of three members who worked together to solve the challenge of integrating

technology into the curriculum and instruction of a teacher without many technological

skills. As a team, we decided to focus our project on an eighth grade Social Studies

class meeting the following TEKS Standard:

§113.20. Social Studies, Grade 8, Beginning with School Year 2011-2012.

b) Knowledge and Skills

(8) History. The student understands individuals, issues, and events of the

Civil War. The student is expected to:

(A) explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Civil War,

including Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln,

and heroes such as congressional Medal of Honor recipients William Carney and

Philip Bazaar;

(B) explain the causes of the Civil War, including sectionalism, states' rights, and

slavery, and significant events of the Civil War, including the firing on Fort Sumter;

the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg; the announcement of the

Emancipation Proclamation; Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House; and the

assassination of Abraham Lincoln; and

contained in his first and second inaugural addresses and the Gettysburg Address and

contrast them with the ideas contained in Jefferson Davis's inaugural address.

Universal Designing for Learning (UDL) principles, framework and resources were used to

prepare curricula "from the start" to meet the needs of all students. Of the 30 students in the

class, ten are identified as gifted and talented and accustomed to working online individually.

Two students have disabilities that dramatically affect their learning. One student is blind

and another is hearing impaired. The remaining18 students reflect ability levels ranging from

lowest level to high achieving. The universal design of course instruction, materials and

content benefits people of all learning styles to have equal access to learning, and not simply

equal access to information. Universal design removes barriers to access to learning by

employing the following principles and qualities.

Essential Qualities of UDL

Representation:: Course content offers various methods of Representation.
Universally designed course content provides alternative representations of essential concepts.; Various methods of representation can allow the student to learn the information in their; preferred means. Example: Placing course notes on the web allows students to gain the; information by lecture and text. Additionally, a student with a visual impairment could tape; record the lecture to capture the notes in alternate format.
Engagement:: Course content offers various methods of Engagement.
Universally designed course content maintains varied skill levels, preferences, and interests by; allowing for options. By having flexible teaching strategies and course content, students can; choose methods that support their interest and skill levels. Example: When teaching a foreign; language, students could choose from a variety of on-line options that would allow them to; practice fluency and comprehension at a reading level that is appropriate for them.
Expression:: Course content offers various methods of Expression.
Universally designed course content allows for alternate methods of expression. This allows the; student multiple means of demonstrating mastery of the material. Example: Allowing the; students to demonstrate knowledge on a subject by doing an oral presentation or writing a paper; or taking a test. Students with a speech impediment may be unable to present the information; orally while students with a fine motor disability may have difficulty taking a written exam.