SID: 18372205, Matthew McClure

Part 1. Case Study

This paper’s chosen student, named Mark for the purpose of anonymity, is a Year Ten male, aged

sixteen, who suffers Dysgraphia. Dysgraphia is a neurological learning difficulty that manifests in

one’s mastery of their fine motor skills (the co-ordination between small muscular actions and visual

processing) and information processing skills (Dohla & Heim, 2015, pp.1-2). Practically, Dysgraphia

causes handwriting to be illegible with students often unable to finish spelling words, omitting words

or sporadically changing the size and line (on the page) of their writing (Fletcher-Finn, 2016, p.149).

Dysgraphia also manifests in a lack of spatial awareness and organisation (such as a student being

unable to map thoughts on a page) and in fine motor skills when playing sport (Dohla & Heim, 2015,

p.4). Mark suffers both handwriting and athletic difficulties which manifests in an inability to process

spatial information (depth perception). It is estimated that just under three percent of Australian

students suffer Dysgraphia to varying extents whilst under forty percent of sufferers receive

appropriate, differentiated teaching (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2016).

Mark’s strengths can be placed in three categories: family, ambition and creativity. Firstly,

Mark’s home environment is highly supportive of him and encourages him to overcome learning

setbacks. Examples of this include his parents spending time helping him complete homework and

general positive, motivating talk. Family members also develop Mark’s organisational and fine motor

skills through the use of appropriate sports (such as Table Tennis) and organisational challenges. This

supportive home environment both encourages Mark to succeed at school and provides him with a

strong sense of self-esteem (Noire, 2011, p.34). Strong family support is the foundation for Mark’s

second area of strength: his high motivation for subjects he enjoys. Despite Dysgraphia hindering his

organisational abilities, Mark’s family support (among other factors) empowers him to set and

achieve goals. Additionally, Mark believes that, with dedicated effort, any setback can be overcome.

Consequently, this worldview provides Mark with a positive motivation and self-belief to overcome

the challenges of Dysgraphia. In addition, throughout his work, Mark has displayed a creative streak

and passion for artwork. Mark excels in art classes where fine motor skills are not essential (such as

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pottery-making and photography). This creativity is, to an extent, reflected in his other subjects where

his classwork and assessment tasks feature innovative approaches and solutions to set tasks.

Nonetheless, Mark’s Dysgraphia brings various areas of need. These include an aversion to

group work, disinterest in certain subjects (Maths and Science) and poor literacy skills. In class, Mark

often feels embarrassed by his difficulties when completing writing tasks; he often needs to focus

intently on his writing. Moreover, Mark’s embarrassment, combined with his belief that dedicated

effort can overcome obstacles, causes him to exclude class mates’ advising and prefer to work alone;

this makes learning in the Zone of Proximal Development difficult (et al Loreman, 2011, p.120).

Mark also registers low motivation in subjects that have less room for creativity and which pose

challenges with writing and organisational requirements (Loire, 2011). Consequently, Mark is slow to

complete class work and rarely finishes exams due to slow writing speed. Instead, Mark often talks to

classmates in these lessons and avoids tasks that he believes will embarrass him. Thirdly, Mark’s

literacy skills limit his academic success (Loreman et al, 2011, p.122). He takes extended periods of

time to read and write in classes and, in Visual Arts, fine motor tasks (painting and sketching) present

challenges. Thus, Mark often feels ‘behind’ class mates. Assessment tasks (which are often exams or

extended written tasks) are often unfinished and of an unsatisfactory standard. These literacy skills at

times impact Mark’s self-view as he sees himself as less intelligent and less capable than his peers;

this leads to feelings of anxiety and stress although help from home does limit the impact of such

(Salvia et al, 2013, p.54).

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an inclusive educational strategy which aims to

create learning spaces that cater for the range of pupils’ needs (National Centre on Universal Design

for Learning, 2014). Consequently, the UDL impacts all aspects of the classroom, especially

pedagogical strategies and learning activities, with the objective of promoting equity (Vitelli, 2015,

pp.171-172). In this process, the UDL is founded on three core provisions: multiple means of

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representation; multiple means of action and expression; and multiple means of engagement (National

Centre on Universal Design for Learning, 2014). Additionally, the UDL requires flexibility in

pedagogy; the teacher should adapt their lesson plan to better cater for students’ needs.

Multiple means of representation refers to educators preparing a variety of methods by which

they convey lesson content (National Centre on Universal Design for Learning, 2014). This repetition

increases a student’s ability to ‘grasp’ and draw connections between concepts (Vitelli, 2015, pp.168).

Dulfer (et al., 2017, p.40) describes multiple means of representation as “extended differentiation”;

one’s presentation of content is repeated in multiple ways to aid students’ engagement. In applying

this to Mark, multiple means of representation could involve increasing the visual features in

presentations. Practically, this may include the use of photos, artworks or short film clips to relay

content. Dulfer (et al., 2017, p.44) suggests that for students with Dysgraphia, the reduction of word

and text-only presentations is that students feel less over-whelmed by the content and more engaged.

Additionally, such students “will not develop a subconscious view that presentation of material should

only be text-based” (Yilmaz, 2008, p.169). Rather, this empowers Mark to utilise his areas of strength

(visual methods) to present what he knows. This supports a Constructivist approach to pedagogy as

Mark, using his strengths, firstly shows he understands content and, secondly, can continue to use

these strengths to scaffold new learning (Vygotsky, 1978, p.98). Secondly, multiple means of

representation may require the teacher to diversify class tasks (National Centre on Universal Design

for Learning, 2014). This enables students, both with and without learning difficulties, to express

learned content in ways that best suit them (Dohla & Heim, 2015, p.8). For Mark, allowing him to use

methods other than writing empowers him to better express his understanding. Moreover, these

alternate forms of expression – for example speech or group discussions – can “increase the likelihood

of students learning within the Zone of Proximal Development” (Hord & Xin, 2015, p.119).

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The lesson plan inculcates multiple means of representation in a variety of ways. Foremost, in

addressing the class’s content (which is a study of soldiers’ experiences during the Gallipoli

campaign) the lesson plan provides various ways of presenting soldiers’ experiences. These include

the teacher directly discussing the topic, followed by videos, pictures, soldiers’ recounts and posters

from the period. These different forms account for students’ varying strengths and allows multiple

methods of engaging with content (Noire, 2011, pp.39). For Mark, who favours visual approaches,

this affords him flexibility in expressing his knowledge gains as he can use his creativity to visually

relay his understanding. The pairing of students with additional needs with gifted and talented

students also allows them to share their perspectives and facilitates a classroom environment that

promotes learning in the Zone of Proximal Development (Hord & Xin, 2015, p.119).

Multiple means of action and expression refers to the preparation of various methods by which

students can express their knowledge (National Centre on Universal Design for Learning, 2014). This

aids students when relaying their understanding as they can utilise the approach that best suits them.

Alternatively, requiring students to repeatedly use presentation methods that they struggle with can

contribute to cognitive overload and can cause unnecessary stress; in turn, this can reduce the quality

of students’ work (Fletcher-Finn, 2016). When helping Mark, multiple means of expression may

involve allowing Mark to complete tasks in spoken or visual form (as opposed to written form) or

providing more time to complete written work. Where written tasks are used, the teacher may

consider providing Mark with paper that has wider lines to help him organise his writing. Likewise,

assessment as learning principles become increasingly important as “this encourages students to

reflect on the manner in which they learn best” (Australian Institute for Teaching and School

Leadership, 2011, p.17). Assessment tasks should be adapted for Mark; for example, essays could be

broken down into shorter, multimodal responses.

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Multiple means of action and expression are present in the lesson plan by its diversified approach

to the study of the Gallipoli campaign. Specifically, students are given opportunities to consider the

campaign from both the Australian and Turkish perspectives. Further, they are invited to share their

personal thoughts and feelings as well as family or cultural connections with the subject. This UDL

principle is also facilitated by providing students with various methods of representing gained

knowledge (Johnson-Harris and Mundschenk, 2014, p.169). A diversified approach is again used for

homework: students are invited to use a range of forms – visual, written, multimodal, or spoken – to

convey their learning. For Mark, this enables him to use his areas of strength to more accurately

reflect his learning (Vygotsky, 1978, pp.22-23). Lastly, the provision of multiple sources, such as

posters, videos and written texts, enables students to engage with class content from various angles

and consequently enriches their understanding.

Multiple means of engagement concerns the use of various pedagogical strategies to interest

students in classwork. Dohla and Heim (2015) delineate a balance between teachers enforcing

prescribed material to be studied whilst students individualise this material in ways that are interesting

and relevant to them. Successfully engaging students can be aided by a knowledge of such things as

students’ passions, cultural backgrounds or family lives (Loreman et al., 2011, p.126). In turn, this

increases a teacher’s awareness of what ‘matters’ to that pupil; this awareness can then inform

pedagogical strategies. For Mark, this would include an awareness of his creativity and interest in

Visual Arts. Engaging students also requires concurrent feedback: “praise and reprimand feed

students’ knowledge of what succeeds and what does not” (Vitelli, 2015, p.166). Also, if students are

learning within the Zone of Proximal Development, this contributes to multiple means of

representation as peers share various views on learned content (Vitelli, 2015, p.169). For Mark, these

methods of engagement can counter his habit of becoming disinterested and distracted in classes

where the literacy demands are challenging.

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In the lesson plan, multiple means of engagement are evident in its linking of class content to real

world situations. Specifically, the lesson provides opportunities to links soldiers’ experiences at

Gallipoli to students’ life-contexts; similarly, they consider Gallipoli’s impact to contemporary

Australia. Likewise, the lesson plan requires the teacher to give students informal, concurrent

feedback on their contributions. “Feedback guides further learning by demonstrating how well a

student has understood past content and where they can expand that” (Vitelli, 2015, p.166). The

lesson plan also uses cognitive activities to help engage students (Yilmaz, 2008, p.170). These include

asking students to visualise soldiers’ experiences and, where possible, to connect content to students’

own cultural and family histories. Also, the pairing of students with additional needs with gifted and

talented pupils is mutually beneficial (Vygotsky, 1978, pp.14-15). Gifted students can aid the progress

of peers with additional needs; this process also helps the gifted student consolidate and review their

knowledge (Yilmaz, 2008, p.170). Specifically, for Mark (who dislikes group activities), this pair-

based approach’ provides a beneficial alternative.

Part 2. Class Program: Year Ten History

Colour Key:
1. Multiple means of representation
2. Multiple means of action and expression
3. Multiple means of engagement

History: the Gallipoli campaign and soldiers’ experiences

Time Activity Inclusion Strategy
0-5 minutes Settle class, mark roll Seat gifted and talented students next to students with additional
needs.
5-15 Teacher-led, whole class Teacher facilitates open discussion to gauge students’ knowledge
introductory discussion of topic of topic.
Ask students what they know of soldiers’ experiences in the First
World War; provide photos of soldiers at Gallipoli.
Offer positive feedback to students’ suggestions.
Asks students for their cultural and family relations (if any) to
Gallipoli.
15-25 Teacher speaking (PowerPoint): Teacher recounts key features of the topic.
key facts of topic and sequence of Students consider Gallipoli’s importance to modern Australia.
events Use photos from the period as well as soldiers’ own diary excerpts
to highlight experiences. Provide students with a list of ‘key
terms’. Include a visual timeline of events so students can better
grasp the sequence of events.
Students consider Gallipoli from the Turkish perspective: what are
their thoughts and feelings?

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25-30 YouTube clip Show a YouTube clip re-enactment of combat at Gallipoli.

Prepare recruitment posters for student viewing to diversify
representations of Gallipoli. Students are to write down their
observations. Direct students’ focus onto specific features of
soldiers’ experiences such as food rationing, disease or trench
warfare.
Students are to imagine themselves in such conditions; personalise
content.
30-45 Group discussion Groups are formed, teacher provides questions for discussion and
guides groups’ discussions.
Provide sources (such as photos, soldiers’ recounts and
recruitment posters) to guide discussions.
Create a mind-map of concepts on the white board to provide a
visual guide for students’ discussions. Students may copy this for
use in homework.
Students may choose the groups they join. Offer informal,
concurrent feedback to students on their contributions.
45-55 Whole class sharing of Teacher leads whole class recount of what their group discussions
discussions’ findings found; students write-down findings.
Provide students with options for how they may contribute such as
via comments, short written responses or sketched drawings.
55-60 Set homework, pack-up Students are to describe the horrors of fighting at Gallipoli.
Student may do this in a short written, drawn/pictorial,
multimodal or spoken forms.

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