Tips for creating an inclusive mathematics classroom
using universal design principles
Cheryl J. McAllister, Southeast Missouri State University
NCTM Regional Conference, Paducah, KY, October 10, 2002
Website for additional information: http://cstl-cst.semo.edu/mcallister
Instructional design
Accommodation
 Is developed as ‘add-on’ to existing curriculum and instructional plans
 More responsibility on student
 Seen as additional work for the teacher
Universal design
 Accommodations are built into the curriculum and instructional plans from the beginning
 More responsibility on educators
 Less work overall for teacher
What is universal design? …the design of instructional materials and activities that makes the learning
goals achievable by individuals with wide differences in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read,
write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and remember …achieved by means of flexible
curricular materials and activities that provide alternatives for students with differing abilities. These
alternatives are built into the instructional design…they are not added on after the fact. (Bowe quoting
CEC, 2000)
Two components of universal design
Use of technology to provide alternative access
to information to be learned
Use of teaching methods and activities that are
adaptable and address multiple learning styles
Key characteristics of universal design when applied to education
 The needs of the entire range of learners is considered when designing curricula, materials,
methods, and environments
 Provides multiple representations of information
 Addresses engagement by considering individual preferences whenever feasible
 Offers various methods of expression
 Includes strategies to engage all 3 brain systems: recognition systems, strategic systems, and
affective systems
 Offers an array of strategy prompts, hints, or models of expert performance to assist learners
 Assessment strategies are a fair and equitable measure of student understanding and learning
Tips for regular classroom teachers to create an inclusive environment using universal design
 Select textbooks and other materials that support and include students who have a wide range of
abilities to see, hear, speak, and read.
 Selecting mathematics textbooks
 Research indicates that 75% - 90% of classroom instruction is based on textbooks and the scope
and sequence is determined by the book
 Only about 3% of educational materials are field-tested with students prior to being published
 A marketing survey found that the most important characteristic in the sale of math textbooks was
the attractiveness of the art
 Research-based guidelines for selecting mathematics curricula for diverse learners
 Emphasis on ‘big ideas’
 Explicit strategies should be evident
 Provide an adequate range of examples
 Look for scaffolding strategies
 Look for strategic integration of concepts
 Build prerequisite skills before introducing new ones
 Review should be sufficient, distributed, and cumulative
 When using technology be sure to:
 Provide captions for audio presentations
 Provide educationally relevant descriptions for images and graphical layouts and videos
 If possible put important course content on-line
 Permit and encourage the use of adaptive technology
 Word processors
 Websites and networked systems
 Special keyboards
 Braille printers
 Voice-input devices
 Translation software
 Speech software
 Low-tech learning aids
 Sticky notes
 Tape recorders
 Highlighter pens
 Carbon paper note pads
 Calculators
 Fanny packs to keep track of
personal belongings
 Digital clocks
 When teaching provide cognitive supports for content and activities:
 Provide assessments for background knowledge and skill level
 Summarize ‘big ideas’
 Include explicit strategies to make clear the goals and methods of instruction
 Provide scaffolding for learning and generalization
 Build fluency through practice
 Good teaching tips you already use
 Give immediate feedback, clarify instructions, ask for questions, repeat or give additional
examples
 Relate new topics to already learned topics or real-life examples
 Go from concrete to abstract
 Use peer mentoring, group discussions, and cooperative learning situations
 Make content personal
 Develop study guides
 Give more frequent, but shorter exams
 Consider alternative assessment methods
 Offer multiple ways for students to interact with and respond to curricula and materials
 Assignments where students choose method of learning
 Assignments where students choose method of demonstrating knowledge
 Assignments where review material is individualized to student’s interests or preferred learning
style
 Learn about the cultures of your students and reflect on how that will affect them
 Develop a close collaboration with the special education staff
 Don’t try to change everything at once