The Common Core State Standards were written and implemented to prepare all students for college or career readiness including students with disabilities. Students with learning disabilities often have significant difficulties and face challenges when the instruction is framed within The Common Core State Standards. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of special educators on teaching students with learning disabilities using The Common Core State Standards. The two conceptual frameworks used in this study were the Universal Design for Learning and The Zone of Proximal Development. The research questions focused on teachers' perception regarding students with learning disabilities being instructed with Common Core instructions, how teachers perceive providing Common Core instructions to students with learning disabilities is preparing them for college and career readiness, and also, what teachers perceived to be the missing components for providing specialized instructions using Common Core to students with learning disabilities. In this qualitative case study participants were selected using recommendations of school district administrators. Data was collected using face-to-face interviews. Data collection also include observations and samples of students work. Additional data to establish trustworthiness of the study was obtained through observations and analysis of artifacts collected during the study. The intended outcome of the study was to bring about change in the instructional strategies adopted when using Common core State standards in teaching students with disabilities and that to ultimately pave a way for social change.

This qualitative study examines how principals support the implementation of the Three-Block Model of Universal Design for Learning (Katz, 2012a), a framework for inclusive school reform. The ways that principals can support inclusive practice may include the way they use systems and structures that fall under their control (Katz, 2012a). Instructional leadership also plays a crucial part in implementing inclusive school reform (Leithwood & Riehl, 2005). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with five Manitoba principals involved in implementation of the Three-Block Model of UDL. Principals were asked about leadership and how they manage systems and structures under their control. Recommendations for practice are made, including the need for the school to be organized to support inclusive practice, for principals to make developing people a key task, and for principals to be highly involved in classroom instruction within the school.

Very little research is published on teaching music to students with learning disabilities. Nevertheless, federal law mandates that instruction of such students take place in all public schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences of four secondary instrumental music teachers who teach five students with learning disabilities. This study looked at the interactions between teachers and these students and examined how their experiences informed teaching practices. Phenomenological in design, this study included data collected from journals, as well as interviews, relevant artifacts, and direct observations of the teachers. My goal was to provide data for music teacher training programs and for these teachers to help each class of their students educate students with learning disabilities. Results showed that the teachers were aware of the needs of students with learning disabilities. Teachers became frustrated with occurrences of undisclosed diagnoses of such students and those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and that they had received little guidance from Individualized Education Programs or other documents designed to inform teachers about accommodations for those with disabilities. Successful accommodations depended on the experience or training of the teachers and the severity of the disability, as well as how much the students had previously learned to cope with their learning disabilities. Students were rarely aware of specific interventions or adaptations teachers had made to accommodate a disability. Instructors employed general teaching techniques that aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Pedagogical information given in this study would benefit music education and add more data to the sparse amount of work being done on teaching instrumental music to students with learning disabilities.

abstract: According to national data, there continues to be an ongoing achievement gap between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers (USDE, n.d.b). This data is representative of a continued disparity in academic performance for students in local Arizona school districts. To address this gap, many districts have implemented inclusion models in which students with disabilities spend increasing amounts of time in general education classrooms, in some cases for the majority of or all of their school day. However, the persistence of the achievement gap suggests that general education teachers working in inclusion models may be lacking systematic instructional methods for ensuring access to the curriculum for those with disabilities and other diverse learning needs. The purpose of this action research study was to examine the impact that a series of professional development workshops had on teacher beliefs and understanding of disability, intelligence, and accessible pedagogy. The study was conducted over the course of a school semester at a kindergarten through 8th grade school in a large, semi-rural school district in southeastern Arizona. Ten teachers from a variety of grade levels and subject areas participated in the study along with a school psychologist and two school administrators. Theoretical frameworks guiding this project included critical disability theory, growth mindset, universal design for learning, and transformative learning theory. A mixed-methods action research approach was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data in the form of surveys, interviews, and written reflections. The workshop series included five modules that began with activities fostering critical reflection of assumptions regarding disability and intelligence and ended with pedagogical strategies in the form of universal design for learning. The results indicate that the innovation was successful in reshaping participant views of disability, intelligence, and pedagogy; however, changes in classroom instruction were small. Implications for future research and practice include more extended sessions on universal design for learning and a more diverse sample of participants. Workshop sessions utilized a variety of active learning activities that were well received by participants and will be included in future professional learning plans across the district. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2018

Submitted by TICIANA COUTO ROQUEJANI null (ticicouto@hotmail.com) on 2018-03-19T20:16:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ROQUEJANI, T. C..pdf: 7927257 bytes, checksum: 561f311b35c42e47f921cc969c9a8425 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Marlene Zaniboni null (zaniboni@bauru.unesp.br) on 2018-03-20T12:23:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 roquejani_tc_me_bauru.pdf: 7927257 bytes, checksum: 561f311b35c42e47f921cc969c9a8425 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-20T12:23:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 roquejani_tc_me_bauru.pdf: 7927257 bytes, checksum: 561f311b35c42e47f921cc969c9a8425 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-01-29 / O direito ao acesso, permanência e aprendizagem na escola dos estudantes com deficiência vêm sendo um campo de muitos debates. No entanto, o fato é que diversas barreiras ainda precisam ser quebradas quando se fala de uma inclusão escolar com acessibilidade e qualidade. A maneira como o professor de Geografia do Ensino Fundamental - Anos finais vem desenvolver o currículo da disciplina, frente à perspectiva da Educação Inclusiva, foi o foco desse trabalho. A existência de poucos estudos voltados ao ensino da Geografia e o Público-Alvo da Educação Especial, sobretudo, que trouxessem os princípios do Desenho Universal para Aprendizagem, impulsionou esta pesquisa a contribuir com a elaboração de práticas e métodos de ensino dos conteúdos da Geografia, que contemplassem a singularidade de cada estudante, tendo por base o Currículo do estado de São Paulo. Para isso, a partir das dificuldades elencadas pelos professores da rede pública estadual paulista de diferentes municípios, a pesquisa trouxe o apontamento por eles, de que, a Cartografia seria o conteúdo mais difícil para ser trabalhado em sala de aula inclusiva. O que veio delimitar os objetivos de: a) elaborar, descrever e analisar adequações curriculares para algumas Situações de Aprendizagem contidas nos Cadernos do Professor e do Aluno da rede estadual, referentes ao sexto e ao sétimo ano do Ensino Fundamental, envolvendo a temática da Cartografia, apontada pelos próprios professores da área, durante esta pesquisa; b) verificar a opinião do professor sobre a aplicação das adequações em sala de aula; c) construir, como produto final, um material de apoio ao professor de Geografia com as propostas de adequações para os anos indicados, como forma de auxiliar e proporcionar mais alternativas para a construção de aulas mais inclusivas. O resultado apontou que a inclusão ainda é considerada, pelo professor de Geografia, uma dificuldade, tendo em vista que não se sente preparado para receber os estudantes do Público-Alvo da Educação Especial e, muito menos, acredita estar apto para adequar o conteúdo curricular. Sobretudo, ao pensar na diversidade de uma sala inclusa, este estudo demonstrou, após aplicações das adequações, que, mudanças metodológicas são necessárias e possíveis de serem realizadas quando se considera os princípios do Desenho Universal para Aprendizagem. Considerou-se fundamental, mais pesquisas na área, pois, embora as adequações aplicadas nesta pesquisa tenham sido benéficas para a inclusão dos estudantes durante as aulas, o contexto escolar em relação ao ensino da Geografia ainda demonstra a necessidade de mudanças, no que se refere às carências na formação inicial do professor, nas orientações específicas, na estrutura física e nos materiais/recursos, além da ineficiência ou inexistência de planejamento entre profissionais do ensino comum e da Educação Especial. Por esta razão, mesmo que não garanta a melhoria da qualidade de ensino da Geografia, espera-se, ao menos, que este estudo tenha problematizado a temática, ao passo de afirmar que todos têm a capacidade para aprender quando o ensino ofertado considera as potencialidades e as características de cada um. / The right to access, retention and learning in schools for students with disabilities has been a field of many debates. However, the fact is that large barriers still need to be overcome in terms of educational inclusion with accessibility and quality. The focus of the present work is the approach used by Geography teachers in elementary schools (final years) while developing course syllabuses, facing the prospect of inclusive education. The lack of studies on Geography teaching applied to Special Education, and above all, the ones that should address the principles of Universal Design for Learning, have stimulated this research to contribute to the elaboration of practices and methods of teaching Geography contents that contemplate the singularity of each student, based on the Curriculum of the State of São Paulo. Under that purpose, based on the difficulties listed by the teachers of the São Paulo State public education network, from different municipalities, the research brought the point that Cartography would be the most difficult content to be explored in an inclusive classroom. What has come to define the objectives of: a) to elaborate, describe and analyze curricular adaptations for some Learning Situations that are part of the Teacher's and Student's Notebooks of São Paulo State educational network, involving subject of Cartography, pointed out by the teachers of that very field during the development of this research; b) verify teachers’ opinions about the application of the adjustments made in the classroom; c) build as final product a support material for the Geography teacher with proposals for curricular adaptations for the indicated grades, as a way to help and provide more alternatives to build more inclusive classes. The results pointed out that inclusion is still considered a difficulty by Geography teachers, considering that they do not feel prepared to receive the students from Special Education, much less believe that they are able to adapt the curricular content. Above all, when considering the diversity of an inclusive classroom, this study has demonstrated that, after adjustments, the methodological changes are necessary and possible to be realized when considering the principles of the Universal Design for Learning. The study has also revealed the need for more research on this topic, because although the adaptations created and applied in this research were beneficial to the inclusion of students during the classes, the educational context of Geography teaching still needs improvements in observed deficiencies in the initial training for teachers, in specific orientations, in infrastructure and in materials / resources, besides the inefficiency or lack of planning between professionals of regular teaching and the Special Education. Therefore, even if this study will not result in any improvement in the quality of Geography teaching, it is at least expected that it will have problematized the subject, while affirming that everyone has the capacity of learning when education considers the potential and characteristics of each one.

Studien syftar till att ge ett kunskapsbidrag kring specialpedagogers erfarenheter av tydliggörande pedagogik i grundskola och gymnasium. Vi använde kvalitativ intervjumetod med tematisk analys som metodansats. I vår studie genomförde vi semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta specialpedagoger som utifrån sina roller beskrev hur de arbetar med tydliggörande pedagogik på individ-, grupp- och organisationsnivå samt vilka utmaningar, hinder och möjligheter de erfarit i det arbetet. I resultatet framkom att specialpedagogernas beskrivningar av innebörden av tydliggörande pedagogik varierar, från exempelvis hjälpmedel och arbetssätt till lektionsdesign, enhetlig struktur och förhållningssätt. Informanterna såg tydliggörande pedagogik som en självklar del av undervisningen för att möta elevernas behov, att det är bra för alla, men särskilt viktigt för elever med exempelvis neuropsykiatrisk funktionsnedsättning. Informanterna poängterade att arbetet med tydliggörande pedagogik handlar om ett förändringsarbete, ett arbete som ofta drivs av specialpedagoger. Detta förändringsarbete kan utgöra en utmaning då det kräver att all personal arbetar tillsammans och stöttar varandra, men även att skolledningen är positivt inställd och delaktig i arbetet. Resultaten diskuteras utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv där begrepp som kommunikation, medierande resurser och proximal utvecklingszon är centrala. Vi drar slutsatsen att tydliggörande pedagogik kan ses som en medierande resurs som bidrar till att lärare lättare kan utmana elevernas proxiamala utvecklingszon.

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To examine to what extent current general education pre-service teachers within a teacher preparation program at a private institution of higher education know and understand the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), expert focus groups were conducted. General education program syllabi were examined for UDL content and found to be lacking in such content. General education pre-service teachers videotaped lessons were reviewed for UDL content and were also found to be inadequate in demonstrating knowledge and understanding of Universal Design for Learning principles. Focus groups comprised of university fieldwork instructors and teacher education experts were asked to review and give feedback on a current clinical observation tool being utilized. Feedback indicated that the current tool was insufficient for measuring pre-service teachers’ knowledge and understanding of UDL. Further, the current tool was not anchored to the UDL framework or any other teaching framework. In service to contributing to the field of teacher preparation, a new clinical practice tool grounded in Universal Design for Learning was created.

When discussing games and the experience of gamers those with disabilities are often overlooked. This has left a gap in our understanding of the experience of players with disabilities in virtual game worlds. However there are examples of players with disabilities being very successful in the virtual world video game World of Warcraft, suggesting that there is an opportunity to study the game for usability insight in creating other virtual world environments. This study surveyed World of Warcraft players with disabilities online for insight into how they used interface addons to manage their experience and identity performance in the game. A rubric was also created to study a selection of addons for evidence of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The study found that World of Warcraft players with disabilities do not use addons more than able-bodied players, but some of the most popular addons do exhibit many or most of the principles of UDL. UDL principles appear to have emerged organically from addon iterations over time. The study concludes by suggesting that the same approach to user-generated content for the game interface taken by the creators of World of Warcraft, as well as high user investment in the environment, can lead to more accessible virtual world learning environments in the future.

The significance of students being able to express and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding in all content areas has always been important especially in the sciences. Students under the Next Generation Science Standards will be required to participate in science discourse through a variety of approaches. This study examined student engagement and student demonstration of content knowledge in inclusive science classrooms through a quasiexperimental research design which included four case study participants with a learning disability. The researcher also evaluated student content knowledge through the implementation of Universal Design for Learning-Expression (UDL-E) through a non-replicated control group design. Data were collected through a variety of sources including: researcher observations, review of student academic records, interviews, surveys, UDL-E products, and pre-test and posttest scores. Researcher observations spanned over a 10 week period and were coded and analyzed quantitatively. Findings from a Repeated ANOVA demonstrated no statistical significance, however based on interviews with students; findings show that the students did enjoy exploring the opportunity to express their knowledge using the Expression principle of Universal Design for Learning. Student time-on-task did remain equally as high during UDL-E and students’ inattentive behaviors decreased.