CAST’s 3rd Annual UDL Symposium

Lecturer at the School of Education, Kibbutzim College, Tel-Aviv

Expertise in the field of:

• Learning Disorder and ADHD
• Assistive technology
• Planning functions for adults with learning disabilities and ADHD
• Executive Functions

Email: contact@bettys.co.il
Website: http://www.bettys.co.il/cv-english/
Location: Kibbutzim College, Namir Road, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bettys.co.il/

Suzi Weintraub is a special education teacher -teaching a fourth grade, in an elementary school characterized by inclusive environment. Suzi is a teachers’ instructor and guiding to use technology as an inseparable part of the lessons

Email: suzi4567@gmail.com
Location: Kibbutzim College, Namir Road, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

The research examined the contribution and impact of the UDL approach in combination with assistive technologies for the participation of pupils with attention and/or learning disorders in learning processes.

The study also examined class reflection regarding UDL learning (including a total of 30 classmates).

Five, fourth grade pupils with attention and learning disorders participated in the study, all of which attend elementary schools in the central region of Israel.

Each of the pupils with an attention and/or learning disorder was paired with another pupil that does not.

The study also examined class reflection regarding UDL learning (including a total of 30 classmates).

Learning took place during the school day during language (Hebrew) classes.

Multiple means of representation. During lessons, pupils were asked to explore information regarding various animals. They were instructed to use a wide range of assistive technologies, such as reading software, typing, audio and video recording.

They also used informative websites, pictures, presentations, YouTube and web links of digital encyclopedias.

Multiple means of expression. The pupils were given an opportunity to express their knowledge in different ways, and choose from a range of learning tools provided to them

Engagement. The pupils were instructed to create a joint product using one of the technology tools they were offered to choose. During their learning, the pupils cooperated and worked jointly to achieve their results.

• Motivation for learning of the entire class was examined via Google forms (an online questionnaire),
  
• Conversations with pupils with attention and/or learning disorders were conducted at the end of each lesson to get their feedback
  
• Observations were conducted throughout classes to estimate their level of participation during the learning process.
  
• Personal feedback - at the end of each lesson, pupils were asked to write a personal feedback of the process involved to complete their joint work. The parents' feedback also collected.
  

click on the links to see the class activities

This joint learning provided an opportunity for pupils to experience the responsibility and mutual involvement necessary to create a joint product.

• Parental responses reflected satisfaction from the process their children had gone through. They reported that the children's positive experience and sense of success in the learning process continued throughout the rest of the day, even after arriving home.
  
• Motivation Questionnaire findings showed improvement for all pupils in the classroom, especially for those with attention and learning disorders. However, no statistical significance was found between the groups (with and without learning disorders).
  
• There is great significance in learning technologies for pupils with attention and learning disorders, as these can significantly improve their participation in the class learning process.
  

The teachers can build lessons in which every pupil can find his/her own way, targeted at addressing the obstacles to learning processes, and thus establishing a way to improve motivation for learning and learning itself.

Teachers should allow pupils the option of learning together, either in pairs or small groups, making it possible to help and learn from one another, and a way that could establish new friendships