| Classroom Strategy | Likely Effort Level for Educator | Relation to UDL | Technology or Other Required Resources | Impact for Diverse Learners and/or Students with Accommodations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set familiar class routines | Low | Engagement; Knowing what to expect helps students focus on the lesson. Minimizes distractions. | None (other than Moodle) | Students with an array of challenges (anxiety, neurodivergence, executive functioning deficits, distractibility, etc.) will be better able to attend and engage. |
| Close doors, lower blinds, etc. to reduce distractions | Low | Engagement; lowering distractions helps students engage in the class. | None | (See above) |
| Post ppts and class notes for all students to access | Low | Engagement; Promotes inclusion for students who are unable to take notes while focusing on the presented lesson at the same time. | PowerPoint, Word, Moodle | All students can benefit from comparing their own notes to those of others. This would also eliminate the need for the accommodation having a peer note-taker |
| Wait time: silently count to 10 before calling on students after you’ve asked a question. | Low | Engagement; This allows students to think about the question long enough to have meaningful engagement with it. | None | This is particularly useful for non-native speakers, students with less exposure to the material, and those with processing impairments |
| Provide alternatives to cold-calling, such as students being able to turn in index cards with information they were too afraid to share aloud in class, or a cue (like putting their pen on their chin) to show readiness | Low | Engagement; Many students spend more time in class afraid of being called on than focused on what’s being presented. This would eliminate that. | None | Students with fears of being called on (or related accommodations) would still be able to demonstrate what they know |
| Face students when speaking | Low | General accessibility practice so students can best hear and understand you. | None | Helpful for students who may have difficulty with accents. Critical for students who lip read. |
| Supply or activate background information especially regarding vocabulary or discipline-specific jargon. | Low | Engagement; Students are coming from a vast array of high school experiences; some need reminders of what they’ve learned, other never learned it | None | Students with certain cognitive disabilities will especially benefit from being provided explicit connections between past and current work. |
| Record Class | Low once you build it into your routine. | Engagement; Knowing ahead of time there will be a recording made available, students can focus on the here and now. | Classroom camera/microphone, Panopto | May eliminate the need for the accommodation to record class themselves. Valuable for students with chronic medical conditions who may need to miss class. |
| Refrain from forcing leadership roles in group projects on students who do not desire one. | Low | Engagement; Maximizes comfort and trust | None | Students who would be anxious about the leadership role may not be able to focus on the work of the project. |
| Provide opportunities for students to reflect on what you’ve just taught and articulate it (called “think-pair-share”) | Low | Presentation, Action/Expression, Engagement; This not only activates learning, it enables you to assess what is being grasped and how students are engaging | None | Students with memory impairments will better solidify information if it is broken up and activated |
| Provide choices for independent work rather than requiring students to pair up. (e.g., allow students to remain independent rather than pairing.) | Low | Engagement; If students are anxious about working with others, they may not be able to engage with the work. | None | Particularly helpful for neurodivergent students (particularly students on the autism spectrum and those with social anxiety) |
| Provide alternative way for students to express thoughts during class discussions if they are uncomfortable verbalizing them. | Medium | Action/Expression; students with the potential to make contributions to discussions but have trouble verbalizing could express those contributions another way. | Digital whiteboard OneNote Shared Word Document (Take one of these and put it on your projector. Students that wish not to speak can put their ideas/contributions on what’s being projected in real-time.) | Particularly helpful for neurodivergent students (particularly students on the autism spectrum and those with social anxiety) |
| Provide timely & quality feedback so that students know how they’re doing and how to improve | Depends on number of students | Engagement; Supports students’ skill development and encourages perseverance | None | Students who struggle with mental health challenges tend to do better with regular feedback rather than feeling anxious about the unknown |
| Explain how current learning is transferable (or useful) to other courses or life situations. | Low | Engagement; Students are more likely to be engaged in their work if they know it will help them long-term. | None | Relevance has a direct impact on motivation and tenacity |