Final

Inquiry
Research
Brief
Mekayla Cook
Fall 2016

Background, Purpose
& Wondering

(FCEC, 2016)

My attendance at the 2016 State Council for Exceptional Children

Conference was an exceptional professional development
experience and an inspirational weekend that supported my
passion for an equitable education for all students.

Traditional classroom instruction and materials

may not make the general education curriculum
accessible to students with disabilities.

In order to best meet the needs

of learners with disabilities in the
general education classroom, I am
seeking effective accommodations
and strategies to promote student
success and academic
achievement.

Methods of
Inquiry

Literature Connections
DIRECT INSTRUCTION is a model that uses

teacher demonstration and explanation combined

with student practice and feedback to help learners
acquire well-defined knowledge and skills needed for
later learning (Eggen & Kauchak, 2012, p. 266). The
more opportunities you provide for learners to be
actively taught, review, and practice direct
instruction skills, the more information students
will retain (McLeskey, Rosenberg & Westling, 2013).

Principles of UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR

LEARNING include providing a variety of ways to
present material to students, considering different
ways for them to show what they have learned, and
incorporating unique ways to motivate student
engagement (McLeskey, Rosenberg & Westling, 2013).

In inclusion classes where intelligences, learningstyle preferences, and developmental levels span a
wide spectrum, LESSONS THAT ENGAGE
MULTIPLE SENSES could offer the greatest access
to knowledge for the most students, (Willis, 2007,
pp. 110).

Data Collection Strategies

Teacher reflective blog/field notes
Interviews

Inquiry Relation
Reflections on the effectiveness of strategies and accommodations will provide insight into my own teaching
practice.
Through structured interviews with professionals in the field, (teachers, ESE specialists, support staff,
professors) I will find practice-based strategies that work for individual students, as well as what is
recommended for accommodations/strategies in general. Also, interviews with students will reveal their
reflections, opinions and ideas of what accommodations and strategies work best for them. Additionally,
student content area learning can be assessed through interviewing.

Students learning styles

In order to apply principles of Universal Design for Learning, it is important to bear in mind how my students
learn best.

Student work examples

Will demonstrate the effectiveness of lessons and instruction, when considered for accuracy.
When considering completion, engagement could be implied.

Recorded lessons
Surveys

Videos and audio recordings will indicate student participation and engagement, as well as my own comfort
and professional development.
Will assess students opinions, ideas and reflections on the effectiveness of my practice.

Test scores

By considering students test scores, I can track students learning progress.

Exit tickets

Quick questions or reflections at the end of a lesson will allow students to demonstrate their understand/if
strategies were effective for content area learning.

Professional journals/practitioner articles

Professional development and research

Consulting research- and practice-based literature will introduce me to effective strategies that could be
applied in my classroom.
Through attendance or participation at workshops, conferences and professional development opportunities, I
will have access to modern advances in the field concerning effective inclusion practices.

Data Collection Strategies

Proposed Initial
Timeline
Week One: research the students cumulative files and progress
so far, interview the ESE Specialist (to better understand my
learners & her professional knowledge of effective strategies)
Week Two: Learning Style inventory, research effective
feedback methods to engage students with disabilities in
setting and accomplishing their own goals, based on the
students current level of achievement.
Week Three: I will plan my first observed lesson, which will
include principles of UDL, with consideration for students
learning styles. I will begin small group interventions with the
students with disabilities by setting goals with the learners.

References
Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2012). Strategies and models for teachers: Teaching
content and thinking skills (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
FCEC. (2016). Council for exceptional children florida [Online image]. Retrieved
October 30, 2016 from http://www.floridacec.org/
McLeskey, J., Rosenberg, M.S., & Westling, D. (2013). Inclusion effective
practices for all students (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Willis, J. (2007). Brain-friendly strategies for the inclusion classroom: Insights
from a neurologist and classroom teacher. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.