Using the ADAPT Strategy to Facilitate the Thinking Process of Creating Universal Design Based Instructional Adaptions and Differentiation in Lesson Plans for Diverse Learners

The effects of a learning strategy to prompt deeper thinking and the incorporation of more UDL instructional differentiations and adaptions in the lesson plans by pre service and early career teachers were examined. Class 1 (control) received a 2.5 hour lecture with guided practice about Universal Design for Learning. Class 2 (experimental) received a 2.5 lecture with guided practice about Universal Design for Learning with the ADAPT Strategy incorporated. A modeled thinking process of the ADAPT strategy was provided. The participants’ (n = 43) application of Universal Design strategies to adapt lesson plans for diverse learners was compared using a rubric. Three lesson plans for each participant was collected for both Class 1 and Class 2. The first lesson plan was collected in the beginning of the course prior to instruction; the second, after the 2.5 lecture with guided practice for Class 1 (control) and the UDL training with the ADAPT strategy for Class 2 (experimental). The third lesson plan was collected four weeks after for both Class 1 and 2 as a second posttest. Class 2 (experimental) employed more UDL strategies and scored significantly higher than Class 1 (control) on the second and final lesson plan. Moreover, Class 2 participants had adaptions which were well connected to the lesson, evidenced by explicit explanations of where, when and why the adaption would be used. Additionally, more evidences of tying the lesson to the learners in the case study were noted. The results suggest that experience in thinking about “how” to create adaptions may be a necessary opportunity required by pre-service and early career teachers to practice differentiating instruction and making adaptation