Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Shay Herr
April 6, 2019
Teaching effectively in a classroom of diverse learning ability can be a difficult challenge for
any educator. Adding to this responsibility classrooms often incorporate students that have a
wide range of cognitive and special learning abilities. Educators are tasked with creating
instruction that meets the needs of all their students which may include various levels of reading
and learning ability and/or mental, physical, and emotional disorders. This literature review will
look at effective learning of subject matter incorporating teaching strategies, multimedia, and
individualized instruction for those with varying cognitive ability and learning styles.
Literature Review
In 1975 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA was passed. IDEA
allows students with special disabilities to be granted access to public education and has evolved
from a time when many special education students were separated by different buildings and
classrooms, to incorporating all learners in inclusive classrooms (Bryant, Bryant, & Smith, 2019,
p. 6-7). Authors, Bryant, Bryant, and Smith (2019), make note that there are many variations that
can accompany this type of integration, from pullout programs, where students’ special
education needs are offered in a room full of the resources needed for learning, to co-teaching
methods that employ an assistant teacher to come in and work with the student in a general
education classroom (p. 8-9). Whichever method administrators and teachers choose adopt, there
is still the underlying drive to create instruction that all students can adapt and evolve from.
One such method of instruction is the Universal Design for Learning or UDL. UDL’s
framework operates by taking out the barriers that prevent learning and offers a curriculum that
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has a widespread range. Because of this broad framework, it is thought at all students, including
those with disabilities, will receive better instruction and education (Al Hazmi & Ahmad, 2018).
UDL also provides room for the use of technology in instruction, this however can create
problems if educators are not technologically proficient or the technology is unaffordable. For
those living in the United States, UDL would also have to embrace the core standards of
instruction. As required by the Higher Education Act, all students, including those with
intellectual disabilities, must be provided with educational supports for advancement in higher
levels of education ("Higher education act (HEA) in a nutshell," n.d.). Authors Root, Knight, and
Mims speak this issue in their article A Guide to Addressing Multiple Priorities
in Core Content Instruction for Students With Severe Disabilities (2017). They researched
learning methods educating students with moderate to severe disabilities, concluding that
standard core instruction can be incorporated into learning by modifying methods to meet learner
methods when customizing the curriculum to meet each individual learner and using assistive
technology (Bryant, Bryant, & Smith, 2019, p. 7). Whether students are in generalized or special
classrooms, adjusting the instruction to the individual is often the preferred method for effective
and supportive education. Some traditional methods include small group strategies, classroom
centers, or themed instruction to name a few (The Room 241 Team, 2018). Adapting these
Eve Herndon (2018) suggests the use of the multiple intelligences theory as one such way
of accomplishing this task of adapting learning style to the instruction. Multimedia intelligences
(MI) theory supports the idea of eight intelligences that all humans foster, though some, like
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Herndon, recognize nine intelligences. Howard Gardner’s theory of MI recognizes that all
humans have distinct intelligences used in everyday life and learning. However, often there is a
dominate intelligence in each individual that corresponds with a particular learning style.
Herndon (2018) advocates that multimedia is making it easier to fit MI in the classroom.
“Multimedia inherently speaks to the different types of learning preferences that one person has
and has the potential to impart knowledge to a diverse class or group” (Herndon, 2018). Herndon
isn’t alone in her assessment. At Walden University, Linda Kennedy-Murray (2016) wrote her
dissertation on teacher knowledge of MI and its’ relationship to the classroom. The results of the
study revealed that while most teachers had some knowledge of MI, there was little relationship
between teacher familiarity of MI and their teaching style (Kennedy-Murray, 2016). What was
interesting in the study was the teachers preferred learning styles’ relationship to spatial
intelligences. Kennedy-Murray suggests that the increased use of technology may be the cause
Her study could be compared with that of Sener, Kocman, and Cokcaliskan (2018) in
Turkey. They too, researched the use of MI and learning styles. The results of their study
revealed a preference for kinesthetic, naturalistic, and visual learning. The authors did note that
the sample students came from a small village, which could be a factor in the preference for the
naturalistic intelligence. Though they suggest that students who are aware of their favored
learning styles and preferred intelligence are more likely to develop their strengths and improve
their weaknesses.
In the Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities a study was published on the
effect of simulations based in the same subject matter and its’ ability to effectively teach students
with disabilities (Batterman, Kaini, Moore, Tomlinson, & Walker, 2018). Three simulations
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were built to teach students about static electricity through the use of interactivity, on-screen text,
and auditory cues. The authors were vague in their assessment of subject comprehension, only
reporting an overall positive grasp of the subject matter by students. The study does show an
interest in separating instruction and general positive results, but it leaves room for more
However, all of these studies show support to adapt instruction to meet the needs of the learner
The use of technology brings with it added cost, necessary teacher adoption, and student
adaptability functions. Aleksandra Dikusar (2018) stresses the importance of establishing user
friendly software that is easy for educators to adapt instruction to and is cost effective. As a
marketing director for a software company, Dikusar’s (2018) opinion could be viewed as biased,
but her practical views show support for media that can allow subject matter individualization
thus creating an environment that requires less direct teacher intervention. Jennifer Roland
(2018) a freelance writer in the field of technology and education, adds that the use of
technology provides students a platform to “showcase” their abilities giving them opportunity to
Applying multimedia in instruction has strong support from both educators and students,
but whether in inclusive or specialized classroom, it’s important to use technology that versatile
in functionality, meaning that it adapts to students physical needs, as well providing content that
meets learner style. Likewise multimedia software should be user friendly and allow for easy
adaptation to instructional methods and strategies. With the use of multimedia, effective
References
Al Hazmi, A. N., & Ahmad, A. C. (2018). Universal design for learning to support access to the
general education curriculum for students with intellectual disabilities. World Journal of
Batterman, J., Kaini, P., Moore, E., Tomlinson, B., & Walker, B. (2018). Supporting simulation
use for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal on Technology
http://scholarworks.csun.edu/bitstream/handle/10211.3/202996/JTPD-2018-ID25-p202-
218.pdf?sequence=1
Bryant, D. P., Bryant, B. R., & Smith, D. D. (2019). Teaching students with special needs in
Dikusar, A. (2018, August 10). The use of technology in special education. Retrieved from
https://elearningindustry.com/use-of-technology-in-special-education
Herndon, E. (2018, February 5). What are multiple intelligences and how do they affect
learning-matters/post/what-are-multiple-intelligences-and-how-do-they-affect-learning
https://washingtondc.fiu.edu/solutions/advocacy/HEA-Primer.pdf
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https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=3
174&context=dissertations
Roland, J. (2018, December 28). How special education technology improves learning
https://www.iste.org/explore/Innovator-solutions/How-special-education-technology-
improves-learning
The Room 241 Team. (2018, December 28). Concordia room 241: Resources and tips for
portland.edu/blog/
Root, J. R., Knight, V. F., & Mims, P. J. (2017). A guide to addressing multiple priorities in core
content instruction for students with severe disabilities. Career Development and
Şener, S., & Çokçalışkan, A. (2018). An investigation between multiple intelligences and
doi:10.11114/jets.v6i2.2643