Many of the teaching quality standards emphasized by Alberta Education (2018) and principles of UDL and STEM form the foundation of this interdisciplinary unit plan that will apply “a current and comprehensive repertoire of effective planning, instruction, and assessment practices to meet the learning needs of every student” (Alberta Education, 2018, p. 4).  

 

Student many different needs are accounted for in the design of this interdisciplinary project.  Each stage of the process includes multiple entry points for students who need to access and express their learning in different ways (Friesen, 2015).  Students will have access to visual, textual, auditory and manipulative entry points for learning - even in Science and Math activities - which is another advantage of collaborating as a team of designers from different disciplines and specialty areas. 

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Throughout this interdisciplinary project, English Language Learners (ELL) will be strategically grouped and paired with bilingual students and those who possess stronger communication and collaboration skills to ensure positive peer or "team" support and guidance to help strengthen language, technical and academic development.  ELL students will also be scaffolded and given the chance to work in visual or manipulative modalities (Alberta Education, 2009).  Students with attention challenges will be well-supported by scaffolding and the physical nature of much of the work, as well as by the field trips and computer-based research component in this interdisciplinary unit.  Students with physical challenges can participate in desk-level work, computer-based design work and planning tasks.  

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Many opportunities for teacher and peer collaboration and feedback are built into this interdisciplinary unit through group work and regular planning sessions and activities where students conduct valuable self-assessment using many different Assessment as Learning methods and strategies (Alberta Education, 2018).  

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It is important to keep in mind that all students benefit from differentiated instruction and no two learners are exactly the same. Designing an interdisciplinary unit plan and learning experiences that provide routes to success as varied as the learners themselves will be challenging and rewarding for us – the next generation of teachers.