VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 4
Another section of Sherlock's Escape Room uses the Build-A-Cell, a model
of bacteria, animal, and plant cells with colorful tactile pieces that the student
attaches to explore the organelles (APH, 2004). The informational book is in color,
large print and a braille copy is included. This item is interactive with physical
pieces to move to answer the riddle. Once the correct organelle is located by using
the book, the students find a number underneath that piece. This activity provides
an opportunity to encourage a student who reads braille to not only participate at
the same time, but to be the one the team relies on to read the section of the
informational book to identify the correct organelle.
According to Fotaris and Mastoras (2022), "EERs emphasize collaborative
learning with activities that require teamwork and communication, force
interdependence among multiple individuals who share a clear goal and provide a
built-in opportunity for rapid and unambiguous feedback" (p.2). Thus, EERs are a
tool for inclusion in the general education classroom and a springboard for social
connections. Fotaris and Mastoras developed a framework for constructing EERs
that could be built in a variety of scenarios, with no prior experience, using design
thinking. For a teacher who wishes to utilize this model for a classroom activity,
EER frameworks may help with structure. However, keeping UDL and access in
the planning process from the beginning remains a vital part. Considering aspects
of AT integrated into UDL further increases the likelihood of student success.
