PRACTICAL CASE STUDY: Inclusion, accessibility and universal design for learning in the area of English in a Year 5 Primary classroom in a rural school

PART A — CASE STUDY TO BE DEVELOPED

SCHOOL CONTEXT

The case study takes place in a Grouped Rural School (CRA) situated in the medianías uplands of the north of the island of La Palma, in the surroundings of the municipality of Garafía. The socio-cultural environment is of a medium-low level, with an economy based mainly on upland farming, rural tourism and small local businesses. The school stands out for its strong community roots, its privileged natural environment and a solid commitment to sustainability and the 2030 Agenda.

We are in the third term of the school year. The teaching team has as a priority objective the development of interdisciplinary projects that connect pupils' learning with the conservation of the local natural environment.

CLASS GROUP

The class group in which the intervention takes place is Year 5 of Primary Education, set up as a single-year group in this section of the CRA, with a total of 14 pupils. As the class size is low, the classroom climate is very close and affectionate, although notable heterogeneity is observed as regards learning rates and levels of linguistic competence in the foreign language (English), which range from an initial A1 to a developing A2 according to the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).

PUPILS

Within the group, three diverse profiles are identified that require differentiated educational attention:

• Hugo (Pupil with NEAE owing to Specific Learning Difficulties – Dyslexia): He has a recent diagnosis of developmental dyslexia. He shows significant difficulties in reading decoding, in English spelling (owing to the phonological opacity of the language) and in the processing speed of written texts. His listening comprehension and his motivation towards communicative and hands-on tasks are excellent. He requires an educational response of ordinary attention-to-diversity measures centred on the accessibility of texts, visual scaffolding and flexibility in assessment instruments.
• Aitana (Pupil with NEAE owing to High Intellectual Abilities): She shows great curiosity, a very fast learning rate, excellent communicative competence in English and great leadership capacity. She tends to lose motivation if tasks are repetitive or excessively guided. She requires curricular enrichment through extension tasks and roles involving mediation or active creation.
• Marc (Pupil with ADHD – inattentive subtype): He has difficulties in maintaining sustained attention, planning complex tasks and organising his space and materials. He benefits enormously from clear routines, instructions broken down into steps, visual support and the use of hands-on and interactive digital resources.

RESOURCES AND TEACHING STAFF

For the development of the educational practice, the following human and material resources are available:

• Foreign Language (English) specialist: Responsible for the design, implementation and assessment of the teaching planning.
• Therapeutic Pedagogy (PT) teacher: She provides support inside the mainstream classroom for 2 hours a week, coinciding with the English sessions, which facilitates shared teaching and co-teaching in order to cater for the diversity of Hugo and Marc.
• Language assistant: A native speaker, present in the classroom 1 hour a week in order to enliven interaction and oral expression activities.
• Material resources: A trolley of tablets with an internet connection, an Interactive Digital Whiteboard (PDI), a variety of hands-on materials and an organic school garden adjoining the classroom.

DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS

1. UDL design and implementation / Ordinary measures: How would you design and sequence a learning situation in this third term (for example, the creation of a digital, interactive "Eco-Guide" of the local flora and fauna in English) that integrates the ordinary attention-to-diversity measures for Hugo (dyslexia) and guarantees the active participation and enrichment of all the pupils (including Aitana and Marc) under the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? Pay particular attention to the specific methodological strategies for teaching English as an L2 in this context.

2. Competence-based assessment: Propose a detailed design of the assessment process for this learning situation in the area of Foreign Language (English), specifying the Canary Islands curricular assessment criteria that are mobilised, the instruments of formative, shared and process-based assessment adapted to the needs of the pupils (Hugo, Aitana and Marc) and the levels of achievement, in order to ensure an equitable, barrier-free assessment.

PART B — 30 MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

Question 1. In accordance with the Real Decreto 157/2022, which establishes the minimum requirements of Primary Education, how is basic knowledge defined? a) It comprises the learning objectives expressed in terms of observable and measurable behaviours at the end of each cycle. b) It comprises the compulsory minimum contents that must be memorised sequentially in each of the areas of knowledge. c) It comprises the knowledge, skills and attitudes that make up the content of an area and whose learning is necessary for acquiring the specific competences. d) It comprises the assessable learning standards that determine pupils' academic performance.

Question 2. Within the framework of the LOMLOE, which of the following options best defines the purpose of Plurilingual Competence? a) Using different languages, spoken or signed, appropriately and effectively for learning and communication. b) Mastering the grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation of at least two foreign languages in a native-like and identical way. c) Translating complex texts in writing between the mother tongue and the languages of instruction of the school. d) Knowing the philological history and etymological origins of the languages of the European Union.

Question 3. According to the Canary Islands legislation on attention to diversity (Decreto 25/2018), what mainly characterises ordinary attention-to-diversity measures? a) They are extraordinary measures aimed at pupils with NEE that involve significant curricular adaptations and schooling in specific units. b) They are measures aimed at a class group or at an individual pupil, of a methodological or organisational nature, which do not alter the essential elements of the curriculum. c) They are general whole-school measures aimed at raising the awareness of the educational community and at organising shared spaces. d) They are additional specialist support measures delivered exclusively outside the mainstream classroom by professionals from the health sector.

Question 4. The educational legislation of the Canary Islands addresses the school linguistic sphere in relation to late-enrolment pupils with no knowledge of Spanish by promoting: a) The imposition of a single compulsory vehicular language for all the non-linguistic areas of the Primary curriculum. b) The development of welcome plans and measures for learning Spanish as a language of communication and of instruction in order to favour the inclusion of these pupils. c) The complete removal of the foreign language in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education. d) The obligation for all science subjects to be taught exclusively in English from Year 3 of Primary Education onwards.

Question 5. According to the Real Decreto 157/2022, what are assessment criteria? a) The operational descriptors that indicate the level of digital competence attained by teachers. b) The quantitative marking tools used to award a numerical grade in a pupil's record. c) The methodological guidelines for designing complementary activities outside the school. d) The reference points that measure the degree of acquisition of the specific competences and of the achievement of the objectives of each area.

Question 6. In accordance with the LOMLOE, the assessment of pupils in the Primary Education stage shall be: a) Global, continuous and formative, and shall take into account pupils' progress across the whole of their learning processes. b) Summative, final and punitive, focused on standardised written examinations at the end of each term. c) Homogeneous and uniform, applying identical scales with no possibility of adaptation or methodological flexibility. d) Selective and classificatory, with the aim of grouping pupils according to their academic performance from the first cycle onwards.

Question 7. In the LOMLOE-based Canary Islands Primary Education curriculum (BOC, 2022), the specific competences of the areas are closely linked to: a) Traditional contents strictly divided into conceptual topics. b) The operational descriptors of the pupils' Exit profile at the end of basic education. c) The tutorial action plan and the school's internal regulations. d) The entrance tests for compulsory secondary education.

Question 8. In the design of a learning situation, the challenge or final task set must be characterised by: a) Being a mechanical exercise of direct translation and memorisation of irregular verbs. b) Being a real-life problem or activity, contextualised, meaningful and requiring the integrated mobilisation of basic knowledge. c) Being limited to an individual multiple-choice examination taken on paper under strict time conditions. d) Being unrelated to pupils' interests in order to guarantee the scientific objectivity of the subject of study.

Question 9. According to the LOMLOE, in which year of Primary Education will schools carry out a diagnostic assessment of the competences acquired by their pupils? a) In Year 2 of Primary Education. b) In Year 3 of Primary Education. c) In Year 4 of Primary Education. d) In Year 6 of Primary Education.

Question 10. The pupils' Exit profile at the end of basic education, according to RD 157/2022, constitutes: a) The specification of the essential learning and the key competences that pupils must have acquired and developed by the end of basic education. b) An administrative document that is completed only for pupils who present learning difficulties. c) A list of quantitative marks in the core areas of the final year. d) The digital portfolio of artistic productions carried out throughout schooling.

Question 11. Which of the following options describes the components of the "4 Cs" model in the CLIL approach (Content and Language Integrated Learning)? a) Context, Creativity, Collaboration, Comprehension. b) Content, Communication, Cognition, Culture. c) Curriculum, Classroom, Control, Correction. d) Cohesion, Coherence, Competence, Communication.

Question 12. For a pupil with dyslexia (such as Hugo) learning English as an L2, which approach to teaching reading and writing has the strongest scientific backing? a) The global reading method based solely on the visual memorisation of whole words (whole language). b) The multisensory structured phonics approach (Multisensory Structured Phonics), which explicitly associates phonemes, graphemes and gestures. c) Repetitive, individual copying of lists of decontextualised vocabulary. d) Silent, prolonged reading of complex texts without any kind of scaffolding or audio support.

Question 13. The Total Physical Response (TPR) method, developed by James Asher, is didactically grounded in: a) The association of listening comprehension with physical action and bodily movement before demanding verbal production. b) The exclusive learning of English grammar through the translation of physical education texts. c) The use of moderate physical punishment to correct pronunciation errors in the classroom. d) The priority development of reading and writing through the use of handwriting and fine-motor worksheets.

Question 14. In foreign language didactics, what is meant by "scaffolding" in oral production tasks? a) The process of immediate, systematic correction of any grammatical error made by the pupil. b) The provision of temporary supports (such as sentence starters, visual aids and key vocabulary) in order to guide the pupil's production. c) Carrying out individual oral examinations with no prior preparation and in a high-pressure environment. d) The exclusive use of the teacher's mother tongue in order to explain the most complex syntactic structures.

Question 15. Which of the following instruments is the most appropriate for carrying out formative and shared assessment of the speaking skill in an English project in Year 5 of Primary Education? a) An objective written test involving filling gaps with the correct verb form. b) An illustrated self-assessment and peer-assessment rubric, with clear achievement descriptors known to the pupils beforehand. c) A checklist recording only the number of pronunciation errors made. d) A final oral examination involving the direct translation of isolated sentences in front of the teacher.

Question 16. According to Stephen Krashen's "Comprehensible Input" hypothesis (i + 1), the English teacher must provide pupils with: a) Texts and discourse well below their current level in order to avoid any hint of frustration. b) Linguistic input containing elements that are one step beyond their current level of competence, supported by context and visual elements. c) Exclusively native audio materials at real speed and with no methodological adaptations from the very first day of class. d) Lists of abstract grammatical rules explained theoretically in the pupils' mother tongue.

Question 17. Communicative Language Teaching in the teaching of English mainly promotes: a) The precise memorisation of formal structures of the language and their choral repetition. b) The use of the language in real contexts in order to carry out meaningful interactions, prioritising fluency and the effectiveness of communication. c) The literal translation of classic English-language literary works into Spanish. d) The learning of English phonetics through the transcription of symbols of the international phonetic alphabet (IPA).

Question 18. In Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) methodology, what is the correct sequence of the phases of a session or teaching unit? a) Examination – Theoretical explanation – Repetitive exercises. b) Pre-task – Task cycle – Language focus (post-task). c) Reading of a text – Written translation – Memorisation of vocabulary. d) Warm-up – Individual test – Final written mark.

Question 19. The role of the Language Assistant in the Primary Education classroom should focus mainly on: a) Completely replacing the English specialist teacher, taking on the tutorship of the group and the marking of pupils. b) Carrying out administrative tasks such as marking written examinations and preparing photocopies in the department. c) Strengthening pupils' oral communicative competence, modelling natural pronunciation and bringing them closer to socio-cultural aspects of his or her country of origin. d) Delivering lectures on historical grammar in the sessions where the specialist is not present.

Question 20. In reading comprehension in a foreign language, the "scanning" strategy consists of: a) Reading a text quickly in order to obtain an overview or general idea of its overall content. b) Translating the whole text line by line, noting down the meaning of each word in a bilingual dictionary. c) Quickly and selectively searching for a specific piece of information (such as a number, a name or a date) in the text. d) Reciting the text aloud, paying attention exclusively to intonation and phonetic rhythm.

Question 21. According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, pupils in Years 5 and 6 of Primary Education (approximately 10 to 12 years old) are generally in the transition between: a) The sensorimotor stage and the pre-operational stage. b) The concrete operational stage and the formal operational stage. c) The intuitive stage and the symbolic stage. d) The stage of heteronomous morality and social anomie.

Question 22. Lev Vygotsky defines the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as: a) The physical space of free play in which pupils interact without the presence or supervision of an adult. b) The distance between the level of actual development (what can be done alone) and the level of potential development (what can be done with the help of a guide or a more capable peer). c) The genetically determined limit of intelligence that prevents a pupil from learning a foreign language. d) The period of childhood in which egocentric speech disappears completely.

Question 23. According to Jerome Bruner, the concept of the "Spiral Curriculum" implies that: a) Fundamental topics and concepts must be taught recurrently over time, progressively increasing their level of complexity and depth. b) The curriculum must be strictly circular, repeating exactly the same contents year after year without variation. c) Pupils must study contents in a disorderly, random way according to their daily mood. d) Arts subjects must be the pivot around which the remaining subjects revolve in a subordinate way.

Question 24. Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that the English teacher should: a) Classify pupils by means of a single Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test in order to group them by homogeneous levels of performance. b) Focus L2 teaching exclusively on linguistic-verbal intelligence through traditional written tasks. c) Offer a variety of pathways for learning and expression (musical, spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal, etc.) so that all pupils can access the curriculum. d) Avoid the use of songs, drawings or movement activities on the grounds that they are a waste of academic time.

Question 25. According to David Ausubel's theory of Meaningful Learning, for this type of learning to take place it is essential that: a) The pupil receives the information in a purely rote, repetitive way without understanding its usefulness. b) The new information is related substantively and non-arbitrarily to the prior knowledge that the pupil already possesses. c) The teacher applies a strict system of rewards and punishments of a behaviourist nature. d) Activities are always carried out individually and in complete silence within the classroom.

Question 26. In the integration of digital technologies into the area of English, the SAMR model (developed by Ruben Puentedura) proposes four levels of technological integration, which are: a) Selection, Adaptation, Mediation and Realisation. b) Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. c) Software, Application, Multimedia and Networks. d) Simplicity, Accessibility, Motivation and Rigour.

Question 27. In order to work on SDG 15 (Life on Land) in the area of English in a rural CRA, the didactic strategy most consistent with a competence-based approach is: a) Requiring pupils to copy and translate a Wikipedia text on global deforestation. b) Designing an action-research project in which pupils create bilingual posters to protect the biodiversity of their own natural environment. c) Memorising a list of 50 words in English about types of exotic trees from the Amazon rainforest. d) Watching a two-hour documentary in English with no subtitles and no scaffolding activities before or afterwards.

Question 28. Which of the following actions effectively promotes co-education and gender equality in the foreign language classroom? a) Using traditional textbooks in which women are represented solely in domestic caring roles. b) Organising debates in which leadership and spokesperson roles are assigned equitably, and making visible the contributions of women scientists and writers from English-speaking countries. c) Physically separating boys and girls in the classroom in order to avoid conflicts during role-plays. d) Assuming that the use of the English language is intrinsically neutral and requires no critical reflection on stereotypes.

Question 29. In accordance with the Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) on the protection of personal data and the guarantee of digital rights, in order to publish a video of pupils performing a play in English on the school website: a) It is sufficient to have direct verbal authorisation from the pupils taking part on the day of the recording. b) It is essential to obtain beforehand the express, written and informed consent of the parents or legal guardians of children under 14. c) It may be published freely, as it is a compulsory school activity included in the teaching planning. d) It is enough to pixelate only the face of the pupil who presents learning difficulties or specific needs.

Question 30. From the perspective of Neuroeducation applied to the Primary classroom, authors such as Francisco Mora stress that: a) The brain only learns what moves it emotionally and what awakens its curiosity and attention in a meaningful way. b) The sustained attention of a 10-year-old child can be maintained optimally during theoretical explanations lasting more than 60 minutes in a row. c) The learning of a second language must be based on stress and assessment pressure in order to accelerate brain plasticity. d) Physical movement and positive emotions interfere negatively with the consolidation of long-term memory.