Diverse learners are not limited to elementary classrooms, 12-1-1 classrooms, or lower-level classes. I have many diverse learners in my Algebra 2/Trig classes, for which I use elements of technology aided universal design to help them (and really all students) access content. In my classes, I have a student who has hearing loss in one ear, I have a student who is LD in Math, I have students who need longer to think about things, and I have students that really need to be challenged.
The best way that I have found to accommodate the diverse needs of my students is through the use of Microsoft Excel. I have attached an example of the use of Excel for what I have dubbed "Interactive Worksheets". Students can type "h" to reveal hidden hints, or can leave them hidden if they feel inclined to conquer the question on their own. Students can work at their own pace, and can skip around to complete questions in any order that they wish. One of the greatest feature of the spreadsheet format is that students know instantly if their answer is correct or not. This eliminates students working through a whole activity incorrectly, before I am able to get to them to check and help them. Students feel a sense of accomplishment when they get a "Great Job!!" or occasional "You RULE", or whatever encouraging message I type in the code. I can include "challenge" questions, like question 3 on Tab B (BIG problems). Below are screenshots of the example attached.
Please take a minute to open the document and see how it works. If you want to test it out, the answers are below. Type these answers in to see what the kids see as they solve these problems correctly!
Tab 1: Law of Sines vs. Cosines
-S, 8
-C, 36
-S, 49
-C, 34
-C, 22
-S, 32
-C, 104
-C, 28
-S, 89
Tab 2: BIG Problems
-88
-91.5
-796
This link will take you to the Interactive Worksheet Sample
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