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Introduction

Yesterday there was a crisis at the Kerry O’Keeffe Secondary School. Shooters, wearing traditional lamellae, shot arrows into a classroom. Fortunately, there were no injuries nor outward signs of trauma. This remote learning experience came about as a result. It examines ‘different interpretations and representations of Cao Cao’ (155-220) – a Chinese warlord in the Three Kingdoms period – over time (ACHAHO76) and is linked to Unit 1 of the Year 11 ATAR curriculum in Ancient History (ACARA).

          My class has eighteen students, comprising seven males and eleven females, all of whom hail from Australia except three whose parents migrated from Asia. Their collective GPA is 75%. Three students have dyslexia, mild autism and Tourette’s and one has carpal tunnel syndrome.

Rationale

Pedagogy

Universal Design

          Universal design recognises individual variation within seemingly homogenous cohorts like mine. Its approach aims to maximise access to, engagement in, and demonstration of learning (CAST, 2017). See Table 1 for how this experience incorporates universal design principles and strategies.   

 

Table 1. Universal Design

Principle	Guideline	Strategies used in the learning experience
Multiple means of representation	Provide options for perception	· Audio play of written content accessible via extensions · Notes and instructions accompany video lectures · Videos are transcribed · Written and visual content are used to describe concepts · Guided web tutorials and modelling examples · Dyslexic-friendly font (British Dyslexia Foundation, 2024) · Soothing colours (Prapoorna, 2021)
	Provide options for language and expression
	Provide options for comprehension	· Differentiating instruction using ICT (Izzo, 2012). · Battle of Red Cliffs learnings through varied media · Mute/pause functions
Multiple means of action and expression	Provide options for expressive skills and fluency	· “Explain/Do” expressed through varied products
	Provide options for executive functions	· Supplying templates or checklists · Learning management system (LMS)
Multiples means of engagement	Provide options for recruiting interest	· Offering students appropriate choice, personalisation (Middelbeck, 2024) · Making learning objectives relevant · Creating a positive class · Discovery learning
	Provide options for perseverance	· Scaffolding from instructions and feedback · Explicit expectations (Hattie, 2012) · Opportunities for self-reflection from group and teacher feedback
	Provide options for self-regulation	· R U OK side tab · Practising of desired behaviours · Positive reinforcement via conduct rules

Source: CAST (2011) and Chandler, et al. (2017). See Cartwright (2018) for an earlier version.

 

Flipped classroom

          This learning experience is based on the flipped classroom. Today for the first time my class will learn about Cao Cao. They receive staged instructions for every activity and are supported by model examples and visible expectations. Their participation is monitored through applications that apprise me of their effort and performance. These feedback activities, along with the Conduct Rules and e-Safety Strategies ‘encourage’ self-regulation. Next week when classes resume, we will discuss today’s material. This is a main advantage of the flipped classroom. Class time is dedicated to discussion and other interactions which stimulate higher-order thinking (Talbert, 2021). Such discussions or ‘learning communities’ have been found to catalyse learning under certain conditions (Mitra, 2018; Middelbeck, 2019).

Game-based learning and discovery

          Cao Cao is a popular character in recent cinematic productions and video games. Studying him within the confines of a digital game would be a very appealing prospect for avid gamers like my students. Research indicates that game-based learning improves student performance (Paper, 2024). Unfortunately, interactive educational resources like Minecraft are not available for the Three Kingdoms. In the non-subscription Total War series, one can watch someone else playing the Three Kingdoms video game, but one cannot play nor create a learning experience within it, limitations that greatly diminish their educational value. However, I managed to find an appropriate game (puzzle) that develops knowledge and skill acquisition.

          Another resource showcases a lecturer’s teaching pedagogy based on digital curation of Three Kingdoms events. It was selected for its captivating appeal and simple ‘chunking’ language (Miller,1956). Captivating because suddenly the viewer finds themselves presented with real prospects for shaping history through digital curation. The video is highly suitable for demonstrating how historical representations of people and places change over time through re-interpretations arising from technological advances. Moreover, it raises questions about ethical use. My students will be drawn to this resource because they are living in an era of human agency. With little inclination to accept propositions on face value, they want to form their own viewpoints thru active engagement.

          Discovery (Bruner, 1961) is a common thread uniting universal design, flipped classrooms and games-based learning. The final activity, a digital design project, employs discovery learning. Students are free to explore digital tools and make their own innovations or have AI generate one for them. However, because discovery learning can overwhelm students, particularly those with dyslexia (Kirschner et al., 2006), I fashioned the experience so that it would be psychologically safe. The Choice Board helps students feel greater control over their learning and each option provides a specific task. Importantly, discovery takes place in Adobe Express, a media creation platform that is easy to use. 

 E-safety

          This learning experience incorporates inclusive e-safety strategies: First, Conduct Rules remind students to behave responsibly; second, advice about accessing counselling after a traumatic incident is a part of the e-safety Commission’s Best Practice Framework (2021); and third, an email link confining access to students reduces the likelihood of random entrants.