Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity 5

Fig. 11.4 Classroom observation, math (L marking teacher’s location)
Fig. 11.5 Classroom observation, box lesson (L marking teachers’ location)
M. Proyer et al.

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Interestingly, both settings point to already alternative approaches to typical 
classroom settings, with the layout of the concept of box lessons underlining the 
fact that individual student engagement is supported by two teachers, an open set-
ting and significant space. The concept of box lessons will be elaborated on further 
in Box 
11.1
.
Concept of Box Lessons
The concept was introduced to the school more than 10 years ago by an enlightened 
school head. The topics in the boxes even include chemical experiments, and can be 
related to animals, geography, social sciences, etc. The boxes enable the students to 
self-explore at their own speed. They choose a topic and do different exercises of 
varying complexity that can be found in the boxes. They learn autonomously and in 
the end present to the rest of the group what they have learned. The focus is on lis-
tening to each other and on what the students have learned by themselves. Each 
student and their learning become the center of attention. The students sometimes 
also need to leave the room in order to setup ropes that help them understand how 
far planets are away from the sun. Box lessons provide a safe, ordered environment 
which students can leave of their own free will. Collaboration with universities and 
the involvement of teacher trainees has led to long-standing collaborations and 
more than 100 boxes kindly generated by teacher trainees.
Box lessons tick several boxes of the UDL approach to providing rich learning 
environments: there are many different materials and different modes of how a topic 
can be approached and explored (see research question 2). The individual and active 
role that students assume in the specific setting can also be interpreted in UDL terms