Practicing What We Preach

Creating inclusive classrooms is a challenge in general education. To prepare new teachers for diverse K-12 classrooms, faculty at one Midwestern university redesigned their education program to prepare preservice teachers for dual licensure in general and special education. The redesign required middle childhood faculty to learn more about complex conceptual frameworks that are prioritized in school districts across the country. One of these, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), became a non-negotiable component of the new program. An essential learning outcome became preparing pre-service teachers to utilize UDL. After the program was approved, content-area faculty questioned whether they were prepared to implement the framework. Having varied expertise in UDL, faculty wondered if they were teaching UDL effectively, and questioned whether they were modeling UDL concepts with fidelity in their own teaching. Thus, the Dual Licensure Implementation Team (DLIT) was born. This case study describes the process and product of the team's effort to implement UDL with fidelity.

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A practice-based intervention to prepare preservice teachers for inclusion using universal design for learning

10.32469/10355/70066 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Mary Elizabeth Decker

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

General Education ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Diverse Learners ◽

Fundamental Knowledge ◽

Design For Learning ◽

The Impact

General education pre-service teachers are expected to teach diverse learners, including those with disabilities, in the general education settings. Yet many are not adequately prepared to teach all students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to increase inclusive practices, however, it is unknown how to best teach this to pre-service teachers. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of using a practice-based approach to teach UDL as compared to a lecture-based approach to teach UDL to better prepare general education pre-service teachers. Constructs of interest include pre-service teachers' fundamental knowledge including UDL, self-efficacy and UDL application. A mixed methods triangulation design was employed. While pre-service teachers from both groups had significant gains in their foundational knowledge, reported self-efficacy, reported UDL knowledge and ability to apply UDL ideas, participants in the practice-based group did have some advantages, specifically in the area of UDL application.

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Engaging Preservice Teachers in Universal Design for Learning Lesson Planning

Inclusion ◽

10.1352/2326-6988-7.1.12 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 12-23

Author(s):

Ruby L. Owiny ◽

Aleksandra Hollingshead ◽

Brenda Barrio ◽

Katlyn Stoneman

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

General Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Lesson Plans ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Design For Learning ◽

Before And After

Abstract General education teachers often feel unprepared to serve the needs of students with disabilities, including those with intellectual disability, because many teacher preparation programs do not adequately prepare teachers for the diverse classrooms they will encounter. With the increase of inclusion for students with disabilities, it is imperative that teachers develop the necessary skills for engaging all students, including those with intellectual disability, in meaningful instruction. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can assist teachers in designing instruction that meets the needs of their diverse learners. The current study consisted of two parts. First, researchers surveyed preservice teachers on their perceptions of including students with disabilities in their future classrooms before and after instruction in UDL. Second, researchers analyzed preservice teachers' ability to design lessons using the principles of UDL. Results indicated perceptions of inclusion were positive prior to intervention and did not significantly change after the intervention. Lesson plans improved significantly in the use of UDL principles from baseline to postintervention, but there was no significant difference between the postintervention lesson plans and the end-of-semester lesson plans.

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Exploring Preservice Teachers Engagement With Live Models of Universal Design for Learning and Blended Learning Course Delivery

Journal of Special Education Technology ◽

10.1177/0162643420973216 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 016264342097321

Author(s):

Denyse V. Hayward ◽

Amin Mousavi ◽

Michael Carbonaro ◽

Amanda P. Montgomery ◽

William Dunn

Keyword(s):

Preservice Teachers ◽

Blended Learning ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Course Delivery ◽

Design For Learning ◽

Day Of The Week ◽

K 12

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Blended Learning (BL) formats, are widely adopted across K–12 learning environments. Upon graduation, preservice teachers may be expected to implement UDL and BL practices. The present study was motivated by the need to provide preservice teachers with live modeling of UDL and BL concepts. Learning analytics data from 197 preservice teachers was examined for engagement with UDL/BL Access features (location, day-of-the-week, time-of-day, and regularity), Content features (screencasts and quizzes), and to determine if there was a relationship between engagement and achievement. Examination of the learning management system login data revealed regular access to the digital content across differing locations, week days, and time of day. Associations were significant between academic performance and all features. Designing the BL digital course components following UDL principles appears to have served as a self-regulation enabler for preservice teachers themselves while providing exemplars to adopt in their future practice.

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The Goal of the Universal Design for Learning: Development of All to Expert Learners

10.1007/978-3-030-80658-3_2 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 23-57

Author(s):

Julita Navaitienė ◽

Eglė Stasiūnaitienė

Keyword(s):

General Education ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Learning Needs ◽

Personal Learning ◽

General Education Curriculum ◽

Design For Learning ◽

Learning Development

AbstractOver the past 10 years, every learner’s ability to achieve the highest level of learning success has become quite an important topic. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) sets a goal to allow all learners to achieve their optimal learning experience that matches inclusive education. Learners who can assess their own learning needs set their personal learning goals, and monitor their progress are termed the expert learners (McDowell. Developing expert learners: a roadmap for growing confident and competent students. Corwin, 2019). This chapter focuses on theoretical backgrounds for expert learners’ paradigm. It starts from fundamental constructivist theories and moves towards the theory of self-regulation and cognitive neuroscience approach. It concentrates on the theory of self-determination, which, in our opinion, validates in the best way the nature of the expert learners’ development. Implementation of the Universal Design for Learning allows all learners to access, participate in, and progress in the general-education curriculum. This chapter presents the specific profile of the expert learners covering their main characteristics and qualities and revealing the essence of the UDL framework. Educators could use the profile as the educational guidelines conductive to understand how the process of becoming the expert learner proceeds.

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Universal Design for Learning to Support Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

World Journal of Education ◽

10.5430/wje.v8n2p66 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 66 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adnan Nasser Al Hazmi ◽

Aznan Che Ahmad

Keyword(s):

General Education ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Well Being ◽

Intellectually Disabled ◽

Students With Special Needs ◽

Disabled Students ◽

Learning Abilities ◽

General Education Curriculum ◽

Design For Learning

The issue concerned with enhancing support to the intellectually disabled students for enabling them to access thegeneral education has gained significant importance in the recent years all over the world. The intellectually disabledstudents suffer from neurodevelopmental disorders that acts as a barrier to the normal functioning of the brain andslow down the learning abilities and proper development of an individual. The presence of intellectual disabilitiesaffects both the mental and physical well-being of the students by causing issues for them to understand, thinklogically, speak, remembering things, and find solutions to the problems. Many research studies are conducted acrossthe world for finding the ways and designing innovative models that can help in increasing the access to generaleducation for these students with special needs. The universal design for learning framework also aims at providingsupport to the intellectually disabled students for gaining access to general education by enhancing their intellectualfunctioning and ability to adapt.

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Meeting the Needs of Exceptional Students

Developing Technology-Rich Teacher Education Programs ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-0014-0.ch003 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 28-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Timothy J. Frey ◽

E. Ann Knackendoffel

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Learning Environments ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Teacher Education Programs ◽

Exceptional Students ◽

Education Programs ◽

Design For Learning ◽

K 12

Today’s K-12 classrooms are learning environments that present teachers with the challenge of meeting the diverse needs of learners. Utilizing technology and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can help teachers to meet the exceptional needs of learners in a variety of areas. This chapter presents ideas and strategies to utilize technology to facilitate the implementation of UDL principles (using multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression in the design of instruction) in teacher education and K-12 classrooms. Each principle of UDL is described, and examples of technology that can support implementation of the principle are shared. The chapter concludes with considerations for teacher education programs including providing modeling of UDL instruction and designing instruction with UDL in mind.

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Succeeding in the Inclusive Classroom: K–12 Lesson Plans Using Universal Design for Learning

10.4135/9781452230665 ◽

2011 ◽

Keyword(s):

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Lesson Plans ◽

Inclusive Classroom ◽

Design For Learning ◽

K 12

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And the Students Shall Lead Us: Putting Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Conversation With Universal Design for Learning in a Middle-School Spoken Word Poetry Unit

Literacy Research Theory Method and Practice ◽

10.1177/2381336919870219 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 68 (1) ◽

pp. 226-249 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rick Coppola ◽

Rebecca Woodard ◽

Andrea Vaughan

Keyword(s):

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Classroom Community ◽

Cultural Pluralism ◽

Spoken Word ◽

Spoken Word Poetry ◽

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy ◽

Design For Learning ◽

Grade Classroom

This case study explores how a research-practice partnership worked to cross-pollinate culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) over the course of a 9-week spoken word poetry unit in a seventh-grade classroom. The unit reflected CSP’s commitment to linguistic, literate, and cultural pluralism (e.g., centering culture- and identity-focused writing) while also intentionally embedding principles of UDL (e.g., multiple means of representation, action, expression, and engagement). The analysis examines how and why some students in this classroom centered dis/ability in their poetry writing and how the design and implementation of the unit invited more complex understandings of cultures and identities. Findings suggest that CSP supported students in making their identities more visible in the classroom, while the integration of UDL principles eliminated barriers for participation. Both were integral in focal students’ engagements with aspects of their identities throughout the unit. Ultimately, the unit’s design facilitated the movement of the focal students from the periphery to more centripetal roles within the classroom community.

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Barriers With Implementing a Universal Design for Learning Framework

Inclusion ◽

10.1352/2326-6988-6.4.274 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 274-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

LaRon A. Scott

Keyword(s):

General Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Administrative Support ◽

Universal Design ◽

Universal Design For Learning ◽

Future Research ◽

Education Teacher ◽

General Education Teacher ◽

Design For Learning ◽

Service Training

Abstract Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings is often contingent on teachers' liberties to use inclusive instructional strategies. The current qualitative investigation used focus group, observation, and interviews of 9 special education teachers to understand their attitudes and beliefs concerning challenges with implementing the universal design for learning (UDL) framework to meet the needs of students with and without disabilities. A constant comparative analysis method was used to categorize the data into the following themes that emerged as barriers for implementing the UDL framework: (a) general education teacher support for inclusion, (b) need for administrative support, (c) need for improving general education teacher knowledge of UDL, (d) additional preservice field-based training on UDL, and (e) additional in-service training on UDL. Although the teachers in the study continued to indicate a passion for implementing the UDL framework, the need to address the barriers faced by teachers, and future research and implications significant to moving UDL forward as an inclusive teaching framework are underlined for discussion in the study.

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