scholarly journals Increasing Engagement of English Learners Through Universal Design for Learning

Author(s):  
Melinda S. Eichhorn ◽  
Amanda E. Lowry ◽  
Kristen Burke

English learners (ELs) are the fastest growing segment of K–12 students. When ELs do not respond to instruction as quickly as their English-speaking peers, teachers may focus on their deficits and wrongly label them as having a learning disability. In this article on the universal design for learning engagement guidelines, we summarize how we have anticipated learning barriers and increased engagement with academic content for ELs in our practice. By teaching strategies for self-regulation and individual coping skills, providing guided practice and support to sustain effort, and giving students various ways to achieve the same goal in a safe learning environment, teachers of ELs and collaborative staff can engage students in their classrooms and schools. We explore universal design for learning for ELs through an assets-based approach and suggest strategies for elementary and secondary teachers to modify for ELs through illustrative case vignettes based on our classroom practice.

2020 ◽  
pp. 016264342097321
Author(s):  
Denyse V. Hayward ◽  
Amin Mousavi ◽  
Michael Carbonaro ◽  
Amanda P. Montgomery ◽  
William Dunn

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.


2021 ◽  
pp. 23-57
Author(s):  
Julita Navaitienė ◽  
Eglė Stasiūnaitienė

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.


Author(s):  
Timothy J. Frey ◽  
E. Ann Knackendoffel

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-451
Author(s):  
Mary Dane F. Leonardo ◽  
Jeongho Cha

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has led teachers in the Philippines to rely on technology to provide and support continued education for K-12 students. However, it is not only technology, but also the interactive online learning environments crafted by teachers that impact student science learning. To support teachers to cope with pandemic teaching, the government provided professional development in the form of teacher-training webinars. This study evaluated the webinars using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to understand the impact these professional development sessions had on science teachers’ self-efficacy for delivering science instruction during the pandemic. The study found that webinars including UDL design elements improved science teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching science and there were no significant differences in teacher perceptions relative to gender or teaching experience. Implications for the use of UDL to design long-term professional development offerings beyond the pandemic are discussed.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002248712096552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Júlia Griful-Freixenet ◽  
Katrien Struyven ◽  
Wendelien Vantieghem

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) holds considerable promise to create inclusive educational environments. Nevertheless, the most recent theoretical UDL model, which includes both teachers’ philosophy and praxis of teaching, has never been tested empirically. Therefore, this study aims to validate the UDL model as a “whole” among preservice teachers. Results show that the three philosophical constructs of UDL predict the performance of preservice teachers’ practices associated with UDL. These constructs are growth mindset about learning, self-efficacy to implement inclusion, and self-regulation and motivation for teaching. Results also show that preservice teachers think and reason about UDL not as three separate principles (i.e., engagement, representation, action, and expression) but in an interrelated way as the analysis shows them to be a unidimensional factor. Finally, this article discusses the implications of a validated model on UDL for teacher-educators, practitioners, and researchers.


Author(s):  
Stephen D. Kroeger ◽  
Susan A. Gregson ◽  
Michelle A. Duda ◽  
Anna DeJarnette ◽  
Jonathan M. Breiner ◽  
...  

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.


Author(s):  
Mary Lou Duffy ◽  
Valerie C. Bryan

The inclusion of individuals with disabilities in concept and practice is not new to education. However, the attainment of inclusion has been a struggle in most Western countries since the 1980s. The application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to classroom practices has the promise of making the goal of inclusion more attainable. In this chapter, the authors outline a definition of inclusion as a foundation for the need for Universal Design. Then a description of the important principles of UDL is described, with attention to the research that supports its use and application. Lastly, the authors describe the technology trends that, along with UDL principles, have the greatest impact on education in K-12 classrooms, higher education, virtual settings, and in community settings with adults and seniors.


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