By Veronica Zeppa Pacheo
This issue of NASET’s Practical Teacher series was written by Veronica Zeppa Pacheo. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational approach that aims to provide every student with equal opportunities for success. When teachers observe their students, they can determine the learners’ strengths. Based on that, educators can create and incorporate methods and practices that benefit and help the outcomes of individuals. Using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework in instructions allows teachers to create a flexible and inclusive learning environment that accommodates the needs of all students. Inclusive classrooms are orientated to promote equal opportunities for students as teachers incorporate programs and assistive technology to personalize students’ learning experiences and promote their independence. This paper will examine the benefits of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom to promote the success of students with disabilities and culturally diverse while reviewing six research articles obtained from Google Scholar and ResearchGate.
Abstract
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational approach that aims to provide every student with equal opportunities for success. When teachers observe their students, they can determine the learners’ strengths. Based on that, educators can create and incorporate methods and practices that benefit and help the outcomes of individuals. Using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework in instructions allows teachers to create a flexible and inclusive learning environment that accommodates the needs of all students. Inclusive classrooms are orientated to promote equal opportunities for students as teachers incorporate programs and assistive technology to personalize students’ learning experiences and promote their independence. This paper will examine the benefits of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the classroom to promote the success of students with disabilities and culturally diverse while reviewing six research articles obtained from Google Scholar and ResearchGate.
Keywords: Universal Design for Learning (UDL), culture, assistive technology.
Benefits of Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom to Promote the Success of Students with Disabilities and Culturally Diverse: A Literature Review
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching method that focuses on creating inclusive learning environments for all students to help them achieve their fullest potential. The National Center on UDL (2013) described UDL as “a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone–not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs” (para. 1).
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is based on the concept that academic instructions can be made accessible to all learners when lessons are thoughtfully crafted to include multiple methods for accessing, processing, and absorbing information (Rose & Gravel, 2009). Teachers can address the variability that exists in all classrooms by including ways in the lesson to give support and design instructions to meet the needs of all learners including students with disabilities as well as those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Culture is defined as “the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization. These shared patterns identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group” (CARLA, 2009, p. 1).
Universal Design for Learning Principles
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is organized around three principles. These three principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are based on brain research on cognition and learning, which has shown that individuals process information in varying ways. The first principle, multiple means of representation, is linked to the “recognition” networks of the brain. The second principle, multiple means of action and expression, is linked to “strategic” networks, and the third principle, multiple means of engagement, is linked to the “affective” networks (Meyer et al., 2014).
The Influence of Universal Design on Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a promising framework that seeks to deal with learner variability by offering multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. The framework was created following a thorough analysis of empirical studies in the learning science, from which key insights were gathered and adapted to establish a set of instructional design principles grounded in research (Chita-Tegmark et.al., 2012). By highlighting the areas where learners are likely to differ, these principles assist teachers in tailoring their instruction to meet diverse learning needs (Rose & Meyer, 2000).
Incorporating Universal Design for Learning into the Lessons
UDL was developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) as an approach that enables teachers to design lessons for a variety of learners (CAST, 2010). UDL entails the proactive use of instructional design principles, teaching knowledge, and educational technology to develop instruction that is accessible and engaging for learners of all abilities (King-Sears, 2009). UDL helps teachers build differentiation into their lesson plans from the beginning, eliminating the need for most of the accommodations teachers typically make after the fact, and providing the flexibility and accessibility required to eliminate obstacles for students with disabilities (CAST, 2010; Edyburn, 2010).
Including technology tools or programs in the instruction can help make learning more tailored to students. Digital materials are useful because they allow students to improve their reading, writing, and comprehension skills. They can also ensure equal opportunities for all students in the teaching space.
Universal Design for Learning and Technology
Setting clear and defined goals is important because they drive the order of the lessons. For example, if a teacher’s goal for a particular lesson is to have all students “write narratives” in this specific format, it is important to consider the fact that writing can pose barriers for some students. The teacher can take into consideration ways to facilitate the writing process. Some students benefit from drafting their writing on a computer and or utilizing software that helps them organize or generate words (e.g., graphic organizer software; Bouck et al., 2015). Students can also develop fluency with writing through the use of multimodal scaffolds, such as writing captions to images, describing their narrative orally, or recording their narratives before putting them in writing format (Rao. Dowrick et al., 2009; Wolsey & Grisham, 2012).
The integration of technology in the classroom can foster student engagement by creating a more interactive academic environment, exposing them to diverse teaching methods, and increasing their understanding and knowledge. Boyle et al. (2003) found that audio textbooks were more effective than regular textbooks in helping high school students with high-incidence disabilities learn content. Similarly, Anderson-Inman and Horney (2007) found the use of technology such as e-readers and electronic dictionaries helped build positive outcomes in reading, while Xin and Reith (2001) used video to improve the vocabulary acquisition of elementary students with learning disabilities.
Teachers who design learning environments to create inclusion by using assistive technology provide conditions for accommodating the challenging needs of multiple individuals and allow them to learn using different methods to express their knowledge. According to Mapou (2009), computer software provides assistance to students with disabilities and other learning challenges gain access to courses content that prior to the digital age were unavailable to learners with special needs.
The Influence of Culture on Learning
As Karmiloff- Smith (1992) points out, “The brain is not pre-structured with ready-made representations; it is channeled to progressively develop representations via interactions with both the external environment and its own internal environment” (p.10). Since the culture shapes our interactions with the environment, it determines what parts or aspects of the world we attend to, what type of knowledge we value, and what kind of behavior with deem appropriate in various circumstances (Nisbett, Peng, Choi, & Norenzayan, 2001).
Culture and Learning
Culture also offers the cognitive tools through which people make sense of the surrounding world. In response to using these tools, the brain develops in specific ways and acquires different natural structures and cognitive pathways. One example is the way in which culture can shape the activity in the brain’s reward system, which in turn affects behavior (Freeman et al. 2009). Culture and learning are closely connected sins, as Tomasello (1999) points out, cultural evolution is only possible through social learning, where individuals innovate their knowledge and cognitive tools that the group has inherited. Culture also shapes actions and expressions by defining what is considered appropriate behavior and the strategies used for problem-solving. From the perspective of engagement, the most obvious influence of culture on learning is through the system of values and beliefs that is acquired from the cultural context in which one develops (Nisbett et al., 2001).
Minimizing Barriers in the Classroom
Learners process information differently, and based on this, teachers should be flexible and present topics and concepts in a variety of styles to accommodate students’ needs. Flexible instructional materials, delivery, and assessment were beneficial in classrooms with academically diverse learners (Browder et al., 2009; Dymond et al., 2006; Lieber et al., 2008; Marino, 2009; Pearson, 2015). Rao and Meo (2016) highlighted that UDL’s flexibility enables educators to choose specific elements of UDL to address students’ needs within their particular content and learning context. Edyburn (2010) cautioned that educators must be knowledgeable in the varied ways that their students are diverse to design and plan instruction that truly addresses the requirements of every learner. By doing this, educators minimize barriers, help students make connections, increase their understanding, and allow them to experience success. Ginsberg (2005) observed that students were more likely to feel motivated and engaged in learning when the material was relevant to their lives and perspectives and offered challenging applications of their knowledge.
Furthermore, Nisbett and colleagues (2001) describe how someone from a “Western” culture may show a preference for grouping elements or organizing ideas based on membership in a particular category, while someone from an “Eastern” culture may prefer to use functional relationships and part-whole relationships as an organization tool. The UDL framework challenges educators to rethink the nature of their curriculum and empowers them with the flexibility to serve a diverse population of learners (M.V. Izzo et al., 2008). The UDL framework provides a series of checkpoints that are recommendations for reducing barriers inherent in most traditional curricula. From the UDL perspective, the onus for change is placed on the curriculum rather than on the individual learner (Rose & Meyer, 2002).
Culturally informed educators know that different cultures can have different understandings of topics or contents covered in class and have to optimize their lessons by creating a flexible and welcoming environment where students feel included and accepted by adjusting the teaching methods to fit a variety of learning styles.
Conclusion
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that helps educators improve and optimize instructional methods and strategies to give students equal opportunities to experience academic success and reach their maximum potential. Based on the articles presented, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is useful because it makes learning accessible and inclusive for all students by creating an environment where students can achieve their academic goals. Furthermore, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that empowers teachers to provide students with the necessary assistive technology tools to help them increase their engagement, understanding, and communication skills by removing any barrier that can limit an equal and successful experience for them. Teachers should offer a classroom environment where students can build independence and confidence to promote their abilities and develop their talents.
References
References marked with an asterisk* indicate studies included in the review
*Aladsani, M., Chen, X., & Zehner, A. (2017). Implementing Universal design for learning in
Classrooms with Minorities with Autism. Journal of Childhood and Developmental
Disorders, 3(2), 10-23. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316904648
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition, University of Minnesota (CARLA).
(2009). What is Culture? Retrieved from http://www.carla.umn.edu/culture/definitions.html
*Chita-Tegmark, M., Gravel, J. W., Maria De Lourdes, B. S., Domings, Y., & Rose, D. H.
(2012). Using the universal design for learning framework to support culturally diverse
learners. Journal of Education, 192 (1), 17-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002205741219200104
*Izzo, M. V. (2012). Universal design for learning: Enhancing achievement of students with
disabilities. Procedia computer science, 14, 343-350.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2012.10.039
*Kieran, L., & Anderson, C. (2019). Connecting universal design for learning with culturally
responsive teaching. Education and Urban Society, 51(9), 1202-1216.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124518785012
*Rao, K., & Meo, G. (2016). Using universal design for learning to design standards-based
lessons. Sage Open, 6(4), 2158244016680688. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016680688
Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2000). The Future Is in the Margins: The Role of Technology and
Disability in Educational Reform. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED451624
*Spencer, S. A. (2011). Universal Design for Learning: Assistance for Teachers in Today’s
Inclusive Classrooms. Interdisciplinary Journal of Teaching and Learning, 1(1), 10-22.
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