Promoting Inclusive Classrooms

byAdopting Universal Design for Learning(UDL)

Suresh Kumar,Ph.D. Research Scholar,

Aryabhatta Knowledge University, Patna

Which is closer to your classrooms?

Today’s Session at a Glance Inclusive Classroom

Origin of UDL

The Need for UDL

What is UDL?

Principles of UDL

UDL Learning Guidelines

Defining Features of Inclusive

Classrooms Access: –All children have access to the

general education curriculum and learning environment.

Participation:–All children can participate in all

activities and routines through scaffolding and intervention.

Support:–All teachers have the tools they

need to help all young children, who have unique strengths and needs.

“Creating classroom norms, expectations and rules are a golden opportunity to establish and sustain student engagement, use it.”

- Dr. Mary Magee Quinn

The Need for UDL To fulfill the need of increasingly

diverse students with special reference to differently abled students.

Increased emphasis on student retention.

Shift in pedagogy from delivering instruction to promoting learning.

Students report:– Unclear expectations– Textbooks inaccessible– Lectures that require extensive

note taking– Assessments that don’t reflect

their learning– Difficulty attaining

accommodations

UDL is built on the premise that…Learning differs across

tasksLearning differs across

developmentLearning differs across

individuals

What is UDL?“The design of instructional materials and activities that makes the learning goals achievable by individuals with wide differences in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write, understand English, attend, organize, engage, and remember”

(U.S. Council for Exceptional Children)

Origin of UDL

Born from architectural world

Intended to design and construct equal access facilities

Concept transferred to education in 1990s.

Universal Design: Access for everyone!

Old design: Some are denied

Universal design principles Not an afterthought: Full access is

designed from the outset (beginning)

More cost-effective than retrofitting

More elegant and easy-to-use

Three Fundamental Principles Multiple Means of Representation

– To increase recognition

Multiple Means of Expression– To expand purposeful output

Multiple Means of Engagement– To enhance involvement

Multiple Means of Representation

In order to support the many ways children learn, teachers need to introduce and share concepts in formats that make sense to the children.

Multiple Means of Action and

Expression

Refers to the opportunities that we give to children that allow them to show us what they know and what they are able to do in different ways.

Multiple Means of Engagement

Provide multiple means of engagement to tap individual learners’ interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn.

Students have:

1. Choices which will engage student interest

2. Options for how they learn

3. Choices for how they demonstrate their learning

Teachers provide:

1. Flexible options for student engagement

2. Flexible ways of presenting lesson content

3. Flexible methods of expression, and assessment

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning Reduces barriers in instruction

Provides appropriate accommodations [and] supports

Maintains high achievement expectations

Universal Design for Learning Eliminating or reducing barriers to

academic success for all students

Valuing diversity in the classroom through proactive design of inclusive curriculum

UDL applies to the whole curriculum

Goals

Traditional– Learning goals

may get skewed by the inflexible ways and means of achieving them.

UDL– Learning goals

are attained in many individualized ways, by many customized means.

Materials

Traditional– Mostly print and

everyone gets the same materials

– Few options

UDL– Variety of materials

and formats to reach learners with diverse abilities, styles, and needs equally well.

Methods

Traditional– Teacher centered

(lecture)– Homogeneous

grouping– Burden on student to

adapt to “get it”

UDL– Interactivity– Heterogeneous

grouping– Rich supports for

understanding, independent learning

Assessment

Traditional– Confuse goals with

means.– Summative—when

it’s too late to adjust instruction!

UDL– Many positive

means as long as they measure learning!

– Supports instructional improvement.

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

Apply UDL to your instruction

Demand universally-designed products

Share your UDL resources and lesson plans with others

Advocate curriculum adoption policies that require UDL principles

What can you do now?

Summing it all up

The old days will not be again, even as a man will never again be a child.(Dakota)

You are shaping the future!

May you be one who makes things happen for the students you teach.

May you have a wonderful and successful school year.

THANK YOU !