REL Central Ask A REL Response

“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.”

“Teachers often struggle to provide all students access to specific learning activities that work best for them–and what works best for some students will not work for others. Differentiating instruction makes sense because it offers different paths to understanding content, process, and products, considering what is appropriate given a child’s profile of strengths, interests, and styles. This study focused on teacher efficacy as a way to explain teacher willingness to differentiate instruction. We found that a greater number of professional development hours in differentiation of instruction was positively associated with both teacher efficacy and the teacher’s sense of efficacy beliefs. This study demonstrated that teacher efficacy is an important dimension in implementing the process of differentiation regardless of what level or what content area the teacher taught (elementary, middle, or high school). Implications and future directions for research are also discussed.”

“To prepare teacher candidates for the growing number of online learners they will encounter in their professional practice, it is important that they have the opportunity to experience quality online learning themselves. This paper reports a case study of an online teacher education course that was designed based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Drawing from survey results and statistics collected through the online learning management system, 24 teacher candidates’ online learning experiences were shared. The findings of this study illustrate the impact of the online course on teacher candidates’ confidence and self-efficacy in learning in an online environment and potentially teaching online in the future. Teacher candidates’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges for teaching and learning online are also discussed.”

“The Three-Block Model of UDL is a framework encompassing the cornerstones of inclusive education; social and emotional well-being and belonging, inclusive instructional practice, and systems and structures. Research indicates the model has significant, positive impacts on students’ self–concept, respect for diverse others, inclusivity, classroom climate, and social and academic engagement while reducing exclusion, and aggressive behaviour. Implementation of the model reduces teacher stress, improves teacher efficacy relative to teaching diverse learners, and requires specific supports for effective implementation.”

“Fifty-eight teachers of grades 1–12 in 10 schools located in two rural and three urban school divisions in Manitoba were involved in a study implementing the Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning and exploring its outcomes for teachers and students. This article reports teachers’ perceptions related to the outcomes of the implementation of the model for both students and themselves and gives voice to teachers working in challenging, diverse classrooms regarding the barriers they face to inclusive practice and what supports are needed. After implementing the model, teachers reported positive student outcomes in terms of reductions in challenging behaviour, improved student-to-student interactions, engagement, and learning. They also believed the model improved their practice and self-efficacy related to inclusive education, reduced their workload, and improved job satisfaction. However, teachers also articulated several barriers to its implementation, including the need for collaborative planning time, differentiated resources, professional learning communities, and public education.”

“Seventy-seven pre-service teachers enrolled in an introductory special education course completed a questionnaire on their beliefs about learning, teaching, and disability, before and after completing one of two randomly assigned training modules on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Module A presented UDL as a strategy for meeting the specific needs of students with disabilities in a general education setting. Module B presented UDL as a framework to support all learners in the general education classroom through the creation of communities of learners. The Beliefs About Learning, Teaching, and Disability Questionnaire (BLTDQ) was administered with five subscales rated on a 6-point Likert-type scale that measure pre-service teachers’ beliefs about learning and teaching, as representative of their epistemological beliefs, beliefs about disability (from pathognomonic to interventionist) and the role of the teacher in the general education classroom. Analyses of these results suggest that a significant change toward interventionist beliefs about learning, teaching, and disability occurred for participants who completed either module on UDL. Additionally, a small to moderate, positive relationship was identified between pre-service teachers’ beliefs about disability and their epistemological beliefs, with the strength of this relationship increasing following their training in UDL. These findings suggest that training in UDL can have a powerful and positive impact on pre-service teachers’ interventionist epistemological beliefs and beliefs about disability. Shifts toward interventionist beliefs are more likely to result in teaching practices that are more supportive of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Implications for teacher preparation and study limitations are also discussed.”

“Universal Design for Learning is a framework for developing inclusive instructional lesson plans. The effects of introducing Universal Design for Learning Principles and Guidelines in a university teacher education program with pre-service and practicing teachers were explored in a mixed methods approach. The results indicate that the study participants made significant changes to their lesson plans to optimally include all students. The participants expressed profound changes in understanding inclusion and instructional roles and responsibilities.”

“Teacher education programs are increasing the use of online courses to train and prepare teachers. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is one strategy used to effectively train and prepare special education teachers in the online learning environment. The purpose of this study was to examine participants’ perception of UDL in online graduate-level courses and their preparation after completing the online courses using UDL. Mean ratings are reported for course alignment with UDL principles as are teacher preparation ratings. Participants reported that they perceived the online courses to be aligned with the UDL principles and that their learning and preparation was positively impacted. The results contribute to the application of these findings to online coursework and teacher preparation. Limitations and implications are discussed.”