Today, Irish classrooms are more diverse than ever and there is a responsibility on teachers to meet the needs of each child in their classes when designing lessons and providing for learning. We teach children for whom English is not their first language,  children with a variety of special educational needs and children with a diversity of learning styles.

Most, if not all teachers, are familiar with the concept of ‘differentiation,’ and for many teachers differentiating lessons is a key element of their planning and teaching. However, it is important that we do not simply reduce the complexity of the curriculum or set easier objectives for those children with learning difficulties. Similarly, if advanced learners are merely assigned tasks to ‘keep them busy,’ their levels of understanding will not continue to develop. The challenge that teachers face is designing and structuring tasks that will cater for the diverse range of abilities within a given class, while providing adequate opportunities for children to express their thinking in a manner that best makes sense to them.

Rather than focusing on ways in which lessons and teaching material can be differentiated and altered for different children, perhaps it is more worthwhile to plan lessons that promote inclusion. Planning for inclusion ensures that classroom teaching, discussions, group work, visual aids,resources, tasks and activities are more accessible to all students.

This module examines ways in which a set of guidelines known as ‘Universal Design for Learning’ can support mathematics teachers who are looking to improve and optimise teaching and learning for all students.  These guidelines are not specific to mathematics teaching, but are highly effective in helping to reduce barriers and maximise learning opportunities for all students within the context of mathematics teaching.

What is Universal Design?

When designing cityscapes and buildings, modern day urban planners and architects need to be mindful of providing access for citizens with impaired mobility, for example, wheelchair users. It is worth considering that the provision of ramps, elevators and other means of access to a building not only benefit those with the mobility restrictions, but also serve to benefit the wider population, i.e. joggers, parents pushing strollers, delivery people, the elderly etc. The message here is that when possible, we should endeavour to make everything we design and produce usable by everyone to the greatest extent possible. This is what Universal Design achieves. It sets out to meet the needs of all involved.  Designing lessons and tasks for our students should be no different. The decisions we make as teachers when planning lessons not only provide a level of control over how the lesson will unfold but also shape our students’ learning opportunities; that is what they learn and how they learn it.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Taking this idea of ‘Universal Design’, the Centre for Applied Special Technology has developed the ‘Universal Design for Learning’ (UDL) guidelines that every teacher can draw upon to frame and direct their instructional learning approaches. Based on research into how humans learn, the UDL guidelines are very useful for all teachers who are interested in promoting and maximising inclusion in his/her classroom. Please note: It is unlikely that a teacher would try to implement all of these into his/her practice at once. The advice is to get to know them over time and implement them gradually.

In order to maximise inclusion for all students, the UDL guidelines suggest that we teachers should provide:

1. Multiple Means of Engagement
2. Multiple Means of Representation
3. Multiple Means of Action and Expression

© CAST 2021

To learn more about each element of the Universal Design for Learning model explore each of the following sections.