Principles for Diverse Learners and Inclusive classroom

Introduction

We will examine the design and principles for a group of diverse learners and inclusive classrooms. Three instructional techniques, Universal Design for Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and Compensatory teaching, will be illustrated with examples. In Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a scientific-based framework is developed to support a wide range of learners. This framework was launched in the 1990s by the Center for Applied Special Technology?(CAST, 2017). Universal Design for Learning derives from architectural and physical design environments that assimilate users and are accessible to all types of users across diverse abilities and needs. This can be applied to our pedagogical practices in teaching and learning design to address and provide accessibility to students with and without special needs (EVMENOVA, 2018, p. 148). Differentiated Instruction looks at identifying learning problems associated with advanced learners, students whose first language is not English; students who are underachievers; students with diverse cultures; economic backgrounds; gender equality; motivated and unmotivated students; students with these combinations; students with varying degrees of interests and preferred modes of learning. There will be increased growth of multicultural, multiracial, and diverse groups across most classrooms in the next 20 years (Tomlinson et al., 2003). In compensatory teaching, we will highlight the supplementary experience, academic preparatory preschool experience and environmental experience like Covid-19, where schools are lock-down, the need for compensatory online teaching, and the social inequality in accessing higher education in Mexico (Flores, Monroy, & Fabela, 2015). An exposition for flexible classrooms, flexible groupings and environment-centred learning for inclusion will be investigated (McFarland-McDaniels, n.d.)

Universal Design for Learning

In my diverse multicultural and multiracial classrooms, Universal Design for Learning focuses on ensuring that marginalized students struggling with their understanding, where English is not their first language, and students with special needs will be given differentiated instructions for meeting the same curriculum outcomes. UDL is a framework based on cognitive neuroscience for designing user-friendly learning experiences across a broad range of learners. It is meant for those that need to be served by the mainstream curriculum. The purpose is to make every learner successful and to reach the same level as their peers in what they need to know, how they get to know it and why they need to know it so that learning is constructed, meaningful and exciting. The significance of Universal Design for Learning is a design thinking approach that has the power of flexibility in allowing choices for different paths. It will enable things to be curated differently to reach a universal system where every student learns and produces the same learning outcomes satisfactorily. Researchers in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology have found three principles that answer these questions: what comprises learning? How does education work? And what are the differences among individual learners?

The first involves how information is presented to the learner; we call this multiple means of representation. By this, we ensure that everyone can make sense of the symbols, the language, the drawings and so on. Take mathematics, for example; numbers can be expressed symbolically, figuratively, perceptually, visually, and manipulatively. You can see the numbers symbolically and physically manipulated it. This is multiple representations.

The second principle is multiple means of action and expression. This considers how each student expresses what they know; how they act; how they communicate in the language and drawing, and many other ways of working, behaving and expressing. As students differ widely, we must provide multiple means of expression throughout our teaching and learning.

The third principle is multiple means of engagement. This is a critical principle as engagement for students from various ethnicities, countries, and cultures brings together different lenses of adopting an active and open culture to understand diverse functional, creative, and aesthetic personalities in the classroom. Students can use materials and video feed creatively to record their observations and manipulate environmental settings. Students can also post materials at learning centres to reflect their learnings. Students can immerse themselves in a contextual space of imagination to be their authentic selves. Students can cooperate and collaborate on various activities for mutual bonding and building trust.?

In our curriculum design, there are four main components, and each is universally designed. First, what are the goals? How can we translate standards into things that are important in the classroom? For example, from the whiteboard to a textbook to a workbook or digital notebook to something on the wall. Second, what materials are crucial to learning and universally designed for learning? Third, the methods – How does the teacher go about teaching and helping students to learn? Does the teacher set up collaborative groups? Does the teacher provide experiences out in the world? Does the teacher lecture?

Finally, Universal Design for Learning means assessment. How do we know that learning has occurred? When we began teaching, we focused on learners who were doing poorly and who might have special needs; Through time, we could see all those materials, arrangements, spaces, objects, and activities on Universal Design for Learning either in our classroom or learning centres have reduced the disabilities in our curriculum for learners to progress and succeed in reaching the learning outcomes for all students in our inclusion classroom (IO-IT, 2021)

Differentiated Instructions

Differentiating Instruction is a way of thinking. It is not a pre-planned list of strategies but making decisions every moment of the journey in the lesson. It recognizes that although fairness could mean treating everyone equally, not every student must be treated equally as they bring different gifts and challenges. As educators, we need to recognize those differences and use our professional practice and judgement to respond flexibly to them in our teaching.

Carol Tomlinson speaks about the ability to differentiate between content, process, and Product. Content gives students choices like choosing their essay assignments or research topics. Teachers must focus on the main learning objective – the Prize. One day, my students were writing an argumentative essay about why students need to do home-based learning due to Covid-19. Simon's head was hanging down on the desk. He was not doing anything. I knew he was interested in basketball, so I told him to write an essay on which of the NBA team would win and why. He still needs to make an argument and support his essay. His eyes lit up. He got to work and wrote what his mother told me was his first essay in school. He had followed all the guidelines of a good argument essay. The Prize, in this case, was learning to write an argument essay and not write about why students need to do home-based learning because of Covid-19 (Tomlinson et al., 2003)

Teachers can also differentiate by the type of products students create. The primary demonstration of learning can be an essay or multiple-choice test. In one lesson, a student liked to doodle when other students or I were talking. I told him it was all right to doodle if he was doodling about the information we discussed. He built upon those doodles to create a final project that brilliantly and visually represented all the main points we had covered.

Whenever I give a test, I often give students an extra blank page where they can write anything else they remember about the topic being tested that they think is important. I often find the quality of thinking and writing better there than in response to my test questions.

None of the differentiating instructions I have listed has created any extra work for me. However, they did require me to have relationships with my students to know their strengths, challenges, and interest. I need to demonstrate flexibility in my thinking. Making these instructions successful also requires building a strong class culture so that some students are treated differently and understand why. They understood that was the only way to be truly fair.

There are many other ways to differentiate instructions in teaching students in a diverse and inclusive classroom; there are only some of them (EducationWeek, 2018)

Compensatory teaching

Access to higher education is spread unevenly throughout the Mexican youth since they belong to different socio and economic strata. Educational opportunities are unequally distributed across age and gender factors. Indigenous females have a significantly higher risk of not having access to higher education than males. Compensatory policy for teaching these under-served youths will need to be instituted under the Federal Law for Preventing and Eliminating Discrimination. The progress made in Mexico regarding compensatory policies for equality in education is notable. There have been enough laws passed to establish priorities in access, consistency, and graduation from higher education for groups with a social disadvantage (Flores, Monroy, & Fabela, 2015).

During the Covid-19 pandemic, when many schools were shut down and students were required to be on home-based learning, compensatory teaching in the small online tutorial has been offered in many schools for those students staying at home.

Flexible classrooms, flexible groupings - Individualized Education Program

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, "Each public-school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP)." School officials, parents, special and regular education teachers, and the student will often work together to identify and address the student's unique needs, set learning goals, and allow for future revaluation and modification. Because IEPs vary from student to student, the IEP committee may set different goals regarding inclusion in standard classrooms (McFarland-McDaniels, n.d.).

Students placed in isolated special education programs are grouped based on having a disability. This seclusion from peers not classified as learning disabled inhibits their social interaction. The setting is less diverse than a general education classroom. Grouping does not allow students to engage in a well-rounded academic and social experience, which is critical for advancing their knowledge and social and behavioural development (McFarland-McDaniels, n.d.).

Environment centred learning

Schools that practice full inclusion will teach all children, regardless of learning disorders, in a standard classroom from the time the student enrols. Full inclusion may be a viable long-term option if the special needs child performs and functions according to expectations. However, if full inclusion fails to meet the student's needs, special education teachers may visit the classroom periodically to provide supplemental instructions. If the student continues to have trouble, the school may switch to a partial inclusion model (McFarland-McDaniels, n.d.).

Conclusion

This forum has given an overview of the Principles and Design for diverse and inclusive classrooms. Three instructional techniques, Universal Design for Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and Compensatory teaching, will be illustrated with examples. In Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a scientific-based framework is developed to support a wide range of learners. An exposition for flexible classrooms, flexible groupings and environment-centred learning for inclusion has also been illustrated (McFarland-McDaniels, n.d.)

References

CAST. (2017). What is universal design for learning? Retrieved from Center for Applied Special Technology.: https://www.cast.org/

EducationWeek. (12 September, 2018). Differentiating Instruction: It's Not as Hard as You Think. Retrieved from Education Week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7-D3gi2lL8

EVMENOVA, A. (2018). Preparing Teachers to Use Universal Design for Learning to Support Diverse Learners. Journal of Online Learning Research, 4(2), 147-171.

Flores, R. P., Monroy, G. V., & Fabela, A. M. (2015). Compensatory Policies Attending Equality and Inequality in Mexico Educational Practice among Vulnerable Groups in Higher Education. Journal of Education and Learning, 53-63. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1097791.pdf

IO-IT. (30 June, 2021). Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology. Retrieved from National Center on Universal Design for Learning: https://www.washington.edu/doit/programs/accesscollege

McFarland-McDaniels, M. (n.d.). How to organize a classroom for diverse learners. Retrieved 30 June, 2021, from Classroom: https://classroom.synonym.com/organize-classroom-diverse-learners-8235933.html

Tomlinson, C. A., Brighton, C., Hertberg, H., Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., Brimijoin, K., & Lynda A. Conover, T. R. (2003). Differentiating Instruction in Response to Student Readiness, Interest, and Learning Profile in Academically Diverse Classrooms: A Review of Literature. Journal for the Education of the Gifted., 27(2/3), 119-145.