Providing high quality education is a matter of social justice.
A foundation principle of The New Zealand Curriculum is inclusion: that no-one will be left out or discriminated against. That everyone will have access to learning in a way that works for them.
As every student learns differently, schools must create flexible, barrier-free learning environments if all students are to become successful, lifelong learners.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can help schools and kura design learning environments that are flexible, and where there are no barriers in the way. It is a framework that enables equitable access and participation in education.
The UDL framework supports teachers to make the shift from traditional models of education to approaches that value and are prepared for the variability all learners bring.
Understanding and planning for the variability of learners matters.
One­-size-­fits-­all thinking can create barriers and the "myth of the average learner" has excluded many students from realising their potential.
When we design learning environments proactively for variability, we anticipate and value the incredible strengths and diversity of all our learners (CAST 2018). UDL can help us do this.
Shelley Moore uses a great analogy to describe why planning for diversity and learner variability is good for everyone.
When UDL is implemented intentionally across a school or Kāhui Ako it can bring coherence to teaching practices that are inclusive of all learners. This approach benefits everyone.
Although UDL has been developed in the US, it resonates for us here in Aotearoa.
UDL takes a people-first approach to planning learning. It asks us to think about who we will teach and what those learners bring with them before we think about what we will teach.
UDL is focussed on ensuring all learners get a chance to learn in ways that work for them. It is about removing barriers and opening doors to learning. It is driven not only by the findings from neuroscience and educational research but by a vision for equity.
UDL has allowed people to see inequity in places and spaces where they hadn’t considered it before.
That has given us a doorway to talk about inequities for Māori.
realise our vision for The New Zealand Curriculum and inclusive schools.