Abstract
In education, the factors involved in a successful inclusive education classroom are diverse and multidimensional, with a growing research base. Universal design for learning (UDL) can help educators address the varied needs of students through diversification of the design of instructional methods, materials, and assessments. Global interest in UDL has driven the need for more teacher training opportunities. This chapter contributes to the literature base on professional development in UDL cases by presenting two examples from two national contexts, Sweden and India. The authors ground the two cases in the literature on teacher training, inclusive education, and UDL, concluding with a discussion on the contextual impact and insights stemming from the cases.
TopIntroduction
Innovative teacher training is an ongoing professional need and challenge, amid growing complexity and diversity in classrooms around the world. This chapter offers two innovative teacher training projects in inclusive education (IE) from differing contexts in terms of economic, cultural, and societal factors: Sweden and India. The chapter will also explore similarities across the projects, including their similar goals of equipping educators with the conceptual foundations of the curriculum design framework of universal design for learning (UDL). The projects provide UDL applications in different contexts for purposefully varying instructional methods and materials to address diverse learning needs. The projects illustrate as well different models of training alongside similar aims of moving forward towards expanded integration of UDL into instructional practices.
While the concept of IE has divergent definitions worldwide, it is operationalized in this paper as supporting the academic and social needs of all students (Göransson & Nilholm, 2014). With particular attention to students with disabilities and those in need of special support, much of the global movement toward IE has involved policy and structural changes to education systems that are needed to provide quality instruction for these students in general education classrooms where appropriate (UNESCO, 2020a). The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2016) called attention to the areas of systemic educational reform for inclusion, which include
Changes and modifications in content, teaching methods, approaches, structures, and strategies in education to overcome barriers with a vision serving to provide all students of the relevant age range with an equitable and participatory learning experience and the environment that best corresponds to their requirements and preferences. Placing students with disabilities within mainstream classes without accompanying structural changes to, for example, organization, curriculum, and teaching and learning strategies, does not constitute inclusion. (p. 3)
Pre-service and in-service teacher training are core to these reforms, as much prior research has demonstrated the positive impacts of IE teacher training interventions on participating teachers’ attitudes and instructional strategies (Krischler et al., 2019; Tristani & Bassett-Gunter, 2020). The scope of training content may include inclusive pedagogy aspects such as curriculum and assessment design, teaching approaches, and learning activities that attend to the different ways students learn (Guðjónsdóttir et al., 2019). Training may take different formats (e.g., courses, workshops, practicums), designed with consideration of target outcomes and available resources (Tristani & Bassett-Gunter, 2020).
For the teacher training projects featured in this chapter, the two countries’ educational systems, needs, and resources are quite different. For instance, the median annual disposable income of the working-age population (18–65 years old) in Sweden in 2020 was about $36k (OECD, 2023). Sweden is classified in the very high human development category (UNDP, 2023). By comparison, India’s median disposable income in 2011 (most recent census available) was approximately $1,200 (OECD, 2023), and it is classified in the medium human development category (UNDP, 2023). This discrepancy in economic realities between these two countries most assuredly impacts the opportunities and resources available in the professional development and training of educators, as well as other public servants. This reality is reflected in the content of this chapter.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Competence: Having the ability to carry out a task effectively and efficiently, with proficiency.
Professional Development: Taking part in continuing education and career training after entering the workforce to develop new skills and keep up to date in a profession.
Differentiated Instruction: The process by which the instruction is tailored to meet the needs of the learner in a variety of ways.
Accessibility: The nature of being able to be reached or obtained or easily used, commonly associated with quality services for those with disabilities.
CAST: The educational organization responsible for the development of the universal design for learning principles and framework, located in Wakefield, Massachusetts, USA.
Equity: Involves achieving fairness and justice for all; equity is not the same for all but recognizes the need for adjustments to reduce barriers and achieve balance.
Diversity: Variety or variability; in relation to people, involving a variation or range of factors, such as societal, economic, ethnicity, race, gender, and ability.
Universal Design: A set of principles guiding the design of physical spaces, products, and environments to be accessible to all people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors.
Inclusive Education: When all students can access, participate in, and benefit from equal opportunities in general education classrooms, regardless of their varying needs and abilities.
In-Service Training: Training that is provided to individuals while involved in their service activity or employment.
Inclusion: The state of being part of a group with equal access to opportunities and resources.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A framework of principles and guidelines that addresses varied learning needs and differences through the design and development of flexible learning environments and curriculum.