Abstract
Faculties of education should be at the forefront of universal design for learning (UDL) implementation since their focus systematically includes effective, student-centered, inclusive pedagogy. This is unfortunately not the case. The chapter reviews some of the tension which is often observed around the lack of accessible and inclusive practices in graduate education within faculties of education. The chapter then explores and analyzes the data collected by the author in relation to the implementation of UDL in graduate courses in a faculty of education on a Canadian campus. The last section of the chapter takes a wider perspective and examines some of the opportunities and challenges, which are encountered in the implementation of UDL in graduate education more generally, and offers hands-on solutions. It is hoped the chapter will act as a road map for wider UDL implementation within graduate and post-graduate courses and debunk some of the myths that are perpetuated in this regard.
TopExamining Emerging Literature
It is necessary, before the chapter focuses on the study showcased, to offer an overview of the literature as it relates to the themes tackled later in the text.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Ethnography: Ethnography is a methodological approach which has emerged from the field of Anthropology. It encourages researchers to explore phenomena from the perspective of individuals who, through their lived experience, are experts on them, and have an immediate connection to them. Ethnography includes sets of methodological strategies which encourage the researcher to explore cultures, sub-cultures, communities, networks, and relevant groups from an insider perspective. It requires taking the time to observe, listen to, and understand the participant group from an insider stance.
Phenomenology: Phenomenology, or Interpretivist Theory, is a paradigm which is preoccupied with the exploration of subjective constructs of reality which are crafted by individuals through their lived experience with a phenomenon. The observation and analysis of these subjective constructs of reality become a worthy subject of scientific rigour, since they enable the researcher to gain a better understanding of individuals’ interactions with the world and between each other.
Student Voice: Student voice is a powerful concept which argues that the learner, as the user of the learning experience, is entitled to express preferences, needs, and aspirations. Education, by focusing on learner feedback, is able to shift away from teacher-centric practices in the classroom.
Constructivism: A philosophy of teaching and learning which sees knowledge not as a commodity which is transferred from the teacher to the learner, but instead as the product of an autonomous process of creation on the part of the learners themselves. Constructivism seeks to shift the vision of the teacher away from a directive, central, controlling position to a stance as facilitator of this learner driven process.
Experiential Learning: A pedagogical approach which privileges firsthand learner experience of phenomena. It argues that the process of concrete experience, observation, and conceptualization leads to rich authentic learning.
Social Constructivism: A theoretical paradigm which argues that knowledge is constructed by the learner – not transferred by the educator - but that it is shaped in a social context, through a process of dialogue, exchange, and collaboration with peers. The educator acts as a facilitator who can, in particular, encourage the learners to collectively progress in their curiosity towards the zone of proximal development – a space of learning which is not familiar to them, but which can be accessed without excessive struggle.