Page 15 - Learning for All – A Guide to Effective Assessment and Instruction for All Students, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2013

Instructional Approaches • 13
The tiered approach to ongoing prevention and intervention embodies principles of UDL and differentiated instruction, offers a systematic method for the early identification of students who are experiencing particular difficulties, and, through ongoing monitoring of their progress, provides the precise level of support those students need.
All these approaches help improve student achievement because they rely on greater person- alization and precision in instruction. Their success depends on educators’ clear understanding of their students’ strengths and needs, the types of learners they are, their readiness to learn in a given subject at a given time, and the kinds of learning tasks that are likely to engage their interest and stimulate their thinking.
Each of the three instructional approaches is summarized below. Guiding questions, check- lists, and indicators are provided to assist in implementing and assessing the success of each of the approaches.
Universal Design for Learning
“Universal design is ... an enduring design approach that originates from the belief that the broad range of human ability is ordinary, not special. Universal design accommodates people with disabilities, older people, children, and others who are non-average, in a way that benefits all users.”
(OWP/P Architects, VS Furniture, & Bruce Mau Design, 2010, p. 200)
“Universal Design is not just a technique for special education; rather it is a technique to enhance the learning of all students.”
(Turnbull, Turnbull, Shank, Smith, & Leal, 2002, p. 92)
“In a diverse classroom, no single method can reach all learners. Multiple pathways to achieving goals are needed.”
(Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002, p. 18)
UDL was inspired by work in architecture on the planning of buildings with a view to accessibility for people with physical disabilities (Turnbull et al., 2002). Architects observed that the added improvements facilitated access for all users, not just people with physical disabilities. An access ramp, for instance, provides a person using a wheelchair with easier access to a building, but it also makes it easier for a parent with a child’s stroller, a cyclist, or someone using a walker.
Bolstered by evidence from research, the notion that assistance targeted at a specific group can help everyone found its way into the field of education. Educators began to realize that teaching strategies and pedagogical materials and tools that respond to the special needs of a specific student or group of students can also be useful for all students. For example, various types of assistive technology, such as speech-to-text software, organizational software, and interactive whiteboards, enable students who have special education needs
to access the curriculum. When these technologies became more widely available, teachers discovered that they could enhance learning for all students in the classroom. The discovery has transformed the way in which such technologies are being used in the classroom today.