Designing learning for all type of learners

Camila Mendez
Nov 24, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Feb 18, 2023

Today I am reflecting on two essential concepts that help us understand identity, examine ourselves, and support diverse learners: Universal Learning Design (UDL) and intersectionality.

The first time I heard about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was a couple of years ago when I was teaching Spanish online and had to add some changes to my lessons to make them more accessible to all students. I used a school platform that allowed me to upload Youtube links and share Google slide presentations. Every week, I posted a video explaining the topic and assignments they needed to complete in each unit. However, to maximize the learning experience, I decided to include transcripts to support learners with hearing disabilities, memory difficulties, or other issues. Including transcripts in my videos benefited my Spanish courses since students were able to recognize the vocabulary words, used subtitles to improve pronunciation, and had a better understanding of the Spanish and Latin American cultures. I thought about students that struggle with language acquisition or learned the content presented in a different way; also students that need more time to review concepts or take notes at their own pace.

This is an example of how I implemented UDL in my virtual classroom, but there are many other strategies to apply this approach and make information more accessible to all types of learners using the three UDL principles:

*Infographic by Camila Mendez

Flexibility in the classroom environment, providing feedback, promoting self-assessment, independent work, or team collaboration are some ideas on how to make learning accessible to all. According to CAST website the UDL guidelines, “offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities”.

Intersectionality

As teachers, we always create new ideas, activities, lesson plans, and strategies to improve the classroom environment. One way to have a better teaching experience is by looking at students as unique learners who come together to learn about the world and try to find a connection with their lives. However, it’s not always the case. Sometimes the curriculum, the environment, or other aspects, can make them feel marginalized. Intersectionality is a term introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Law Professor at Columbia Law School, to describe the different components of identity (race, gender, class, religion, among others) and how they can be subject to discrimination. “Many years ago, I began to use the term “intersectionality” to deal with the fact that many of our social justice problems like racism and sexism are often overlapping, creating multiple levels of social injustice.” (TED. 2016, 4:42)

We can start by thinking more about strategies in the schools we work in to find ways to provide an equity and safe environment in the classroom where students feel heard and engage in deep conversations about gender, race, inclusion, or diversity. “I encourage people to think about how the convergence of race stereotypes or gender stereotypes might actually play out in the classroom between teachers and students, between students and other students, between students and administrators, and commit themselves to understanding that as a way of intervening and providing equal educational opportunity for all students regardless of their identities.” (2018, June 22, 0:47)

UDL and Intersectionality play an important role in my professional context and life as an educator and Latina woman in the US. This year, I plan to be more proactive and reflect on some strategies that could make a positive impact in the classroom. I created an Infographic using Piktochart to help me visualize these strategies, and I am sharing it here as a reminder of my goals when working with students.