One Size Does Not Fit All: Equity, Access, PD, and UDL

Without the necessary training, guidance, and support, currently practicing teachers are faced with a dilemma in creating accessible lessons that meet the needs of all students. Today's modern classroom requires teachers to be flexible and versatile in their lesson plans and instructional delivery. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a viable tool to reach all students in today's classroom. Whether or not teachers are able to implement lesson plans that integrate UDL principles in their classrooms requires thoughtful training that will lead to transfer of learning. The effects of teacher training in UDL on lesson plan development of special and general education teachers in a K-5 public school setting were investigated in this book. A descriptive-comparative experimental design with a control group and a treatment group was used for this study. A one-hour training in UDL was introduced to the experimental group. The control group did not receive training. Differences were found between the pretest and posttest measures for both groups. Results suggest that a one hour training in UDL for teachers can lead to improved lesson plans and transfer of learning.