Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Universal Design For Learning

Diversity is multi-dimensional and it encompasses relevant attributes and experiences that can influence learning and achievement. Each individual student entering in to our school is unique and has different learning approaches, like fingerprints. Indeed, teachers need to move from the traditional instructional practice ‘One size - Fits all’, to where every individual student has been provided with an opportunity of equitable education. Teachers today must not only ne well prepared to impart a quality education but also be sensitive to meeting the needs of their students regardless of their race, color, creed, or national origin. Effective teachers create and implement culturally responsive instructional lessons according to the individual differences in students’ learning styles, needs, beliefs, and abilities. According to the researchers Johnson, Musial, …show more content…
Differentiated instruction is the process of “ensuring that what a student learns, how he/she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he/she has learned is a match for that student’s readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning” (Tomlinson, 2004, p. 188). In order to avoid any kind of cultural bias, teachers must use the best instructional practice - Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. Being a proactive administrator, I would love to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in lessons, coupled with Differentiated Integration practices. As UDL principles (CAST, 2011) provide multiple and flexible options for engagement (the Why of learning), presentation (the What of learning), and expression (the How of learning); DI practices also stimulates interest and motivation for learning (engagement), allows to present information and content in different ways (presentation), and differentiates the ways the students can express what they know