Bridging the Learning Gap: Instructing Educators on How to Assist Diverse Learners in Their Classrooms

Abstract

Teachers are tasked with the responsibility of providing accommodations and modifications for all of their students. They are required to do this even without the necessary resources or training. Over the last five years, Edison Elementary School has experienced a change in student population with an increase in English Language Learners and other students from diverse backgrounds. Unfortunately, the school has not provided teachers with the necessary training and support needed to meet the needs of their new student population. In response to this problem, a course was created to teach the teachers instructional strategies to assist all types of diverse learners. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) was chosen as the primary framework of the course as it encourages accommodations for a variety of different learning preferences. Mayer’s (2017) 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning and the Gradual Release of Responsibility framework (Webb et al., 2019) also guided the design of the course. The course was evaluated through a usability study with four teachers (n=4), and a learning assessment with nineteen teachers (n=19) and one principal (n=1) from Edison Elementary School. Recommendations for future research include providing additional practice using each of the course’s UDL strategies.