Using Digital Technologies to Support Inclusion in the Mainstream Classroom
Keywords:
Inclusion, Universal Design for Learning, UDL, Digital TechnologiesAbstract
This article presents an account of an action research project I undertook as part of the fnal year of my Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree. Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (http://www.cast.org/our-work/aboutudl.html#.XKuBFtL0nIU) as a guiding framework, I explored how digital technologies can be used to support inclusion in the mainstream classroom by providing multiple means of representation, action and expression. The starting point to the research entailed a review of literature relating to UDL and the use of digital technologies to support UDL. From this, I extracted a set of seven codes which were subsequently used as a tool to analyse a set of planning documents from a previous school placement. Building on the fndings of the analysis and guided by the UDL framework, I redesigned my main planning document (progressional scheme) to ensure a more inclusive practice. A range of online resources was embedded throughout the scheme to support inclusion.
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