Teaching UDL Differently: An Inquiry-Based UDL Unit for Beginning Educators

This session models an inquiry-based learning approach to teaching Universal Design for Learning in teacher education. Presenters share a co-developed unit that supports beginning educators in conceptually and practically engaging with Universal Design for Learning, challenging dominant norms, exploring implementation, and reflecting on inclusive practice through a cycle of inquiry.Participants will be able to: 1. Gain a deeper understanding of UDL as an essential framework for beginning educators and the importance of equipping them with deeper knowledge, understanding, and applied skill sets for implementing UDL. 2. Recognize how Inquiry-Based Learning aligns with the principles of UDL and can be leveraged to go beyond basic theoretical understanding of UDL. 3. Learn about a proposed unit plan for preservice teachers utilizing IBL and UDL to deepen their understanding and application of UDL. 4. Consider how they might utilize an IBL approach to teach and support pre-service teacher development of UDL knowledge and practices for inclusive and equitable education. 5. Articulate why UDL is an essential framework for inclusive and equitable education. 6. Identify the importance of and key practices for comprehensively equipping beginning educators to implement UDL. 7. Describe how IBL can be used to support the deeper learning and application of UDL by beginning educators in various teacher education contexts.