It is incredibly important to ensure that all students can understand the curriculum and its purpose and find their individual styles of learning. A comprehensive education system was designed for maximum effectiveness in application. The Universal Design of Learning is a system meant for inclusive education. It is based on three principles: multiple means of education, providing means of strategic learning, and student body engagement.
To effectively reach the system’s potential, I would recommend certain actions and activities. For example, when presenting information, teachers must ensure that their students understand the curriculum. Using multiple different mediums, such as educational videos, presentations with pictures, graphs, and tables for full comprehension. Providing examples of the topic, comparing one subject to another, showing physical objects, and conducting experiments are all valid methods for educating the students. They are more likely to remember information relayed through more interesting or engaging content.
Gamification is also likely to draw the attention of the students to the learning material by providing them with entertainment. Games such as Kahoot, where the students compete with each other while answering trivia questions, help with retaining information. Studies have indicated that gamification of learning material increases student participation and overall cognitive, motivational, and behavioral learning outcomes (Sailer and Homner, 2020). There are multiple explanations for this positive effect, one of which is that it changes the way students perceive studying material. If the curriculum is difficult to remember, then a game that presents students with the opportunity to memorize the material will not only engage them but also motivate them. No changes need to be made to the learning material because the game is simply a memory test.
Short and simple assignments about a student’s background and culture throughout the course could increase the student’s understanding of the subject. Personal knowledge of cultural norms and traditions can act as a basis for new information. For example, when teaching languages, the teacher could ask the students about their maternal language. This learning strategy will lead to inclusivity within the classroom by prompting students to share their culture while also helping them understand the curriculum.
References
Dalton, E. M. (2017). Beyond universal design for learning: Guiding principles to reduce barriers to digital & media literacy competence. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(2), 17-29. Web.
Sailer, M., & Homner, L. (2020). The gamification of learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 32(1), 77-112. Web.