Connecting Universal Design for Learning With Culturally Responsive Teaching

Urban students are increasingly diverse in race, culture, language, and background knowledge. Educators must consider how students’ differences affect learning and align pedagogies that address this diversity. Universal design for learning (UDL) has provided educators with a framework for differentiation to address learner differences. Using UDL principles without explicitly considering how cultural differences and perspectives affect learning may increase the disparity in student achievement for students of color. Likewise, the same applies to the effect of socioeconomic status or language development on students’ preparation for learning in a “typical” school environment. Culturally responsive pedagogies prompt educators to design instruction from the perspective of students’ diversity as strengths rather than deficits. Frequently overlooked aspects of culturally responsive pedagogy are compared with the facets of the UDL framework to provide teachers with additional considerations when planning for effective instruction.