For educators looking urgently for tools and theoretical frameworks to build more inclusive learning environments, universal design for learning (UDL) has risen in prominence and influence. But affording it the status of a magic bullet risks overlooking the breadth of ways we might seek to foster inclusion through building rapport, trust, and connection with students
In a recent paper, Guy Boysen provides a provocative critique of UDL, drawing a parallel with the now widely discredited concept of learning styles – the idea that people have their own way of learning, and that teaching can be made more effective if you match teaching methods to these individual learning styles.
