Chapter 5: Embracing Universal Design for Learning: Planning for Inclusive Social Studies Classrooms

Designing a social studies environment where a diverse group of learners share their learning experiences is essential for promoting an equitable and inclusive education. As social studies teachers, we play a central role in designing and implementing instructional practices that adequately meet the needs of all learners, both with and without disabilities. This task has proven more complicated in recent years.

As social studies classrooms become more academically, culturally, and linguistically diverse, educators face a rapidly increasing challenge of teaching content and integrating a body of instructional knowledge all while relating to diverse groups of learners. The research reinforces how classroom teachers feel ill-prepared to instructionally meet the needs of diverse learners, especially students with disabilities ([SWD]; Florian & Linklater, 2010; Forlin, 2010; Ko & Boswell, 2013; Kratz, 2014), as well as understand the challenges that face them in accessing complex social studies content (Garrick-Duhaney, 2014; Scruggs et al., 2010). These challenges amplify our struggles as teachers wrestle with understanding and defining what inclusive education looks like and how it applies to a diverse learning environment.