APPLYING PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING TO EARLY ELEMENTARY MATH CLASSES IN JAPAN: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Beginning in April 2007, the Japanese government implemented efforts to shift the focus of educational policy away from the notion of "Special Education" towards "Special Needs Education". The primary objective of this change in focus is to move towards a policy of ensuring that the educational needs of students with learning disabilities and other mild developmental disabilities are met in the general education system. However, no model is shown that addresses how these students are taught with typically developing students in general classrooms. There is urgent need to investigate how principles of universal design for learning (UDL) can be applied to classrooms that have traditional Japanese educational culture. The study was conducted using a consultation approach designed to support the early elementary general education teachers in adopting and implementing a UDL approach to their math curriculum and instructional methods. A qualitative case study approach was employed to investigate the following elements: (a) the impact of the consultation on teachers in terms of changes in teaching practice regarding UDL, (b) barriers and facilitators to adopting and implementing the innovation of UDL, and (c) the impact of implementing UDL principles on student outcomes. The study verified that it is possible to implement teaching practices with values of UDL principles in conjunction with positive aspect of Japanese collectivism values. It was found that in the successful cases, teachers' practices demonstrated well-balanced focuses on both facilitating whole group dynamism and meeting variety of individual needs, which had positive impact on students' outcomes. Implications for practice, implications for future research, and limitations of the research are discussed.