Smart, sustainable teaching: The Universal Design for Learning difference

Instead of asking teachers to do more, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides smarter approaches that deliver better outcomes for students and more sustainable practices for educators while meeting the needs of all students.

Truly inclusive classrooms minimise the concept of special learning needs because every child has a special learning need (Ashman, 2018).

An impossible concept and a ‘perfect storm’ summary of the unprecedented challenge facing the teaching profession: how to meet increasingly diverse student needs without burning out from endless individual accommodations. While many educators assume that supporting diverse learners means more work, UDL provides a solution. UDL principles, when properly implemented, actually reduce teacher cognitive load while delivering better outcomes for all students.

The traditional approach to student diversity – creating individual modifications after problems arise – places enormous demands on teachers’ time and cognitive load. While some of our students face individual barriers to learning and require adjustments to access learning, UDL works as a solution to act harmoniously with these individual adjustments. The UDL model is designing learning experiences that work for the widest range of students from the start. This proactive approach recognises that smart initial design and proactive pedagogy reduces the need for most individual accommodations. The key lies in understanding how strategic UDL implementation can transform common classroom barriers into opportunities for streamlined, effective teaching.

The vocabulary solution: One strategy, every student

We’ve all done it: meeting with the same student during lunch, feeling like you are constantly playing catch up and you are always ‘one step behind’ helping this student understand. Vocabulary gaps traditionally force teachers into exhausting cycles of individual sessions and differentiated materials. UDL principles offer a smarter approach that addresses diverse vocabulary needs through universal strategies that benefit everyone, allowing students to access learning from the get-go.

Instead of creating separate vocabulary lists for different students, UDL-aligned classrooms use multi-modal vocabulary walls featuring words, definitions, images, and contextual examples. This single classroom resource supports visual learners, EALD students with reading difficulties, and advanced/gifted students simultaneously. Teachers invest time once in creating comprehensive visual displays rather than repeatedly explaining terms to individual students.

Another practical application is to implement systematic vocabulary games that engage all learners. Research by Beck, McKeown and Kucan (2013) demonstrates that activities connecting new terms with familiar words – such as matching ‘thief’ with ‘bandit’ – work effectively across ability levels. One well-designed vocabulary game serves the entire class rather than requiring teachers to prepare multiple versions for different groups. Another UDL win-win is personal vocabulary journals using index cards. While each student maintains their own collection, the system is identical for everyone. Teachers provide one set of instructions, one format, and one expectation that flexibly accommodates different learning paces and styles without additional teacher preparation.

Building belonging: Efficient social architecture

Creating classroom belonging traditionally demands extensive individual relationship-building and constant social mediation, leading to teacher exhaustion and over-use of reactive strategies. UDL principles suggest that explicit, universal social skills instruction reduces these demands while creating stronger classroom communities.

Implementing Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS) exemplifies UDL’s efficiency advantage. Rather than addressing social challenges reactively with individual interventions, PBIS establishes clear expectations and teaches social competencies to all students simultaneously. Teachers invest upfront time in establishing systems that prevent problems rather than spending ongoing energy managing social conflicts. This is something we know better as the St Margaret’s ‘non-negotiables’; proactive, firm expectations that maintain predictability in the classroom and reduce the need for ‘reactive’ interventions.

Building further, strategic grouping and seating plans based on student interests and strengths represents another UDL approach that reduces teacher workload. When teachers systematically track student preferences and social dynamics, they can create collaborative arrangements that naturally support positive interactions. This proactive social architecture prevents many behavioural issues while building genuine peer relationships.

The cognitive load reduction is significant: instead of constantly monitoring and adjusting social dynamics, teachers create structures that support positive interactions automatically.

The path to sustainable excellence: Working smarter, not harder

The evidence demonstrates that UDL implementation reduces teacher cognitive load while improving student outcomes. When learning experiences are designed from the start to accommodate diverse needs, teachers spend less time creating individual adjustments and more time on high-impact instruction. Rather than asking teachers to do more with less, UDL provides frameworks for accomplishing more through strategic design.

The implications for teacher wellbeing are profound. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, UDL removes barriers systematically rather than addressing them individually, creating sustainable teaching practices that prevent teacher burnout while supporting every student. This shifts the professional focus from crisis management to proactive design.

UDL isn’t just about supporting diverse learners – it’s about creating teaching practices that are both effective and sustainable. When educators implement UDL principles strategically, they reduce their own workload while improving outcomes for every student.

The strategies outlined here represent efficiency gains that accumulate over time. Universal vocabulary systems, proactive social architecture, and multiple modes of conveying information utilised by all require initial investment but reduce ongoing demands significantly. Teachers who embrace UDL principles often report feeling more energised and effective rather than overwhelmed by student diversity.

When teachers have frameworks that make diverse learner support manageable and effective, they are more likely to thrive in the profession, and subsequently, their students thrive in response.

References

Ashman, A. (Ed.). (2018). Education for inclusion and diversity (6th ed.). Pearson Australia.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian professional standards for teachers. https://www. aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

Beck, I., McKeown, M., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Cologon, K. (2019). Inclusion in education: A necessary process of transformation. Children and Young People with Disability Australia. https://www.cyda.org.au/inclusion-in-education

MCEETYA. (2008). Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/ resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_ Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Rose, D., & Meyer, R. (2005). The future is in the margins: The role of technology and disability in educational reform. In D. Rose, A. Meyer, & C. Hitchcock (Eds.), The universally designed classroom: Accessible curriculum and digital technologies (pp. 12–35). Harvard Education Press.