Presentation at the 1st International Universal Design for Learning Symposium Learning Together. Maynooth University, June 8th, 2023 There has been a growing interest for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for inclusion in both the K-12 and post-secondary sectors over the last decade, and this momentum has been noticeable globally. The body of literature which evidences the pedagogical benefits of UDL implementation for the inclusion of diverse learners is now broad and diversified. There is also growing interest in examining UDL implementation from a leadership and administrative perspective, examining it as a management of change process. Throughout this growth in scholarship and field initiatives, the concepts of student voice and student advocacy have frequently been used and showcased. The literature regarding the learner role in the process of UDL implementation is, however, still limited. Placing learners in the driving seat when it comes to UDL adoption is therefore purely conceptual and abstract at this stage. It will be challenging to genuinely scale-up UDL as a framework, in both the K-12 sector and the post-secondary landscape, until students have considered with care and offered an active leadership role. Students’ perception of UDL and its objectives are key in the success of initiatives that seek to integrate it across organizations. This fully interactive session will examine the various facets of the notion of learner involvement in the process of UDL adoption. First, the session will consider the way UDL must be explicitly discussed with learners within the class, while UDL initiatives are attempted. Failure to explain this process to students, and to actively engage them in it, significantly limits the scope of such efforts. The second part of the session will consider learner voice beyond the class itself, and will discuss ways to involve students as co-advocates for UDL growth, across institutions. This is a rich and complex process of critical empowerment which has unfortunately been so far rushed or ignored. The third part of the session will consider how UDL professional development should be addressed not just to educators but to student groups and student representatives. This section of the presentation will explore how the UDL principles must bee woven into such resources and PD for students and student groups, and how they must inform the design of such initiatives.

1. Nothing about them without them:
Authentically engaging students in UDL growth
UDL Workshop, 1st International Universal Design for Learning
Symposium Learning Together.
Maynooth University, June 8th, 2023
Frederic Fovet, PhD.

2. Land Acknowledgement
• I acknowledge that I work on
the traditional lands of the
Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc within
Secwépemc'ulucw, the
traditional and unceded
territory of the Secwépemc. I
also acknowledge that I live on
the unceded an traditional lands
of the Sylx people. I
acknowledge these
communities’ language, their
culture, their elders and
recognize their claims to land.

3. Objectives of the Session
• Explore the participants’ fears or concerns about student voice/
involvement in UDL development
• Examine the notion of ‘transitional friction’ and the need to be
transparent with students as UDL is being implemented
• Explore ways to involve students as co-advocates for UDL growth,
across institutions
• Create UDL resources/ professional development, not just for educators
but for student groups and student representatives
• Consider the eco-systemic hurdles that stand in the way of the
implementation of these values

4. Gauging the room (fears, concerns and
hopes)
• We will be using Menti as a polling tool. If you visit www.menti.com, I will generate
a code that will enable you to vote (anonymously).
• Involving students in UDL implementation, how easy is it really?
• Impossible in our current context
• Challenging and I do not feel I have the time or resources
• Challenging but I try and succeed at times
• Feasible and represents a cornerstone of my UDL approach
• I consistently and successfully involve students in all my UDL works

6. Personal lens and methodological stance
• Involved in UDL development and strategic
growth both in the post-secondary and K-12
sector
• Have worked in personalized, experimental
settings for over a decade – where student
autonomy and voice were key in the
pedagogical format
• Have used grounded theory in my PhD. to
explore the perspectives of students with
uneasy relationships with school as an
institution
• Spent 4 years in student services, working with
a student advisory committee
• Grounded my mindset firmly in student
advocacy/ reciprocal relationships
• I do a lot of work on critical pedagogy, both in
my research and my practice, and constantly
reflect on power dynamics/ status/ hierarchies

7. Modelling UDL in the session format
• It can be challenging and frustrating to discuss UDL in virtual workshop sessions which are
inherently traditional and ‘sage on a stage’ in format.
• Becomes increasingly contradictory when UDL advocates present in non-UDL ways.
• UDL is not just about the classroom; these principles of inclusive design apply to all our
interactions with others (PD, conferences, campus services, HR communications, etc.)
• Within the parameters we are given today:
- Personalized communication beyond the session itself with the help of a Padlet:
https://edswgrad.padlet.org/ffovet1/nothing-about-them-without-them-authentically-
engaging-stude-klhpmi1vchx4yzmz
- Continues interaction and dialogue on social media
- Interactive tasks: some small group work & we will be using Menti.com
- Time will be set aside for questions at the end; conversations can continue face to face after
the session
- Personalized interaction possible through email
- Will share by slides again through SlideShare

8. Level 1: Transitionalfriction – involvingstudentsso they
understandyourUDLstrategies
• It will be essential to involve
students in the UDL
implementation process and
to interact with them with
transparency
• The risk of not doing so is that
we can create push back from
the very stakeholders we
want to see benefit from thee
initiatives

9. What is transitional friction and why does it occur in
the process of UDL implementation?
• “Transitional friction” is a term I use to describe the push back one can sometimes
experience from students when attempting to integrate a UDL approach in class.
• Small group discussion: Can you provide examples of instances where you were
surprised by student push back when integrating UDL strategies in your classroom?
• Whole room discussion: What might be the causes of this push back?

10. Transitional friction: a recap
• A phenomenon that occurs whenever a learner is pushed out of traditional
classroom practices towards transformative and student-centered pedagogies.
• Paolo Freire describes a very similar process in relation to critical pedagogy: he calls
it conscientization and explains how challenging it can be.
• Poor, inaccessible, and non-inclusive pedagogy can still represent a ‘zone of comfort’
for many learners as this is all they have known and experienced.
• Shifting students out of these habits can be confusing/ painful/ uncomfortable
• Transparency is key
• Communication is essential
• This may require time
• Ideally, embed this in your toolbox and think about it systematically
•

11. Avoiding transitional friction in your UDL
work – best practices and tips
• Let’s take 5 minutes to discuss in pairs, or small groups, what your experiences have
been in trying to reduce or eliminate ‘transitional friction’
• Are there any tips you have for others?
• Are there certain habits you have adopted to involve learners in your UDL thinking, in
order to avoid surprise and confusion?

12. Think aloud moment
• “Surely this only works with
high school students/ end of
secondary?”
• Reactions?
• Can elementary teachers
consider these strategies?

13. Section 2: Urgency in involving students in strategic
UDL development
• Involving students as co-advocates for
UDL growth, across institutions
• Student voice is necessary not just
within the classroom but on the scale
of a school as well.
• Assertion: the scaling up of UDL is
challenging organizationally. Students
have a key role to play in this process.
• Why?
• They are the key stakeholder group
• Their opinion carries weight
• Their testimonial is the best argument
to swing colleagues and administrators
towards UDL

14. Acknowledging the issue
• We have poor models of student involvement in school administration
• Often this represents mere lip service or tokenism
• Yet the literature on student involvement as stakeholder in school leadership is vast
• Dichotomous gap between practice and scholarship here.
• The proof is in the pudding! If you google these key words, your top result dates
back to 1922:
• Satchell, J. K. (1922). Student Participation in School Administration. The School
Review, 30(10), 733–741. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1077930
• Yet even PISA quantifies the positive impact of this involvement: Willms (2003)
• Some models in terms of experiential learning (DofE, IB, etc.)
• Yet if you search the literature for student involvement in leadership for inclusion,
there are no resources whatsoever to be found.

15. Whole room discussion
• Do you have examples/
testimonials of ways students
can become involved in the
school-wide push for UDL
growth and implementation?

16. Section 3: Creating UDL resources/professional
development, not just for educators but for student
groups and student representatives
• If we want students to become
involved in the scaling up of UDL
and in its growth, we need to
expose learners to the principles of
UDL/ the social model/ inclusive
design mindset on the scale of the
school, not just the classroom.

17. Some encouraging examples in the further and higher
education sectors
• Anecdotal evidence from
Frederic’s practice
• Focus on student involvement
in the John Kelly Institutional
Awards
• No models yet in the K-12
sector

18. Imagining school-wide resources for students on UDL
• Whole room brainstorm
• What would we include?
• What might be the more palatable
format for such resources?
• How can we make them sustainable
and available to all?
• Connecting this back to the Index for
Inclusion
• Changing mindsets and creating a
new hidden curriculum necessarily
involves learners
• What might this look like in terms of
‘school wide resource for learners on
UDL’ in your own environment/
context?

19. Index for Inclusion (Booth & Ainscow,
2011)
• “Indicator C.1 Orchestrating learning
• Are students encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning?
• Do teachers explain the purpose of a lesson or group of lessons?
• (…)
• Are curriculum plans shared with students so that they can choose to study at a faster pace
or in greater depth?
• (…)
• Are students consulted about the support they need?
• Are students consulted about the quality of lessons?
• Are students involved in finding ways to overcome their own and each other's difficulties in
learning?
• Are students given a choice over activities?
• Are the interests, knowledge and skills acquired independently by students valued and drawn
upon in lessons?”

20. Section4: Acknowledgingthe eco-systemichurdles that stand
in the way of the implementationof these values
• Whole room: Why are we so
reticent as educators to engage
learners in learning decisions?
• Why are we hesitant to collaborate
with learners in strategic thinking
and vision?
• How can we overcome these
mindset issues?
• What strategies might you envision
to erode these ecological barriers?
• Breakout activity: Share a thought
about your own observations in
this respect, with a partner or in
groups of three

21. Section 6: Discussion
• Participants will be invited to
share their comments and
questions? Or their key
takeaways from the workshop
and plans for implementation

22. References & Resources
Booth, T. & Ainscow, M. (2011) Index for Inclusion: Developing Learning and Participation in
Schools. Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, Bristol.
Coffey, A., & Lavery, S. (2018). Student leadership in the middle years: A matter of concern.
Improving Schools, 21(2), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480217732223
Fovet, F. (2018) Exploring the Student Voice within Universal Design for Learning Work. The
AHEAD Journal, 8. Retrieved from: https://www.ahead.ie/journal/Exploring-the-
Student-Voice-within-Universal-Design-for-Learning-Work
Satchell, J. K. (1922). Student Participation in School Administration. The School Review,
30(10), 733–741. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1077930
Willms, J.D. (2003) Student engagement at school: A sense of belonging and participation.
Results from PISA 2000. OECD.
https://www.oecd.org/education/school/programmeforinternationalstudentassessmentpisa/
33689437.pdf

23. Contact details
• Frederic Fovet (PhD.)
• Implementudl@gmail.com
• School of Education, Faculty of Education and Social Work,
Thompson Rivers University
• ffovet@tru.ca
• @Ffovet
• www.implementudl.com