Preparing Preservice Special Educators for Learner Variability

Integrating Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction in Coursework

Abstract

As inclusive education expands, PreK–12 classrooms increasingly include learners with diverse strengths, needs, and learning profiles. Teacher preparation programs are expected to prepare educators to support this diversity in inclusive settings. Preservice educators also bring varied backgrounds, experiences, and learning needs to coursework, requiring teacher educators to design learning environments that are responsive to this variability while preparing special education candidates to support diverse learners in PreK–12 classrooms. However, instructional approaches in teacher preparation do not always reflect these principles, and preservice educators may learn about inclusive instructional frameworks without experiencing how they are enacted in practice. This article introduces the Plan–Model–Embed framework, which integrates universal design for learning and differentiated instruction within teacher preparation coursework. The framework supports teacher educators in planning for learner variability, modeling instructional decision-making, and embedding opportunities for reflection and application across coursework. Drawing on course-based examples, the framework is illustrated through approaches to differentiating content, process, and product to support preservice educators with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and learning needs. These practices position preservice educators to both experience inclusive instructional approaches and examine their application within authentic learning contexts.