From Article to Action

Do you work directly with young children?

Become more familiar with UDL. The reference section lists several resources that are available online (e.g., Conn-Powers, Cross, Traub, & Hutter-Pishgahi, 2006). Another great resource is Integrating Principles of Universal Design Into the Early Childhood Curriculum by Laurie A. Dinnebeil, Mary Boat, and Youlmi Bae.

Consider using a format like Table 1 in the article to help you think about how you might make additional adjustments to a physical science learning center to support different kinds of learners. What additional adaptations might you include for children who are dual-language learners? Or for children who may not have had any prior experience with the concepts or materials?

Think about how you could use Table 1 to plan learning centers on other topics that would engage and support diverse young learners.

Do you provide professional development as an instructor or faculty member?

Consider the following activity or assignment for students/participants: Design a learning center that will engage and support children of diverse cultures, languages, abilities, and experiences. Components of the activity/assignment might include the following:

Providing information about several children in the class, including their interests, abilities, and characteristics

Requiring students/participants to use state early learning guidelines/standards as the basis for selecting instructional content for the learning center that is developmentally appropriate

Requiring students/participants to develop their own Table 1 to document how the learning center would engage and support each young learner.

Do you support early childhood quality as an administrator, coach, mentor, supervisor, or technical assistance provider?

Use the article as the basis for helping educators examine the extent to which their children are currently using and benefitting from learning centers. The article could be used to foster productive conversations about which children use a particular learning center and which don’t and how different learning areas could be used even more effectively to support each learner.

If the educators you support aren’t using learning centers, this article might be an effective vehicle for discussing why this might, or might not, be an effective addition to the classroom context.