Educators' understanding of UDL shifted from a static framework to a dynamic way of thinking emphasizing moment-to-moment responsiveness to students' access needs¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · qualitative r? · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across the studies, a majority (but not all) of participants shifted from viewing UDL as a static, inflexible checklist-like framework to a dynamic way of thinking based on moment-to-moment responsiveness to access needs. → Rachel Lambert 2026

Evidence¶

Rachel Lambert 2026¶

Rachel Lambert, Kara Imm. (2026). Teachers rehumanizing mathematics for students with disabilities; the role of empathy. Instructional Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-025-09753-4

q2 · i? · qualitative · r?

Cross-data-source finding from the pre/post surveys and focus groups of the professional-development teaching experiment, reported by the authors as documented shifts for a majority but not all participants. Educators connected this dynamic view of UDL to empathic relationships with students.

"Initially viewed as a static and inflexible framework, UDL evolved in educators’ understanding to represent a dynamic “way of thinking,” emphasizing moment-to-moment responsiveness to students’ access needs rather than adhering to a fixed methodology"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Educators in a UDL Math and Design Thinking professional development attributed shifts in their beliefs and practices to empathy, both as a value and as a practice of empathy interviews — related
• Classroom teachers spontaneously adopted empathy interviews outside the design thinking cycle, using them with students and families for relationship building — related
• Learning and teaching processes in networked learning are not static but have different dynamics at various stages of collaborative work — related
• Shifts among self perspectives are locatable moments of learning in which the self develops and expands — related