Exploring the application of the CCM approach and UDL as conceptual frameworks to enhance inclusive teacher training through Lesson Study

Abstract

This study explores how the Constructionist, Contextualized, and Meaningful (CCM) approach, in tandem with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), can be realized through Lesson Study to serve as a foundation for inclusive education. The paper provides an insight into a research project undertaken to train future teachers for inclusion within a Brazilian university. It examines how both CCM and UDL contributed to teacher development and engendered inclusive practices, providing a possible pathway through the application of Lesson Study that has relevance for educational policies and practices in teacher training contexts. The analysis suggests that the use of Lesson Study, alongside the combined integration of CCM pedagogies and UDL, leads to the promotion of effective inclusive teaching practices that address the multiple educational needs of all students. The results demonstrate that, when Lesson Study is used to ground the iterative processes required for teacher professional development, and when CCM and UDL further inform these processes, then the requisite conditions are attained for significantly enhancing diverse students’ learning outcomes, thereby enabling inclusive education to flourish.