The Research

Silva, R., & Vescio, V. (2025). Equity, inclusion, and UDL: examining teacher educators’ experiences, understandings, and pedagogy through poetic representations. Teachers and Teaching, 1–19.

Abstract

Examining how terms such as equity, inclusion and UDL are interpreted and embedded in the work of teacher educators has implications for teacher preparation and education at large. This is particularly important as political movements within the United States seek to limit the ways educators can explore these issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in classrooms. This study examines how four teacher educators teaching one equity-focused course within a teacher preparation program in the southeast United States understood and embedded equity, inclusion, and UDL in their work with teacher candidates. Through a qualitative process that included semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, authors created poetic representations to highlight these educators’ understandings, but also the tensions they experienced as they guided candidates in embedding notions of equity inclusion and UDL in their work. Although teacher educators noted the promise of embedding equity, inclusion, and UDL in their practice, they noted tensions such as challenges to embedding these concepts within the structures of K-12 schools, and candidate resistance to speaking about issues of equity and inclusion in their courses. These tensions point to the need to attend to systems of oppression both in K-12 settings and universities.

Application in Process

It is important for teacher educators to speak with future teachers about what terms like equity, inclusion, and UDL mean and look like in practice.

Poetry can be a powerful way to represent the complexity of teachers’ understandings and practices with equity, inclusion, and UDL in higher education and K-12 schools.

“It is important to examine how educators understand and use equity, inclusion, and UDL in their work in order to better understand the challenges and opportunities to building equitable and inclusive schools for all students.”

Rachel Silva