A proposal to teach english as a foreign language to students with special educational needs in the context of the universal design for learning from the perspective of techaers and students

Abstract

Due to the current learning demands and the lack of preparation for teaching English to exceptional students, the aim of this research was to design a proposal to teach the subject to students with special educational needs (SEN) in the context of the Universal Design for Learning from the perspective of teachers and students. Following a case-study research design, two semi-structured interviews were conducted with three teachers and four 12th grade high-school students from a public school in Hualpen, Chile. The results of this study revealed that special needs students did not perceive English as a difficult process; in fact, they acknowledged their interest in learning it. Regarding teachers’ perspectives, they perceived the implementation of UDL as possible; indeed, they had already started using this approach, but not precisely for the teaching of English. On the one hand, data collected from students’ interviews encouraged the use of realia, music, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as core elements of the didactic guidelines proposed. On the other hand, data gathered from teachers’ interviews suggested the implementation of collaborative work and multiple assessment tools and procedures. Bearing in mind those suggestions, the final proposal is based upon features of UDL framework, Task-Based Learning (TBL), feedback and ICTs. Due to the limitations of this study, further research is recommended on the fields of teaching and learning of English as a foreign language to students with special educational needs.