Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity 5

8.3 How Do Expectations Become Reality?
The main point of this chapter is to disclose how students become strategic and 
goal-directed learners in teacher-created learning settings. Moreover, it focuses on 
how teachers organise and scaffold students’ learning while becoming strategic and 
goal-directed learners. It is important to note that the following learning barriers 
were identified in cycle one of the action research: unawareness of different strate-
gies that foster one’s learning process; avoidance of challenges and innovations; 
inability to recognise one’s learning; inability to reflect on one’s learning and prog-
ress; unawareness of self-assessment strategies; and anxiety about public speaking/
presentation.
According to the UDL strategy, only by identifying barriers can the teacher scaf-
fold different techniques for assisting a student in his/her learning process (CAST, 
2018
). Within the UDL framework, the underlying principle of becoming strategic 
and goal-directed learners is associated with the provision of multiple means of 
action and expression (CAST, 
2018
). Under this principle, students develop their 
strategic expertise in executive functions such as goal setting, monitoring their 
8 A Strategic and Goal-Directed Student: Expectations vs. Reality

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progress and achievements, developing and implementing learning strategies for the 
attainment of learning goals as well as handling information and resources (CAST, 
2018
; Meyer et al., 
2014
). Apart from this, a strategic and goal-directed learner 
should be provided with options for expression and communication that embrace a 
variety of media and tools that foster construction and composition as well as build 
fluency via the support of their practice and performance. Finally, students are sup-
posed to have access to various forms of media and tools that facilitate the attain-
ment of learning goals. Subsequently, potential theory- and practice-based 
assumptions are provided that follow the UDL framework (Meyer et al., 
2014
): 1) 
physical action (a student’s interaction with information in multiple ways); 2) 
expression and communication (a student’s expression of knowledge/mastery of 
information in multiple ways); and 3) executive functions (executive functioning in 
the learning process).