Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Universal Design for Learning UDL: A teachers guide

universal design for learning udl

Teachers can use UDL to design instruction that provides special education students with what they need and at the same time benefits all learners. UDL capitalizes on the concept that what is good for some is good for all. To support students with language skills, UDL champions the creation of learning environments that consider everyone. It extends beyond merely addressing disabilities, visible or otherwise, and speaks to the very essence of individual learning needs.

POV: Learning Community on Universal Design for Learning Digital Learning & Innovation - Boston University

POV: Learning Community on Universal Design for Learning Digital Learning & Innovation.

Posted: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Engagement

And explain that you’ll keep working with the students and their families to build the skills and interest to make that happen. You could share a mini-lesson on butterfly metamorphosis and have students use a guided worksheet as they write. Or you could set up stations where students are grouped using flexible grouping around understanding of the topic, language ability, or reading level. Visual notations and symbols will always be inaccessible to some learners, who rely on these non-visual alternatives. In contrast, other learners will gain skill in interpreting codes with more support.

Strategies to Support Decoding

This article will explore how teachers and other educators can support learners decoding notations and symbols. The UDLA modules provide teachers and administrators opportunities to deepen their understanding of the principles of UDL and supports “ALL” students in the classroom with equal access to core instruction. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching that aims to give all students equal opportunities to succeed, no matter how they learn. While some teachers in traditional schools may use UDL principles and practices on their own, traditional and UDL approaches to education are very different. Modeling within PD is an excellent way to show the principles of UDL in action.

Center for Teaching Innovation

Universal Design for learning is a set of principles that provide teachers with a structure to develop instructions to meet the diverse needs of all learners. You can create flexible options in the design of the goals, assessments, methods, materials, and environment — and make them available for all your students. CAST developed UDL guidelines that are based on three main principles that align with these learning networks. The three UDL principles are engagement, representation, and action and expression. However, at other times, codes or notations appear when students are not directly learning about them. For example, a geography fact sheet comparing the statistics from different countries would include numbers and graphs.

This means providing students with different ways to access and understand the content. For example, you might give a visual representation of the content, an audio version, and a written transcript. When teachers use UDL principles in their instruction, students learn more and achieve better outcomes. UDL provides ways to meet the needs of all learners, including those who are traditionally marginalized or left behind. The third core principle of UDL is to provide multiple means of engagement.

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

universal design for learning udl

Inclusive school culture features training for special education and general education teachers, with the outcome of collaboration and shared responsibility. Fourth, there is research on specific applications of UDL within learning environments, including conditions necessary for implementation, common barriers, and lessons from the field. This new area of research is in its early stages but will take a more prominent place as full-scale curricular applications and system-wide implementations are developed. It should be noted that this is another area in which we greatly encourage contributions from the research field.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

But there might also be a video for students to watch or an online class forum for discussion. There might even be a board game that students play to understand the history of the war. The primary focus is on finding ways to teach the material to the many types of learners in a classroom. UDLA is pleased to offer these no-cost professional learning opportunities.

Construct-Irrelevant Factors

For example, you might use a software program that allows students to input their responses differently or a website that provides audio versions of articles. You can also use online learning programs like SplashLearn, making learning more fun using game-based activities. Another way to use UDL in your classroom is to offer multiple means of expression.

UDLA has options that support self-directed learners (resources, automated course) to more those that prefer more structure and guidance (in-person workshops, moderated online course work). Training and practice helps you slowly implement over time so that you aren’t overwhelmed but can slowly build towards mastery. As you improve in your implementation, your instruction and design will be more effective. UDL isn’t specifically for kids with learning and thinking differences. But it attempts to build in flexibility that can be adjusted for every student’s strengths and needs.

It’s about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every student’s strengths and needs. You may, for example, have a student in your class with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Ways to reduce barriers could include helping them set a routine, learning more about their needs from their family, or referring them to a school specialist. When teaching, I aimed to address many barriers before we began a unit. Sometimes students didn’t have background knowledge, so we’d cover relevant topics and skills at the start. Other times, content wasn’t academically interesting or culturally relevant, so we found ways to tie it to their lives.

CAST created the Universal Design for Learning framework, and it remains one of our core levers of change to help make learning inclusive and transformative for everyone. UDL is regarded so highly that it’s mentioned by name in the nation’s main education law. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) encourages states and districts to use federal funding to help teachers expand the use of UDL.

The third principle, multiple means of engagement, is about tapping into students' interests and motivations to foster deeper participation in the learning process. UDL emphasizes the significance of choice and relevance in learning tasks. This shift toward proactive, adaptable learning experiences is a significant departure from the traditional, rigid education model and is crucial in the pursuit of genuinely adaptive learning experiences for every student.

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