Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
You would think that with the word universal in the name that UDL would be a way to teach all students. It’s actually the opposite! UDL’s goal is actually to remove barriers to learning by using a variety of teaching methods. UDL is about using flexibility to allow each student to use their strength but also meet their needs. This is why all learner’s benefit from UDL.
The idea of UDL is not new. It is about accessibility. Tools like Closed Captioning, automatic doors and even arrows on signs are a way to increase access for people with disabilities. But these features are also used by people without the disability they are designed for. UDL is the same. It allows teachers to be flexible in their approach in how students access information and present their findings. It also empowers students to be their own teachers.
The idea of UDL is not new. It is about accessibility. Tools like Closed Captioning, automatic doors and even arrows on signs are a way to increase access for people with disabilities. But these features are also used by people without the disability they are designed for. UDL is the same. It allows teachers to be flexible in their approach in how students access information and present their findings. It also empowers students to be their own teachers.
There are no disabilities in UDL. UDL focusses on the learning environment not the learners. It is a way to reach all learners and not just the average. It is more than just accessibility. It is student centred and means that each student can be engaged through different was of representation and expression. The three principles of UDL are action and expression, engagement, and representation. All these principles need to work together in order for UDL to be successful. If you are looking for a good book to start you UDL journey.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) suggests exciting ways to design and deliver engaging, rigorous learning experiences-as a growing international movement of UDL practitioners can attest. However, implementing UDL also requires us to unlearn many beliefs, assumptions, and teaching practices that no longer work.
In this lively and fun book, UDL experts Allison Posey and Katie Novak describe colleagues who have implemented UDL and experienced exponential success: increased graduation rates, an increase in the number of students taking AP exams, and decreased special education referrals and out-of-school suspensions.
However, they have also found that sometimes, even when teachers learn about UDL and believe in its power to transform their teaching and learning environments, many still do not change. They don't believe this is because educators are unwilling to make changes, but perhaps because they may not think there is a strong reason to change, or perhaps they do not know the first steps to take.
The authors have wrestled with this dilemma for years, trying many different approaches to teach and model UDL. They have come to understand that for all the research, brain science, and best practices that are behind UDL as a way to reach all students without differentiating learning at every turn, there is an elephant in the room. Most teachers - and they include themselves in this group - have a hard time integrating new learning.
In this lively and fun book, UDL experts Allison Posey and Katie Novak describe colleagues who have implemented UDL and experienced exponential success: increased graduation rates, an increase in the number of students taking AP exams, and decreased special education referrals and out-of-school suspensions.
However, they have also found that sometimes, even when teachers learn about UDL and believe in its power to transform their teaching and learning environments, many still do not change. They don't believe this is because educators are unwilling to make changes, but perhaps because they may not think there is a strong reason to change, or perhaps they do not know the first steps to take.
The authors have wrestled with this dilemma for years, trying many different approaches to teach and model UDL. They have come to understand that for all the research, brain science, and best practices that are behind UDL as a way to reach all students without differentiating learning at every turn, there is an elephant in the room. Most teachers - and they include themselves in this group - have a hard time integrating new learning.