Universal Design for Learning

Cindy M. Szulewski-Booth, M.S. CCC/SLP

AT Specialist

What is it?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a approach to curriculum (goals, materials, methods, and assessment) that is firmly

grounded in the belief that every learner is unique and brings different strengths and

weaknesses to the classroom

UDL and RTI

• The distinguishing features of the problem-solving approach are that intervention occurs within the classroom and is individualized to the student.

• UDL reconceptualizes curriculum design by bringing student diversity to the forefront and supporting the design of curricula that are more flexible and accommodating of diverse students’ needs

Curriculum

• Often curriculum--which includes the goals, methods, assessments, and materials we use to teach and learn--is "fixed" and inflexible. This turns individual differences into potential learning barriers as learners try to bend their individual styles, skills, and abilities to the curriculum's needs at the expense of genuine learning.

UDL and Curriculum

UDL turns this around: the curriculum is made flexible and customizable so that individuals can learn in ways that work best

for them.

Representation

ExpressionEngagementUDL

Principles of UDL

• Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge.

• Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know.

• Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge.

The “What” of Learning

• Perception

• Language and Symbols

• Comprehension

Perception

• Customize the Display of information– Information should be displayed in a flexible format so that the

perceptual features can be varied

• Provide alternatives for auditory information– information conveyed solely through sound is not equally accessible to

all students, and it is especially inaccessible for students with hearing disabilities, for students who need extra time to process information, or for students who have memory difficulties

• Provide alternatives for visual information– visual representations are not equally accessible to all students,

especially students with visual disabilities or those who are not familiar with the graphic conventions employed

Language and Symbols

• Define vocabulary and symbols– The semantic elements through which information is presented—the words,

symbols, and icons—are accessible to students with varying backgrounds, languages, lexical knowledge, and disabilities in different ways.

• Clarify syntax and structure– To ensure that all students have equal access to information, provide

alternative representations that clarify, or make more explicit, the syntactic or structural relationships between elements of meaning

• illustrate key concepts non-linguistically– Providing alternatives—especially illustrations, simulations, images,

or interactive graphics—can make the information presented in text more comprehensible for any student and accessible for some who would find it completely inaccessible in text.

Comprehension

• Provide or activate background knowledge– Barriers can be reduced when options are available that supply or activate

relevant prior knowledge, or link elsewhere to the for the student to identify and gain the background knowledge needed.

• Highlight critical features, big ideas, and relationships– Students often have difficulty in understanding how to find the key information.

• Guide information processing– We must help[ student learn how to process information so that it can be more

effectively summarized, categorized, prioritized, contextualized, and remembered.

• Support memory and transfer– Supports for memory and transfer include techniques that are designed to

heighten the memorability of information

Multiple means of action and expression

– Our teachers must learn to ask themselves: “ what is the purpose of the task I am asking my student to do?” Is it the act of writing or do I want them to learn the plot of a story?

• Options for accessing tools and assistive technologies– It is also important, however, to ensure that making a lesson physically

accessible does not inadvertently remove its challenge to learning. The goal is not to make answers physically accessible, but to make the learning that underlies those answers accessible.

Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

• Provide options for recruiting interest Our students must learn to determine the purpose of the task and choose the tool for it. Use photo story to write a book report rather than ‘writing it’ traditionally. We need to teach them to self- advocate and give them the skills and the knowledge of the tools

• Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence– Skype me! – Google me!

• Provide options for self-regulationGoal Setting! Keep attention – Challenge at varying levels

Links/Bibliography

• http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl• http://www.cast.org/index.html

Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.

Plato