Goal of the post:

• To identify the elements and strengths of six lesson planning process examples to help you determine one that will work for you.

Key ideas:

• There are plenty of processes out there, you just need to find one that works for you.
• Key elements of a UDL lesson include; clear goals, anticipate variability and barriers, assessment, flexible method and materials and teacher reflection.
• Each example has its own strengths as a lesson planning process and it really depends on you and your team’s needs or context when deciding on one to utilise.

Introduction

When working with teachers, they love the idea of UDL but are not sure where to start in implementing it in the classroom. They love the idea of having a process to follow when planning a lesson. Let’s be honest, most teachers love a good process. Me included!

There are many planning process examples out there so today I have identified the key elements of six examples that you might like to consider using when you are planning UDL lessons. Just like what we do with our students, I have provided you with a choice. To help you make a choice, I have identified the strengths of each example so you and/or your team have a clear understanding of which process might work for you in your context.

Key Elements

It is pretty clear in all examples that there are important elements that need to be considered or included in a UDL lesson. They include having a clear goal, anticipate variability and barriers, assessment, flexible methods and materials, and teacher reflection. Below I have unpacked each element.

Clear Goal

First and foremost almost all examples started with the need to have a clear, flexible and meaningful goal for the lesson in everyday language all learners can understand. The goal should be derived from the standard and identify the knowledge, skills and even attitudes and beliefs that learners must demonstrate to achieve the standard. Want to know more about unpacking the standard to identify goals? Click here.

Anticipate Variability and Barriers

Every example provided an opportunity to anticipate the needs of the learners. This is done to varying degrees across the examples. However most refer to the use of the UDL Principles to support in making decisions about the learner variability in relation to the lesson goal.

Assessment

All six examples ensured that assessment was preplanned from the start. Some examples suggested implementation of both formative and summative assessment. However, all have assessment as a step in the process. No matter what type of assessment, it needs to relate to the lesson goal and provide flexibility and be authentic to the learners. This was not evident in the UDL tips sheet, however there has been a large body of work done in this space at CAST.

Flexible Methods and Materials

There is no surprise that instructional methods and materials are a key element. When referring to a UDL lesson each example referred to the use of flexible methods and materials that provide choice. These methods and materials should overcome barriers to learning and provide a balance of support and challenge. 

Teacher Reflection

Almost all examples have an opportunity for teacher reflection so that teachers reflect on the impact of strategies they used in the lesson to support students in achieving the lesson goal. Most examples also ensured that space was given to teachers to refine the strategies for the next lesson. If we keep doing what we have always done, we will continue to get the same result.

Strengths of Each Example

Each example has its own strengths as a UDL lesson planning process. Below I have identified what I think are strengths of each example to help you determine which example might work best for you and your context.

UDL Tips for Designing Learning Experiences (CAST, 2020)

This example is a tip sheet however, I thought it was important to include due to it being a great place to start if you are only starting out on your UDL journey. A strength of this process is that it considers how students are accessing the materials and the physical or virtual environments. Sometimes we are caught up on the instruction that we forget about the physical and/or virtual environment learners are coming into. For some learners that is a barrier. This example also considers how we are promoting expert learners by ensuring that we provide opportunities to develop disciplinary skills and habits of mind in our lessons.

UDL Instructional Planning Process (Learning Designed, 2011)

The strength of this process is how it anticipates learner needs. It makes us think about the strengths, weaknesses, background knowledge required, preferred language and cultural relevance for our learners. It is a good starting point for considering what our learners need in order to achieve success in the lesson. 

The UDL Lesson-Planning Process (Novak, 2016)

This example ensures that the lesson goal and assessment are being shared and allows learners to set their own goals. It also asks learners to identify strategies they could use to achieve their goals as a step in the process. This supports expert learning and in particular, executive functions.

UDL Lesson Review Template (Posey & Novak, 2020)

Even though this is a review template, it is a great process to use when planning lessons from the start also. In this example, the UDL Guidelines are really emphasized throughout the process from anticipating variability to selecting the methods and materials used in the lesson. It also ensures that the verb within the lesson goal is as flexible as possible to ensure it is accessible for all learners.

The UDL Design Cycle (Torres & Rao, 2019)

What is great about this example is that they put the learners at the forefront of the learning. The first step in the process is to identify barriers for the learners and consider their needs for learning. This example also considers both formative and summative assessment.

Six Steps of UDL Lesson Planning (Ralabate, 2016)

This example really unpacks the variability perspective using the brain networks. It provides seven steps when considering the brain networks. It also makes us consider if the media we use is accessible in addition to methods and materials.

Try This!

As you can see each process has its strengths and it really depends on which example will work for you and or your team in planning UDL lessons. Some things you might like to consider when deciding are:

• Where are we on our UDL journey? Will one support us better if we are starting out compared to if we were well on our way?
• Where are our strengths and weaknesses in relation to lesson planning and implementation? Which one would help us focus on our weaknesses in order to improve?
• Can we mix and match processes to make it work for us?

Let me know below if you already have an example of a process that you use and what are some strengths of the process?

Until next time, happy planning,

Sam

References

Centre for Applied Special Technology. (2020). UDL Tips for Designing Learning Experiences. Wakefield, MA: Author. Retrieved from https://www.cast.org/binaries/content/assets/common/publications/downloads/cast-udltipsfordesigninglearningexperiences-20200920-a11y.pdf

Novak, K. (2016). UDL Now! A teacher’s guide to applying universal design for learning in today’s classroom. CAST, Inc.

Posey, A., & Novak, K. (2020). Unlearning Changing Your Beliefs and Your Classroom with UDL. CAST, Inc.

Ralabate, P. (2016). It’s a Process: UDL Lesson Planning.https://www.learningdesigned.org/sites/default/files/Ralabate_2016.pdf

The Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network. (2021).UDL Instructional Planning Process. https://www.learningdesigned.org/resource/udl-instructional-planning-process

Torres, C., & Rao, K. (2019). UDL For Language Learners. CAST. Inc

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