In this post, you will find…

• What UDL is
• Examples of how UDL can be used
• Places to go to to find more out about UDL

Feeling overwhelmed by all the diversity in your class? Feeling like you spend so much time differentiating instruction only for it to fall apart during the lesson because you are only one person? Do you have that one learner who keeps you up at night worrying that you have not supported them the best you can because of the needs of your class? 

You are not alone!

By the way, have you heard of Universal Design for Learning?

What is UDL?

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is a framework developed by Centre for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) to support the inclusion of all learners in education settings. It is a lens to look over our practice as educators. The UDL framework supports educators to make decisions about instruction, assessment and curriculum to support all learners. UDL recognises that there is no average learner and that we need to provide choice and options to support the variability of our learners. It is a framework that is well researched in educational research and neuroscience. The principles are based on three brain networks in our brains that need to fire in order for learning to occur. It acknowledges that inclusion needs to be a proactive process to ensure that all learners are successful in reaching the expectations of the curriculum.

What are some examples?

UDL in Assessment

We can use UDL in assessment by identifying the curriculum standards and expectations. Then we provide our learners a choice in the supports and scaffolds to use in order for them to be successful in the assessment or provide choice in how they demonstrate their learning through the choice of task.

For example…

If learners are required to compose a persuasive text, learners can create a traditional persuasive letter to someone in the community on a matter they care about or they could create a blog post on a topic they care about.

Depending on what is being assessed, learners could access supports such as text to speech to compose their text or use graphic organisers to plan. The possibilities are endless. 

For more examples, I have created a post about many ways you could assess speaking. So jump over and have a look.

UDL in Instruction

We can provide multiple ways to represent the important information and big ideas that learners require to be successful in the lesson. These multiple ways support the variability in the class by providing options that support all learners.

For example…

Provide video with closed captions as a way to represent information. Within this option, learners have access to audio and visual information. Another way is to have learners watch a demonstration and then have them do it themselves. Having these two options provide access to the learning for all learners in the way they learn best.

We can also provide multiple ways for learners to demonstrate their learning in lessons by providing choices. We can also provide choice in the way learners interact with the material such as providing graphic organisers or note taking structures to record information.

Provide options for learners to complete tasks in written, oral and creative forms like drawing or give choices to work independently or with peers.

So where do I start to learn about UDL?

One of the great things about UDL is that there are so many great resources for educators to learn about and explore UDL. The resources below have ensured that UDL is accessible for all educators.

CAST.org

The first place I would recommend is the CAST website. This is the point of truth for anything UDL. There is a great short video that gives you an overview of UDL and you can learn about the guidelines and checkpoints in detail as well as the research behind each checkpoint.

Learning Designed

Learning Designed in an offshoot of CAST and provides quality professional learning on UDL. My favourite is the UDL Boot Camp. It is free to register and a great resource to have on hand throughout your learning journey.

UDL in 15 Minutes

This is a great podcast with episodes that are only 15 minutes which are great to listen to on the way to work! Loui Lord Nelson talks to educators from around the world about how they are implementing UDL in their context.

Novak Education

Novak Education was created by Katie Novak, a great leader and advocate for UDL. The articles provide great insight into the implementation of UDL and there are paid courses that you can take.

Understood.org

This website has some great articles and videos of what UDL could look like in the classroom as well as tips and resources for supporting learners who think differently in the classroom.

UDL is a fantastic framework that ensures access to learning from the very beginning. What is also great about UDL is that there are so many resources that you can explore when you are starting your journey. Explore these resources and let me know what you think.

Until next time

Happy educating,

Sam

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