Now that we've covered the basics of all things UDL, let's look at some wonderful resources. CAST: This website provides everything a new UDL learner would need to know. The site is easy to navigate and has excellent content, videos, and case studies. The clip linked below shows UDL at a glance.
National Center on Universal Design for Learning: This website really breaks down the three major principles in the UDL model. It also provides examples on each principle. This website is written in clear language and is easy to use for beginners. The picture below illustrates what part of the brain each UDL principal activates and some information on it.
Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction: This website is extremely beneficial to teachers. It shows the UDL process, UDL practices, delivery methods, feedback and so much more. This is a valuable asset for new educators or ones unfamiliar with UDL. It is easy to read and understand. The link below is from the Do It! website and shows the importance of equal access for everyone.
Ohio State University: This fast facts from OSU provides information about who would benefit from UDL, common teaching methods, how to implement UDL into your own classroom, and so much more. This website offers some really good ideas for educators and is easy to understand. In my next blog I will be talking about teacher friendly blogs for UDL.
In order to understand how UDL works, we need to fully understand how the three principles work. The three principles are multiple means of representation, the multiple means of action and expression, and the multiple means of engagement. The First Principle: The "why" of learning means not all students learn the same way and educators need to make a conscious effort to provide multiple means of representation of the material. Some ways to break down the barrier are to provide information to students in a variety of ways such as though touch, hearing, or visually. Educators can also provide students with options to assist their deficit such as enlarged text. This method allows every student in the class to reach their full potential because information is being presented in a way many students can understand. The Second Principle: The "how" of learning means not every student will understand the material the same way because everyone learns differently and has varying abilities. Educators need to provide students with multiple means of action and expression. When students are provided with multiple means of expression it ensures all learners understand the content. For example: A picture in a textbook may make perfect sense to one student, but could be confusing and hard to understand for another student. The Third Principle: The "why" of learning means students need to learn to to transform information into knowledge. Educators need to provide multiple means of engagement because each student learns differently, but understanding how to challenge them, motivate them and tap into their own interests is the answer.For example: A student reads a paragraph in class, but he's bored by it. The teacher could try and relate it to one of his own interests to make it more accessible to him. In the next post, we will learn about valuable resources for UDL. http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle1
Universal Design for Learning or UDL for short is a way of reducing obstacles for students struggling and provides a support system, proper accommodations, and challenges students. The goal of UDL for teachers is to adapt to students needs. This allows the students to respond in a positive way and show case their skills and understanding of the material. UDL is becoming increasingly popular in classes it's not just used for special education needs anymore. UDL runs on three main principles and they are provide multiple means of representation (the "what" of learning), provide multiple means of action and expression (the "how" of learning), and provide multiple means of engagement (the "why" of learning). The next post will be a more in depth look at the principles of UDL.
Hi everyone, I'm currently enrolled in a class at the Grad level. This class deals with Assistive Technology (AT) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). AT and UDL are used in schools all over the world. The main purpose of AT is to allow special education students the ability to flourish; with out the aid this technology these individuals might not be able to communicate, walk, or hear. Some examples of AT are braille, walkers, hearing aids, iPads (communication, notes, etc). This blog will take a closer look at assistive technology and the UDL model. UDL in it's simplest form is a curriculum that gives all students the ability to learn in their own way with flexibility.
