Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning

 

            Universal Design for Learning boils down to creating curriculum that supports and challenges ALL students.  We must realize that students learn in a variety of ways and should be given choices when it comes time to show that they comprehend the material.  As educators we need to design flexible curriculum that benefits ALL learners, such as kinesthetic, audio, and visual.  UDL can seem like a daunting task but it is what’s truly best for students!

 

Which of these guidelines am I already using?

            I currently use guideline 8.3, “foster collaboration and community.”  I’m a big fan of cooperative learning and it’s become a big part of my teaching practice.  My students are always sitting in groups of four which makes it easy to incorporate partner and group work into lessons.  Each time I assign group work there are specific job roles for each member and we go over the expectations of group work as a class before they begin the assignment.  I encourage students to problem solve and think critically together and I’m always amazed with the results I get.

            Another guideline I’m already using is guideline 3.1, “to activate or supply background knowledge.”  I heard about activating student’s background knowledge in my very first education class and I’ve continued to hear about it in classes and trainings ever since.  This is a critical piece of teaching that must be done.  We always must first see what student’s know about a concept or topic in order to further build upon it.  This is the first step in my teaching practice when teaching students a new concept. 

 

Which of these could I add right now to my teaching practice?

            I believe that I could incorporate into my teaching practice the guideline 7.1, “optimize individual choice and autonomy.”  A big part of UDL is providing students with choice and I believe I could implement this right now.  I dabbled with choice boards when I was student teaching and there are so many more resources now that I could check out.  We need to challenge students and letting a student choose how to display their learning is a great way to do it.  I believe this would be a great addition to my teaching practice, especially now with virtual learning.

            Another guideline that I could implement would be guideline 5.1, “to use multiple media for communication.”  After taking LSSL 5391 I feel I am more than prepared to start incorporating digital technology into my curriculum and further challenge students.  There are various ways I could communicate with students visually and auditory.  For visual instructions I could use infographics, Canva, or cartoons.  For auditory instructions I could use YouTube, Podbean, Anchor, or Animoto.  I look forward to using what I’ve learned this semester in my teaching practices this year!

 

Which of these looks great, but I might need some help to implement?

            If I were to implement guideline 5.3, “to build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance” I would need guidance on how to differentiate lessons and scaffold activities for the various types of learning styles.  I would like to tackle this guideline with the help of an instructional coach in order to better understand how to reach ALL learners.  This guideline is a big part of UDL and I would definitely need some help to incorporate it into my teaching practice.

            Another guideline I would like to start implementing in my teaching practice but will need some help with is guideline 9.3, “to develop self-assessment and reflection.”  When it comes to group work and larger assignments I don’t feel as if I have time in the lesson for students to reflect on their learning.  This is an important concept and a tool that will be able to use their entire life.  As educators we know this is true and that we are asked to self-access throughout the year.  I need assistance building this guideline into the wrap up of my lessons.

 

Resources for Universal Design for Learning

o   Click this link for a breakdown of UDL guidelines.

o   Click this link to read an article from Knowledge Quest about UDL.

o   Click this link to read about how choice boards are used to increase student engagement!

 

Videos that Explain UDL

References:

Lindsey Daly on February 5, 2. (2019, February 06). How I Use Choice Boards to Increase Student Engagement. Retrieved July 27, 2020, from https://www.weareteachers.com/choice-boards/

Robinson, D. E. (2017). Universal Design for Learning and School Libraries. Knowledge Quest, 46(1), 56–61.

The UDL Guidelines. (2018, August 31). Retrieved July 27, 2020, from http://udlguidelines.cast.org/