Universal Design for Learning

By: Kassidy Hetzel

This is a 30 minute presentation created for Arvada High School’s Faculty and Staff that will provide all instructors with an introduction to the concepts of Universal Design for Learning, resources to be used in the implementation of UDL, and ideas for classroom and building use.

Our Purpose Today:

To introduce UDL (Universal Design for Learning)

To understand the principles that make up UDL

To understand the role of technology in UDL

To understand the implications that using UDL could have on our students performance

What is Universal Design for Learning?

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is defined as a "  …flexible curriculum and learning environment that allows students with widely varying abilities and backgrounds the opportunity to access the general curriculum and achieve the academic content standards that have been established for all students…"  (Bremmer et al., 2002)

UDL is an educational approach to curriculum and instruction using technology to enable students with diverse learning needs to be successful in the classroom (CAST, 2010)

UDL Explanation continued…

UDL focuses on students strengths, weaknesses, interests and learning styles

UDL’s main purpose is to make learning more accessible to all students

(Hall, Strangman, and Meyer, 2003)

What does it mean to make learning accessible to all students? It means creating learning environments from the

ground up with specific requirements in mind from the beginning to make learning more feasible for all.

UDL starts with the actual architectural make up of buildings

Examples of UDL requirements for buildings: Ramps Curb cuts Electric doors Captions on televisions Easy grip tools

Other examples of UDL?

Take three minutes to brainstorm with your table about other ideas that you believe would be examples of a proper UDL building requirements.

Come back as a whole group and share the new ideas for requirements.

Universal Design for Learning is more than just how the classroom walls are constructed; it is

about how the teaching and learning is conducted within the classroom walls.

UDL within the Classroom

UDL focuses changing the curriculum to meet individual students’ needs and NOT trying to change the student to fit the curriculum.

UDL is trying to find ways to accommodate the diversity of our population

The Breakdown:

Universal- Curriculum that can be used and understood by everyone

Curriculum should provide genuine learning opportunities for each and every student (CAST, 2010).

The Breakdown Continued…

Learning- Learning is not just one thing

Learning occurs on three levels What How Why

The Three Brain Networks:

Recognition: The what of learning

Strategic: The how of learning

Affective: The why of learning

Brain Research The brain is the most powerful tool that our students bring into

the classroom

Learning about the brain and it functions has provided guidelines to determine the types of teaching and learning alternatives that are most useful for students in educational situations

Processing is distributed to different places of the brain depending on the type of task and where the learner is in the learning task

Learning is distributed across the three neural networks (Lynch, 2009).

Brain Research andLearning Differences

Click here to see the graphic in full size

Brain Research

Student’s learning styles are as individual as they are

Students must have the right amount of challenge, support, and engagement to maximize their learning potential

Learning Differences:

Each student has differences in their brains that help them to learn, and to know how they best learn.

Learning differences are affected by the way the brain was built, and how it functions in the learning environment.

Learning Differences Continued…

UDL helps with learning differences because it supports learning in the way information is presented, studied and eventually learned.

Students are allowed to use their strengths to the best of their abilities to improve their weaknesses.

The UDL Way of Teaching

UDL is being underutilized in our building

Students are being clumped into performance groups rather than getting individualized curriculum

How can we be more effective with our teaching to increase our students’ learning potential?

The UDL Principles

The three UDL principles are used to make sure the three brain networks are being reached for every student

Principle 1- Provide multiple means of representation

Principle 2- Provide multiple means of action and expression

Principle 3- Provide multiple means of engagement

Representation:

Representation is how a student is presented the information, how

they have access to that information, and their perception of

that information

Principle 1: Representation

Provide multiple means of representation so that students can acquire the information being taught:

Present content and information in multiple medias and provide varied supports

Use graphics and animations

Highlight the critical features

Activate background knowledge

Support vocabulary (CAST, 2010)

Action and Expression:

Action and Expression is how the student shares their understanding of

concepts and information

Principle 2: Action and Expression:

Provide multiple means of action and expression

Give students plenty of options for expressing what they know

Provide models, feedback and supports for their different levels of proficiency (CAST, 2010)

Engagement:

Engagement is what is motivating a student to learn.

Are they interested?

Can they regulate their learning?

Principle 3

Provide multiple means of engagement

Give students choices to fuel their interests and autonomy

Encourage students to take risks and learn from their mistakes (CAST, 2010)

Allow students to take part in creating what they learn

Introduce technology

The Impact of using UDL

UDL allows teachers to accommodate their teaching to the needs of all the learners and their differences

How? By creating goals By using various methods By varying assessments By using multiple types of materials

(Hall, Strangman, and Meyer, 2003)

The Impact of UDL Continued…

Students will learn skills that are very important in the 21st century.

They learn how to work with others, motivate themselves, and how to use technology as tools and resources for their adult lives.

UDL allows students of all learning styles and all levels to gain knowledge.

Students are being set up for success through the multiple methods that a UDL teacher uses

Technology in UDL

Technology is a source for engaging students

Students can use technology to manipulate words and pictures

Technology works with students’ ability levels and helps to meet their needs whether they are advanced learners or struggling learners

Examples of Technology in UDL

Concept Maps using mywebspiration.com

Presentations using showbeyond.com

Visual representations using glogster.com

Concept Maps:

Concept Maps present information in a graphics first manner where individuals can add in text information in personal and meaningful ways

Each student can add in text in the way that their mind best comprehends

Different concept maps can be used for the same purpose giving the learner choice and freedom in their learning

Concept Maps Continued…

Concept Maps allow students to express their ideas in personalized and creative ways

Concept Maps give students freedom to create

Concept Maps give students an outlet for their ideas

Concept Maps can be individualized for any and all situations

Concept Maps Continued…

Use this resource to get you started using mywebspiration.com

Webspiration Quick Start Guide

Presentations using Showbeyond.com

Are you tired of seeing poorly created PowerPoints that leave students very little room for creativity?

Next time let students create a movie in Showbeyond.com

Creativity is needed in learning for students to be able to demonstrate what they know in individual ways.

Visual Representations: Glogster.com

Glogster.com allows students to make visual representations of material and concepts online for free.

Glogster.com allows for video and picture upload as well as students creativity to create a visual representation of whatever material or information is currently being learned.

Diversity and UDL

UDL provides equal access to learning, not simply equal access to information.

UDL allows students to control the method of accessing information while the teacher monitors the learning process and initiates any beneficial methods.

The teacher is responsible for imparting knowledge and facilitating in the learning process. UDL does not remove academic challenges, it simply removes barriers to access. Thus, UDL promotes effective teaching.

(Council for Exceptional Children, 2005, p. 3)

Diversity in UDL Continued…

In the concept of UDL, all areas of diversity are taken into consideration including learning disabilities, speech or language disabilities, emotional disturbance, autism, health impairments, mild mental retardation, traumatic brain injury, hearing impairment/deafness, visual impairment, deaf-blindness, orthopedic impairments, and those with multiple disabilities (listed above).

(Rose, 2005)

CAST

The Center for Applied Science and Technology

CAST offers teachers support in the implementation of UDL in their classrooms and schools.

They have specific tools and resources to ensure the successful implementation

CAST Resources:

CAST UDL Online Module This tool could be used by school

administration to introduce the principles and concepts of UDL to all staff members

By using the online module staff members would be able to explore the concepts of UDL in a way that meets their learning styles

http://udlonline.cast.org/home

CAST Resources Continued…

CAST UDL Guidelines This resource lays out the main principles and

ideas of teaching the UDL way

Teachers and instructors could visit this website to get additional ideas for how they can implement the UDL principles more successfully

http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines

CAST Resources Continued…

CAST UDL Lesson Builder The lesson builder was designed to be used

after the concepts and principles of UDL have been explained, understood, and implementation is about to begin

The lesson builder helps teachers to include the necessary UDL principles

http://lessonbuilder.cast.org/

References: Bremer, Christine D., Clapper, Ann T., Hitchcock, Chuck, Hall, Tracy, and

Kachgal,  Mera. National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, Information Brief, December , 2002, Vol. 1, Issue 3. Universal Design: A Strategy to Support Students' Access to the General Education Curriculum.

Hall, T., Strangman, N., & Meyer, A. (2003). Differentiated instruction and implications for UDL implementation. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved [July 10, 2010] from http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstructudl.html

Lynch, T. (2009). Understanding universal design for learning. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/tailynch13/udl-powerpoint

Rose, D, Meyer, A and Hitchcock, C(2005), The Universally Designed Classroom:

Accessible Curriculum and Digital Technologies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!