Universal Design for Learning

A national educational priority for classrooms that include all students, regardless of exceptionality or diversity.

Barriers to Learning

The single most significant barrier that keeps all students from learning is the fixed medium of presentation and assessment of knowldge.

Universal Design for Instruction (UDL) is a form of instruction that benefits all students, regardless of disability.

UDL…

provides equal access to learning, not just equal access to information.

allows students to control the method of accessing information while the teacher monitors the learning process.

is designed to work with all students in a mainstreamed classroom where a range of student ability levels are present.

UDL…

takes into account students with learning difficulties, speech or language difficulties, emotional disturbances, autims, health impairment, mild mental retardation, traumatic brain injury, hearing impairments/deafness, visual impairment, deaf-blindness, orthopedic impairments, and those with multiple disabilites.

UDL…

does not remove academic challenges or water down the curriculum.

removes barriers to equal access and helps to provide a “least restrictive environment” for students with disabilities.

Four Main UDL Components

Goals and milestones for instruction (often in the form of scope & sequence)

Media and materials to be used by students

Specific instructional methods Means of assessment to measure student

progress

UDL provides multiple, flexible methods of presentation: active

engagement including discovery, interactive demo, inquiry lesson, inquiry lab, PBL, case study, etc.

expression and practice: writing, oral, whiteboard, PPT, drawing, projects, etc.

options for engagement: allow students to select some of the content to study, allow for choice of tasks on tests, etc.

Framework - before instruction Get to know your

students’ abilities, special needs, and learning styles

After reviewing standards, determine learning needs

Devise instructional approaches to reach greatest number of students

Recognize individual needs of students

Set curricular goals Determine learning

supports Adapt methods and

materials to individual student needs

Select appropriate UDL strategies, tools, and features to adapt instruction.

Framework - during instruction Differentiate instruction

to reach students on their own levels

Special educator and general educator consult with one another

Use other methods and ongoing feedback to adjust instruction

Use equitable, flexible, accessible methods to fit instruction to student needs

Special educator and general educator collaborate to resolve residual problems

Use UDL features to determine student progress for feedback and to adjust instruction

Framework - after instruction Employ ongoing or

alternate assessments to determine progress, needs, and future direction of class

Repeat planning cycle

Make sure assessments reflect UDL characteristics

Assess continuously through variety of formats to track student progress

Adapt delivery of instruction as needed