How does universal design for learning UDL promote better teaching practices for all educators?
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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for instruction that prioritizes the design and development of curriculum that is effective and inclusive for all learners by considering differences in mental, physical, and cognitive abilities during the planning process. In addition to helping all students be successful by allowing them to demonstrate their learning in multiple ways, applying the principles of UDL to a curriculum can also save faculty and administrators time and frustration and ensure that learning is more accurately implemented and assessed. Show Watch this short video to understand what UDL means: The UDL approach offers guidelines for making informed decisions about what practices are optimal and ensures comprehensive instructional design practices that can address a full range of learning abilities and disabilities present in any group of students. Watch this video of Dr. David Rose speaking about UDL: The UDL guidelines were developed in response to calls from the education field for practical advice and can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, instructional designers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. The guidelines support the process of customizing instruction for individuals by:
The guidelines are organized around the three principles of UDL:Provide multiple means of Representation: This is the “what” of how information is perceived and comprehended. Because individuals and their brains are different, they perceive and comprehend information in many ways. Therefore, the curriculum should have enough flexibility for teachers and students to determine the most appropriate way to access the content. Here are some examples how instructors can provide multiple means to access the content:
Here’s a video that explains multiple means of representation: Provide multiple means of action and expression: Learning is more than the transfer and reception of information. It requires learners to be proactive, strategize, organize, and communicate learning. This principle addresses “how” learners navigate a learning environment with ease and express what they know. Here are some examples illustrating how instructors can provide multiple means of action and expression in their curricula/lessons:
Here’s a short video that explains multiple means of action and expression: Provide multiple means of engagement: This third principle is the “why” of learning and focuses on how learners can be engaged and motivated to learn. Here are some examples how instructors can provide multiple means of engagement in their curricula/lessons:
Here’s a short video that explains engagement strategies: UDL tools are most useful in supporting the design of lessons or units, assessing instructional methods or materials, and facilitating discussions about curriculum. These guidelines are flexible and should be mixed and matched in the curriculum and with individual learners as appropriate. Please visit the CAST website for further details about these principles and guidelines.
Does UDL promote better teaching?UDL has benefits for both learners and educators. UDL has the capacity to make teaching and learning more inclusive and accessible for everyone. Educators who implement UDL often find: A reduction in the need for, and time required to arrange, individual learning and assessment accommodations.
How is UDL an approach of teaching to meet the needs of every student in the classroom?UDL recognizes that if students can't access information, they can't learn it. So in a UDL classroom, materials are accessible for all types of learners. Students have many options for reading, including print, digital, text-to-speech and audiobooks.
How is universal design for learning helpful?Universal design for learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that works to accommodate the needs and abilities of all learners and eliminates unnecessary hurdles in the learning process.
How does UDL specifically help students of all learning needs?Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides the opportunity for all students to access, participate in, and progress in the general-education curriculum by reducing barriers to instruction.
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