Transcript of CAST UDL video

This teacher needs to meet a curriculum goal and she’s got a very diverse group of students.

And so does this teacher.

And this one.

Most do. In fact, research shows that the way people learn is as unique as their fingerprints.

What does this mean for teachers of today?

Classrooms are highly diverse and curriculum needs to be designed from the start to meet this diversity.

Universal Design for Learning is an approach to curriculum that minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students.

Woah! That’s a fancy term – Universal Design for Learning.

Let’s unpack it a bit.

Let’s think about the word Universal.

By “Universal” we mean curriculum that can be used and understood by everyone.

Each learner in a classroom brings her own background, strengths, needs, and interests. Curriculum should provide genuine learning opportunities for each and every student.

Now let’s think about the word “Learning”.

Learning is not one thing.

Neuroscience tells us that our brains have three broad networks, one for recognition (The “What” of learning), one for skills and strategies (The “How” of learning) and one for caring and prioritizing (The “Why” of learning).

Students need to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning and a curriculum needs to help them do all three.

But every learner is unique and one size does not fit all.

So how do we make a curriculum that challenges and engages diverse learners?

This is where the word “Design” comes in.

A “Universally designed” building is planned to be flexible and to accommodate all kinds of users with and without disabilities.

It turns out that if you design for those “in the margins,” your building works better for everyone.

Curb cuts and ramps are used by people in wheelchairs, people with strollers, and people on bikes.

Captioning on TV serves people who are deaf, people learning English, people in gyms, and spouses who get to sleep at different times!

UDL takes this idea and applies it to the design of flexible curriculum.

UDL goes beyond access because we need to build in support and challenge.

So how do we use the UDL framework to make learning goals, methods, materials and assessments that work for everyone?

First ask yourself: “What is my goal? What do I want my students to know, do and care about?”

Then ask: “What barriers in the classroom might interfere with my diverse students’ reaching these goals?”

To eliminate the barriers, use the three UDL principles to create flexible paths to learning so that each student can progress.

1. Provide Multiple means of Representation. Present content and information in multiple media and provide varied supports.

Use graphics and animations, highlight the critical features, activate background knowledge, and support vocabulary so that students can acquire the knowledge being taught.

2. Provide Multiple means of Action and Expression.

Give students plenty of options for expressing what they know and provide models, feedback, and supports for their different levels of proficiency.

3. Provide multiple means of Engagement. What fires up one student won’t fire up another

Give students choices to fuel their interests and autonomy.

Help them risk mistakes and learn from them.

If they love learning, they will persist through challenges!

And remember, always keep in mind the learning goal.

Get rid of barriers caused by the curriculum, and keep the challenge where it belongs!

And that’s it.

Okay, quick re-cap: show the information in different ways.

• Allow your students to approach learning tasks and demonstrate what they know in different ways.
• And offer options that engage students and keep their interest.

Universal Design for Learning equals Learning Opportunities for All.

For more information on UDL, go to: www.cast.org