The Universal Design for Learning
The Universal Design for Learning
Everyone is different, and that means everyone has different needs. As an educator, meeting the needs of everybody can seem stressful or time-consuming because you want to find a way to provide for every individual needs. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) method is supposed to help you cater to all needs using various methods. While most educators are familiar with differentiated instruction, the UDL is a different way of providing resources to students with different needs while providing them to the class/group as a whole versus to one student.
The idea of implementing UDL in a class situation seemed difficult. A great concept in theory, but as someone who is not always the most imaginative person, I found it difficult to think of ways that I had already been implementing UDL in my classroom. A few Google searches later led me to discover that I had already been implementing some strategies in my class without knowing! I found that the escape rooms I do, the partners/groups I have, and encouraging my students to solve a problem using various methods instead of just one method fall under providing multiple means of engagement. Or that using IXL, having my word wall and anchor charts up, and modeling think-aloud were ways I was providing multiple means of representation. Strategies that I have already been using are a part of the UDL mindset, and when reflecting on them, it’s easy to see how they meet the needs of individual students while being utilized by the whole class.
One section I would like to improve in is providing multiple means of action and expression. While I do go over the content and language objective in class (and have the students read them), I have folders where I check in with the students, and we map out their grades, benchmark scores, etc. I would like to find other strategies to implement in my class and future library. Finding ways to implement these strategies may require more time, but that’s what research is for! Something that could easily be done in my class is illustrating through multiple media, specifically using manipulatives such as using algebra tiles (physical or virtual) to help students visually see what solving a multistep equation means! When teaching solving equations, I tend to skip over the manipulative part, as most of my students have experience with solving some type of equations (as they are taking Algebra 1 in middle school as 7th or 8th graders), but providing a method that allows for students to see what is happening in the problem-solving method visually may help them understand better and quicker!
Some resources that helped me understand the UDL better include this YouTube Video.
Choudhury, S. (2024, February 12). Differentiating between UDL and differentiated instruction. Novak Education . https://www.novakeducation.com/blog/udl-vs-differentiated-instruction-a-new-perspective
Teachings in Education. (2019, December 18). Universal Design for Learning: UDL. YouTube. https://youtu.be/gmGgplQkrVw?si=hLCrIBLJGov3ZTfw
UDL & Math. PaTTAN. (n.d.). https://www.pattan.net/Supports/Inclusive-Practices/Universal-Design-for-Learning-UDL/UDL-Math
This is so helpful! Differentiated instruction has been around since I was in teacher school (too long ago for me to talk about) and if it were effective on its own we could stop there. But UDL takes it further and also supports all learners.
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing this PaTTAN resource. I love how it is a direct example of UDL and provides so many examples for each interest, perception and physical action. As you mentioned, we all learn differently and as a teacher when you figure out what works best for your different learners, gives you a better handle at your classroom.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the link to the video. It was helpful to breakdown the basics of UDL. The escape rooms that you do with your students sound really interesting and engaging! It sounds like an awesome way to incorporate UDL and I would like to learn more about it and how I could implement it for lower grade levels.
ReplyDeleteWow! I really liked the video, it helped me breakdown the components and brought UDL into a new level for me. I am going to save the PaTTAN website to look into as well, I would love new ideas to bring into my classroom.
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