Universal Design for Learning

After watching the UDL At A Glance video, the scenarios in the beginning resonated with me as a teacher faced with similar challenges. Classrooms are diverse and as mentioned in the video “research shows that the ways people learn are as unique as their fingerprints”. Universal Design for Learning is designed to work for everyone.

In the guidelines, I learned that I am already incorporating some of these ideas already! For instance, the guideline states that engagement will increase by optimizing relevance, value, and authenticity. Living in a predominantly Hispanic community, I’ve learned my students love reading stories such as, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy because they are able to relate and connect with the characters. Feeling represented in literature is a very powerful feeling and I try to provide those opportunities as much as possible. In addition, I implement representation by clarifying vocabulary, promoting understanding across languages by using cognates, and using multimedia such as videos and visuals to teach concepts.

As teachers sometimes it is difficult to find the courage to experiment with things that are new, but it is important to do so. I admit that although I am already using some aspects of UDL, I’d like to offer more opportunities related to the guideline titled Individual Choice and Autonomy. Doing so will help my students feel more connected to their learning.

We don’t do as many research based projects as I wish, so one thing I think I would need more help implementing is supporting planning and strategy development for projects such as providing more examples of checklists and project planning templates.

As a future librarian, finding ways for my campus to meet curriculum needs while servicing a diverse population of students is important. The article titled Accessible Library Instruction in Practice focuses on the importance of servicing students with disabilities. Whether in a classroom or the library, “Students deserve an accessible learning experience, regardless of their abilities (Whitver, 2020). The purpose of UDL is to break down barriers and make learning possible for all. To obtain this, collaboration, flexibility, and professional development is needed to increase learning and engagement. Furthermore, this framework offers guidelines to enhance knowledge skills and engagement. I found another helpful article titled Going Deep. It is based on a study conducted in a fifth grade classroom composed of students with and without disabilities. It explores how teachers can promote disciplinary thinking in ELA using the UDL framework. I recommend both articles because they were helpful in understanding more about UDL.

References

Gravel, J. W. (2018). Going Deep: Leveraging Universal Design for Learning to Engage All

Learners in Rich Disciplinary Thinking in ELA. Teachers College Record, 120(3), 1–40.

UDL At A Glance. (2010, January 6). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4

UDL: Support planning and strategy development. (2018, January 16). CAST. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/action-expression/executive-functions/strategy-development/strategy-development

Whitver, S. M. (2020). Accessible Library Instruction in Practice. Portal: Libraries & the Academy, 20(2), 381–398. https://doi-org.ezproxy.shsu.edu/10.1353/pla.2020.0019