Universal Design for Learning

1. Universal Design for Learning Design to the edges

2. What is Universal Design for Learning? • It is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. • UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone • Not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. • A universally designed curriculum is designed from the outset to meet the needs of the greatest number of users, making costly, time-consuming, and after-the-fact changes to curriculum unnecessary.

3. Why is UDL necessary in the classroom? • Individuals bring a huge variety of skills, needs, and interests to learning. • Neuroscience reveals that these differences are as varied and unique as our DNA or fingerprints. • Three primary brain networks come into play:

4. The "what" of learning Recognition Networks How we gather facts and categorize what we see, hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author's style are recognition tasks. Temporal, parietal and occipital lobes Present information and content in different ways

5. The "how" of learning • Strategic Networks Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are strategic tasks. Frontal lobe Executive functions Differentiate the ways that students can express what they know

6. The "why" of learning • Affective Networks How learners get engaged and stay motivated. How they are challenged, excited, or interested. These are affective dimensions. Hippocampus Amygdala Stimulate interest and motivation for learning

7. Guideline 1-Provide options for perception • To reduce barriers to learning, it is important to ensure that key information is equally perceptible to all learners by: • Use of different modalities • Formatted to allow for adjustment by the user • Multiple representations • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle1

8. Guideline 2: Provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols • Use both linguistic and nonlinguistic representations • Vocabulary • Syntax and structure • Decoding text • Understanding across languages • Multiple media • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle1

9. Guideline 3: Provide options for comprehension • Background knowledge • Patterns and relationships • Information processing • Transfer and generalization http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle1

10. Guideline 4: Provide options for physical action • Vary methods of response and navigation • Optimize access to tools and assistive technologies • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle2

11. Guideline 5: Provide options for expression and communication • Provide alternative modalities for expression • Multiple media for communication • Multiple tools for construction and composition • Build fluencies • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle2

12. Guideline 6: Provide options for executive functions • Goal setting • Planning • Managing • Monitoring • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle2

13. Guideline 7: Provide options for recruiting interest • Choice and autonomy • Optimize relevance, value and authenticity • Minimize threats and distractions • Extrinsic • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle3

14. Guideline 8: Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence • The external environment must provide options that can equalize accessibility by supporting learners who differ in initial motivation, self-regulation skills, etc. • Goals and objectives • Demands and resources • Collaboration and communication • Feedback • Extrinsic • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle3

15. Guideline 9: Provide options for self-regulation • Expectations and beliefs • Personal coping skills and strategies • Self assessment and reflection • Intrinsic • http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udlguidelines/principle3

16. Thanks! Try it….It works!