Universal Design for Learning

 

Universal Design for Learning is a research-based set of principles that provide a practical framework for all learners. It provides an equal opportunity for all learners. I taught 3^rd grade reading for 7 years and have used portions of this design to incorporate all learners.

While studying Universal Design for Learning I created a list of terms that draw a visual for me to grasp the concept of learning for all.

·         Thrive  

·         Acceptance

·         Achieve

·         Inclusive  

·         Challenge  

·         Boundless

What am I currently incorporating in the classroom? The following includes a typical lesson we do every day, and it encompasses engagement, representation, and action and expression.

To grab the attention of all learners, I always start with either a media clip or something hands-on regarding the subject and lesson. It may even activate background knowledge.  It gets the students excited and focused on the instruction to follow.  Then we proceed with the goal for the day and what to expect for the assessment.  The students need to know the purpose of why and what they will learn. All teachers are required to implement the curriculum that guides the gradual release of responsibility. The instruction shifts from teacher modeling to joint responsibility, to independent practice and application. During this time, I instruct students in small groups which involves reteaching of content on their specific needs. This is also using reading material but this time with their instructional level. Here, they are being supported and challenged to reach their capability.  At the end of the lesson, all students are given an exit ticket (assessment) to apply what they’ve learned.

During the Shared Reading component of the lesson we focus on vocabulary support in context. We also apply it to real life situations. The students are given a choice of reading material to complete their independent reading and application of content.

As you can see, components of Universal Design for Learning including engagement, representation, and action and expression are sprinkled-in throughout the learning process.

 

What Can I Add?

To critique my teaching as well as the learning process for students, there will always room for adjustments.  My students would benefit from being provided with personal coping skills and strategies to accomplish their tasks. Whether it’s providing a checklist on their desks to remind them of their next step or simply providing the students with an emotional checklist of how they perceive their work when it’s completed, and their understanding of the concept learned. This provides the students with an overall mental check of progress and completion that is only relative to them specifically as an individual.

Next, I would like to focus on adding clarification of syntax and structure. We focus on shared reading using big books and all students read together. At this point it’s easy for students to become unnoticed when most of the class is reading. While it’s beneficial to be read to, if a student isn’t participating in whole class reading, they won’t get practice using the correct syntax and structure. I would like to refer to other big books we’ve read and focus on sentences with similar structure and help make those connections.

In everyday learning, I would like to apply what was previously learned to new concepts. While the curriculum accomplishes this task, I would like more frequent references to skills previously learned. This benefits all students.

I might need help to implement the following:

While the curriculum is provided for us, I would like to learn more about support planning and strategy development. I would like to learn where to insert a “stop and think” moment or a “sentence starter”.  The I DO part of a lesson models thinking aloud and is scripted, but with diverse learners, it’s impossible to implement the right strategy for each student, at the right time. So, I would like to be directed on how to support and scaffold them enough that will challenge their thinking and to produce understanding.  

The following are Universal Design for Learning resources that are available and I plan to utilize them in the future: 

What Is Universal Design for Learning?

What is UDL - Library Resources that support Universal Design for Learning - Research and Course Guides at University of St. Thomas (stthomas.edu)

Inclusive Teaching

 

References:

CAST. (2010). Udl At A Glance. YouTube. Retrieved July 26, 2022, from                                                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDvKnY0g6e4

Center for Teaching Innovation. (2022). Universal design for learning. Retrieved July, 26, 2022 from          https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/designing-your-course/universal- design-learning

Robinson, E. (2017). Universal design for learning and school libraries: A logical partnership.

            Knowledge Quest, 46(1), 50-54. Gale Academics.