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Learners will be able to identify the various levels of organization (Principles, Guidelines, Checkpoints) and describe the vertical progression from Access to Build to Internalize.

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Generate strategies for addressing barriers in the learning environments.
Locate resources to support transfer of the guidelines to practice

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Learners will describe the relationship between the networks in the course of a learning event.

Identify the three networks of the brain related to learning

Generate likely areas of learner variability based on experience in the classroom.

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1. Understand the similarities and differences between UDL and Differentiated Instruction

2. Shift wondering from what UDL should look like to what it could look like.

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Describe the purpose of universal design for learning as a means for addressing learner variability throughout the learning environment.

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Learners will understand the origins of the institutional inertia that drives learning environments to be designed for an average student, the negative impacts that result  from such design, and the need for more flexible, personalized learning in order to prepare students for the future.

Describe the origins of "average" as a basis for education.

Determine the impact of designing learning environments for the average student.

Discuss the purpose of education in preparing students for the future world of work.

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Participants will set goals and identify resources and communication channels available in order to maximize their learning.

Set self-regulation goal

Access the two padlets

Post a comment in the Parking Lot

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TIME ALLOTTED: 45 Minutes
BIG IDEAS:

How UDL guidelines are organized

UDL guidelines are tool for anticipating variability

Expert learners as the goal of the guidelines

STEPS:

1. Survey participants for aspects of variability

2. Review guidelines structure and logic

3. Introduce concept of Expert Learner

4. Discussion

5. Allow exploration of resources

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TIME ALLOTTED: 60 mins
Big Idea
Teams will explore resources related to the guidelines in a row-by-row process. Each round will conclude with a different formative assessment.
STEPS:

1. Introduce row

2. Explain expectations for communicating learning.

3. Give teams time to work and express learning.

4. Rinse and Repeat

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TIME ALLOTTED: 60 minutes
BIG IDEAS:
What UDL is and is not

UDL and DI
What does UDL "look like"?
STEPS:

1. Explain what UDL is and is not

2. Dinner party analogy - question and discussion

3. Katie Novak video

4. Gerry Brooks video and discussion

5. UDL, DI, and MTSS

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TIME ALLOTTED: 45 Minutes
BIG IDEA: UDL intentionally and proactively addresses variability using cognitive neuroscience.

STEPS:

1. Define learning

2. Intro UDL

3. Bowling video

4. Explore materials

5. Share out on Padlet

1. 3-5 big picture points

2. 1 question

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TIME ALLOTTED: 40
BIG IDEA: Variability is unavoidable and also predictable
STEPS:

1. Independent reading

2. Short direct instruction (2 slides) to reinforce reading

3. Group/partner discussion

4. Share out on padlet

IMPORTANT: I tend to assign the reading OR review the networks slide-by-slide. If I have the time, I prefer to have them read the article. Feel free to do either or both - all slides are included.

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TIME ALLOTTED: 60 Minutes
BIG IDEA: There is no such thing at an average student
STEPS:

1. Poll audience

2. Intro task

3. Cue timer

4. Discussion of average and the purpose of education

5. Establish Why

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James describes the different ways he uses these materials as well as some of the insights he shares with learners regarding network interactions

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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Learners will understand the necessity of expert learning in the 21st century.

1. Explore the characteristics of expert learners.

2. Identify personal history of expert learning.

3. Differentiate between expert learners and A students.

4. Examine current efforts to produce expert learners.

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Learners will explain what UDL is, why they are implementing it, and how it will look/sound/feel different to a specific stakeholder group.

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Learners will understand the impact of design on student motivation and performance.

Learners will describe the relationship between beliefs and motivation.

Learners will identify the steps in the process of perceiving, processing, assimilating, and retrieving information

Learners will identify negative impact of excessive cognitive load.

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Learners will collaboratively identify key themes and emerging questions from day 1

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What is all this stuff for?

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In order to minimize threats and distractions, James explains to his audience why there are cameras roaming around their professional learning event.

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Identify key barrier(s) in existing lessons
Generate strategy/ies to address the barrier(s)

1. Identify steps in the Plus One Approach

2. Identify a barrier ("pinch point") in an existing lesson

3. Apply the Plus one approach

4. Explain how a lesson has been modified to remove a barrier to the learning objective.

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Learners will develop a plan to address a problem of practice using a continuous improvement approach and UDL.

1. Describe the cycle of continuous improvement

2. Identify a common barrier to student learning

3. Develop a 4-6 week plan to employ a more flexible, supportive approach to allow students to overcome the barrier.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

# data[].attributes.body
These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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In video, James sets up the jigsaw activity for a live audience.

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UDL BOOTCAMP - 'Average Student' Activity Instructions

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Instructions from Padlet that you can use to "remake" this and other padlets in order to customize them to fit your individual needs.

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James narrates the article "Factories of Education" to provide another means of representation.

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How the Idea of a Normal Person got Invented

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How the Idea of a Normal Person got Invented

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The Myth of Average:  Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

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After group reading and discussions and comments, James explores the origins of average and provides synthesis and context.

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UDL BOOTCAMP - The Myth of 'Average' Discussion

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Materials, resources, and opportunities for furthering your learning. 

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James defines learning as being comprised of four key components.

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James explores some of the foundational precepts of what UDL is and is not in order to prevent learners from making common cognitive missteps.

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James compares and contrasts Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI).

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James discusses the importance of open movement between small groups in order to avoid unintended judgments about ability.

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A great article from CAST

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Shelley Moore's analogy for reaching all learners by teaching to the margins

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Shelley Moore: Transforming Inclusive Education

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Follow-Up to "How Bowling Changed Education"

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Follow-Up to "How Bowling Changed Education"

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James highlights important messages from Shelley Moore's video

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UDL BOOTCAMP - 'How Bowling Changed Education'

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Read this post from Understood.org

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At a glance

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) gives all students an equal opportunity to succeed.

This approach to teaching and learning offers flexibility in the ways students access material and show what they know.

UDL also looks for different ways to keep students motivated.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching and learning that gives all students equal opportunity to succeed.

To understand what UDL is, it helps to understand what it's not. The word universal may throw you off. It may sound like UDL is about finding one way to teach all students. But UDL actually takes the opposite approach.

The goal of UDL is to use a variety of teaching methods to remove any barriers to learning. It's about building in flexibility that can be adjusted for every person's strengths and needs. That's why UDL benefits all learners.

This approach to teaching or to workplace training doesn't specifically target people who learn and think differently. But it can be especially helpful for kids with these challenges - including those who have not been formally diagnosed. It can also be very helpful for English language learners.

Watch this video to see what UDL looks like in a fifth-grade classroom.

Dive deeper

Bringing universal design to the classroom

How UDL helps students who learn and think differently

About the author

About the author

Amanda Morin is the author of "The Everything Parent's Guide to Special Education" and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Ace Parsi, MPP served as the personalized learning partnership manager at NCLD.

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach to help all learners be successful. Read about UDL principals and the benefits of UDL for students.

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Hear about this teacher's motivation, philosophy, and approach to using UDL in his classroom.

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These were written by Understood.org for parents to lobby their school leaders for UDL.

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The newest version of the UDL Guidelines from CAST

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Coming soon! UDL Guidelines 3.0

The UDL Guidelines are a living, dynamic tool that is continuously developed based on new research and feedback from practitioners. In 2020, CAST launched our most recent effort to update the UDL Guidelines, with a specific focus on equity. There has been a strong call from the field-both practitioners and researchers alike-to more fully develop the Guidelines to address critical barriers rooted in biases and systems of oppression. The current update aims to respond to this call and to work toward fulfilling the promise of the Guidelines as a tool to guide the design of learning environments that more fully honor and value every learner.

Since our launch in 2020, we have been committed to a community-driven, inclusive, and transparent updating process. As part of this effort, we are:

Collaborating with an Advisory Board, a UDL Guidelines Collaborative, and a Young Adult Advisory Board to guide our work

Conducting focus groups with a diversity of participants to learn from their perspectives, lived experiences, and feedback

Reviewing the research on the UDL Guidelines research pages to understand the balance of different research fields, methodological approaches, epistemological approaches, and author positionalities

Conducting literature reviews of equity-oriented research that connect to and extend the Guidelines, such as disability studies and critical pedagogy studies

We are excited to share this next iteration of the UDL Guidelines in 2024. If you are interested in receiving our UDL Guidelines 3.0 newsletter to stay updated on our progress and to share your ideas and perspectives, please complete this brief form.

Review the Summary

Explore the Full Draft

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The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST.

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Katie Novak's take on how UDL and DI compare to each other.

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Gerry Brooks describes how to hold a party with options and select groups.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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TIME ALLOTTED: 30-40 Minutes
BIG IDEAS: Welcome, introductions, objectives, norms, etc. The key point is getting everyone familiar with Padlet, having them make a trial post, etc. so that they are ready for the rest of the work.

IMPORTANT: If you are adapting this opening to set up your own mix of modules, or even one module, then make sure to adjust the goals, agenda, etc.

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These are the slides I use, complete with the Core Values of Discipline, Ownership, and Courage. Feel free to adjust the theme (it doesn't have to be "Boot Camp") and translate the norms if need be, but your changes should still support the Goals and Objectives.

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TIME ALLOTTED: 20 MINUTES
BIG IDEAS:

The goal of UDL is to foster expert learning in all learners

Expert learning is not the same as figuring exactly what to do to get an A

If we are not producing expert learners, we are not preparing students for the world beyond school.

1. Review the goal of the guidelines

2. Explore characteristics of expert learners

3. Ask learners to relate expert learning to their own experience

4. Describe the difference between and A student and an expert learner

5. Challenge learners to reflect on current practice and it's level of success in developing expert learners.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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TIME ALLOTTED 60 MINUTES
BIG IDEA:

Review key concepts from Day 1

Synthesize learning into a concise speech for a specific audience.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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James continues with a review of "Factories of Education" and elaborating on the proposed purpose of education.

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UDL BOOTCAMP - 'Factories of Education' Discussion

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James explores the dangers of making decisions based on average and for "conflating" average with "predominant" or "majority".

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This is the quiz James currently uses in his workshops. Feel free to use this or create your own!

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TIME ALLOTTED: 60-70 MINUTES
BIG IDEA:
Explore foundational learning and motivation constructs that undergird the three principles of UDL, including:
1. Expectancy/Value Theory (Engagement)
2. Information Processing Model (Representation)
3. Executive Functions (Action and Expression)

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TIME ALLOTTED: 30-45 MINUTES
BIG IDEAS:

Review agenda, core values, and reflect on Day 1.

Provide feedback to peers on their elevator speeches.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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TIME ALLOTTED: 20 Mins
STEPS:

1. Introduce the Plus One Approach

2. Learners apply Plus One to a lesson they brought to the training.

3. Learners post their Plus One's to the evidence padlet.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section

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Learners will engage in the backwards design process, including:

developing standards-based goals and objectives

identifying potential barriers based on those goals

generating assessment options and scaffolds that support students to demonstrate proficiency

Brainstorming methods and materials to employ in the lesson in order to support students to meet the learning goals and objectives.

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TIME ALLOTTED 120-140 Minutes
The backwards design process will be introduced and then learners will engage in the first 4 steps (Goals, variability, evidence, design). Work will be shared with the group, either as a chart, a padlet entry, google doc, etc.

The final 3 steps (Deliver, reflect, revise) will be reviewed.
STEPS:

1. Introduce backwards design process

2. Goal step

1. Review elements of UDL goal

2. Relationship between goal and standard

3. Examine example goals

4. Select a standard and generate a goal aligned to the standard

3. Variability

1. Review concept

2. Identify barriers to learner-generated goals based on variability

4. Evidence

1. Create assessment with at least three areas of choice and/or scaffolding

5. Design

1. Outline lesson process, including supports specifically targeted to address identified barriers.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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Learners will explore rubrics and identify potential uses for each.
Learners will examine a lesson for evidence of, and opportunities for, UDL.

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TIME ALLOTTED: 60 mins
1. Discuss the notion that UDL is "just good teaching"
2. Review the 3 rubrics, prompting learners to identify potential uses for each.
3. Examine a lesson for evidence of UDL and generate feedback to the author.
4. Explore a model lesson from CAST
IMPORTANT
The sample lessons were used with a group of all kinder teachers. You will want to consider your audience and adjust accordingly. You could even skip the lesson review and have them make plans for using one or more rubrics when they design lessons.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.

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Learners will describe the need for empathy, experimentation, and psychological safety in order to implement UDL.

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TIME ALLOTTED: 45 Mins

1. Watch "Think like an architect - Improving design" video

2. Discuss - connect video to practice.

3. Examine why someone new to UDL might claim they "do all of this already"

4. Describe the difference between a "No, because..." and a "Yes, if..." mindset

5. Emphasize the need for psychological safety to try new things, for both students and staff.

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These are the slides used in this particular section. For a complete set of slides, check the "Workshop Basics" section.