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How is UDL like bowling?

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Shelley Moore: Transforming Inclusive Education

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Presentation by Todd Rose

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5th Grade Science Lesson about the cell

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Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale

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A video that demonstrates the power of engagement and the connection between purpose and learning

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Highlights how context matters and the impact of Universal Design

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Why We Need Universal Design | Michael Nesmith | TEDxBoulder

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Sustaining Effort and Persistence

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Examples of inclusion

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I don't know which side of the fence you are on regarding inclusive education. And for all intents and purposes...it does not matter. This post could just as easily have been called, No...Really...I'm Not Crazy...Inclusive Education Works! Usually, when I talk to people who are not familiar with the idea of having students with disabilities (including significant disabilities) in the general education setting, they say they are having a hard time "wrapping their head around it" or want to see "what it actually looks like." So...just for those of you who need to see it to believe it, I have picked out five videos that will most definitely change your mind about whether inclusive education is really a good thing or not (or at least they should).

Including Issac is a 13-minute video about a boy with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and his story of inclusion in a private Christian school in Michigan. It takes commitment from a school on all levels to make inclusive education work for students with significant disabilities and this a clear example of how coming together for the benefit of one student can benefit all students. Watch this beautifully filmed and powerful video.

This video was made by the Georgia Department of Education (2011) to highlight a pilot inclusive education program for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in cooperation with Cobb County Schools. Check out the follow-up video to see how Damian progressed through his 4th-grade year (from 2014).

Thasya Lumingkewas, 8, has autism and thrives at Maple Wood Elementary School in Somersworth, NH. The school has implemented Response to Intervention (RtI), Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This film highlights the power of presuming competence, differentiated instruction and augmentative and alternative communication.

Every year since Kindergarten, Tana Vogele has been included in general education classrooms despite her significant physical and intellectual disabilities. Watch this compelling video about the friendships that have been nurtured during her 4th grade year and what inclusion does to a classroom and school community.

This short film (16:39) focuses on Axel Cortes and the staff at Idelhurst Elementary School in Somersworth, NH. Axel is a fifth grader with autism who is non-verbal and exhibited significant behavioral challenges when he arrived at school. Axel came to Idelhurst during his 5th grade year from another school where he was exclusively in self-contained settings and was being taught preschool/kindergarten level. Through effective implementation of supports - including AAC, UDL, RtI, social stories, visual schedules and positive behavioral supports - Axel was able to learn 5th grade general education curriculum in a general education classroom within a few months. His challenging behaviors also decreased, and he thrived through interaction and engagement with 'typical' peers. Once Axel had an effective means of communication, the staff found that Axel was was bilingual and bi-literate (his family speaks Spanish at home).

This film illustrates the potential for students with significant cognitive disabilities to achieve high academic outcomes. The film has received support from the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC).

The video shows how Axel accesses his environment via Augmentative and Alternative Communication as well as how his classmates accept him into their community. Watch how Axel is learning to type independently and makes strides with communicating his wants and needs in the general education setting.

Sometimes we need to see examples of inclusion to really understand that it is possible and happening all over the world. Perhaps you are the one who can influence your local school to implement inclusive practices.

Tim Villegas is the Director of Communications for MCIE. Editor-in-Chief of Think Inclusive, and the host of the Think Inclusive Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @TheRealTimVegas.

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5 Videos That Will Change Your Mind About Inclusive Education

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Sometimes you need to see it to believe it. So here are five videos that will most definitely change your mind about inclusive education.

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Overview video

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Solution Tree: Rick DuFour on Groups vs. Teams

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Example of designing with the edges in mind

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TEDx Talk by Todd Rose

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The Myth of Average:  Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty

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Pre-Assess how your administration provides supports for implementing UDL

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A Tale of Four Districts

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Of District Implementation

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District Implementation with Student Data over time

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Classroom lookfors

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Self-assessment for teachers

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Does UDL have research supporting it?

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Is UDL primarily used to support students with disabilities?

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UDL just sounds like good teaching. How is this different from what I already do?

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How can I implement UDL with little or no technology?

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How does UDL differ from personalized learning or differentiated instruction?

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How do I have time to incorporate UDL into my lesson planning or class time

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Will my students be prepared for standardized assessments?

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Applying UDL to Disability Service Provision

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Applying UDL to Disability Service Provision

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Have questions or comments? Looking for more resources?

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Have questions or comments? Looking for more resources?

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Email nicole@lessoncast.com

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Nicole Tucker-Smith's background information

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UDL Introduction
Please download by Sept. 30

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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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Download to access hyperlinks

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National Center on Universal Design for Learning

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Universal Design for Learning at McGill University

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Universal Design for Learning at McGill University

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Intersections Brief

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Intersections Brief

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Intersections Brief

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When the Barriers Aren’t Just Physical (Published 2016)

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The first school we tried was wheelchair-accessible, but there were still barriers. Luckily, the second one found other ways to let my son in.

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Your First Step Toward a UDL-designed Classroom: Change How You Think About Barriers

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Your First Step Toward a UDL-designed Classroom: Change How You Think About Barriers

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Happy Tuesday, #TeamInclusion! I have a guest post today that co-teachers and UDL advocates will want to read and share. It's by Dr. Deborah Taub, a UDL/inclusive ed expert and the Director of Research and Programs at Keystone Assessment. Through some short but powerful vignettes, she shows us what's possible when co-teachers embrace UDL principles while planning instruction for students with special needs.

After you read this, tell us your experience: Does instructional planning in your school sound more like the first or second example? What are your barriers, if any, to adopting the planning approach Mrs. Summers and Mr. Harris took? What resources can we develop to help you? Read on, and then share your thoughts in the comments below!

***

There are often two questions about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that I hear when training:

Why would I do this? It is no different from differentiated instruction, and

How in the world would I do this? It is huge!

Two quick vignettes of teachers planning for instruction illustrate the answer to both questions.

Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Snyder are planning instruction for Dawn, a student with complex instructional needs who is included in Ms. Jacobs' English class.

Ms. Jacobs: We are reading The Giver for the next couple of weeks. The students will be creating a timeline of a historical event and examining how it connects to their lives as a part of the social studies curriculum.

Mr. Snyder: Dawn can't read, so I don't think The Giver is going to be possible for her. And the subject matter doesn't really connect to her daily life so maybe I'll give her an adapted copy of Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge instead. It also deals with the importance of memories and forgetting and it is written at a second grade reading level so it should be easier to understand than The Giver.

Ms. Jacobs: Oh, that is a great idea. And maybe her timeline could be sequencing from her daily schedule instead of from history?

Now compare these teachers to Mrs. Summers and Mr. Harris, who are also planning for a student with complex instructional needs included in Mrs. Summers' English class.

Mrs. Summers: We are working on the themes and ideas in The Giver. The students will be creating a timeline of a historical event and examining how it connects to their lives as a part of the social studies curriculum.

Mr. Harris: I love that book-but it can be a bit of a barrier for some of our students unless we pair it with some accessibility supports. We can easily get some adapted versions of The Giver and maybe offer students the opportunity to partner read or use their online text readers.

Mrs. Summers: Yes, that makes sense. We may want to highlight key words or pictures to summarize the main points for some of our students who will still need additional help. And while we are at it, let's think about how to make it a bit more engaging for some of our students...maybe we can start with timelines related to their own lives and then move from there to historical events that shaped their world instead of from a historical event to themselves. It can go both ways.

Mr. Harris: Plus we could use some online timeline creation tools, pictures, or text-based timelines to provide students with lots of ways to engage with the timeline and get interested in the task.

The difference between these two conversations is subtle, but it illustrates one of the key ways differentiated instruction and UDL differ-as well as one of the biggest leaps teachers need to make if they are going to move to UDL-designed curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The biggest difference (and the most vital change teachers need to make to move to UDL-designed curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment) is moving from the idea that the student is what creates barriers to learning to the idea that the curriculum, instruction, materials, and assessment create the barriers. And, while the conversations above may seem only minutely different, the belief that the student has the potential to access and make progress toward any goal significantly changes the way teachers approach planning, instruction, and assessment.

Consider the classic study by Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968) that examined how student performance and teacher expectations were tied together. They found that "when we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur" (Rosenthal and Babad, 1985). Our instructional decisions are based on our expectations, even if we are not necessarily consciously aware of them.

When we work from the premise that the barrier is within the student, then our job as educators is to fix the student so he can access instruction and materials. This belief sets up limits for all the things a school system can't change about a student: missing limbs, intellectual disabilities, an impoverished home, language and cultural differences, etc. When we work from the premise that barriers are within the instruction and materials, then our job as educators is to change instruction and materials to remove and reduce those barriers. We, as educators and school systems have control over those things.

This doesn't mean it isn't difficult. Looking at creating a UDL classroom may seem absolutely overwhelming. Consider the CAST website for their curriculum self-check: it is HUGE. There are so many things to think about. And then, on top of that, for students with complex learning needs you are still probably going to need to add some individualized supports on top of the universally designed curriculum, like Mrs. Summers and Mr. Harris did when they added summarized text or pictures to represent key concepts and ideas from the full text. Conceptualizing the barrier as being within the curriculum, instruction and materials rather than the student may seem overwhelming for what initially seems like a tiny difference in how these two sets of teachers plan and teach. In my experience though, it is that single key difference that helps create a UDL classroom. It is that single key difference that improves students' opportunities to learn and sets up systems that improve student performance. In addition, it is that key difference that sets the stage for inclusive practices. So, if you want to build an inclusive classroom, the biggest step you can take is to change how you think about barriers.

Want to hear more from Deborah Taub? Be sure to check out this podcast she did on alternate assessment over at Think Inclusive, and this post on leaving behind the notion of inclusion as a place.

More on presuming the competence of all learners: "Presuming Competence: What It Is, What It Looks Like"

Deborah Taub is Director of Research and Programs at Keystone Assessment, where she provides research and professional development assistance for states, territories, and other entities working to develop and sustain best practice. She has assisted states in building and evaluating systemic programs, especially around issues of inclusive practice for students with complex instructional needs, such as those with low incidence disabilities or who are dually identified as having a disability and ELL. Dr. Taub has designed, implemented, and evaluated alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities, developed UDL and standards-based curricula and instruction, and conducted validity and alignment evaluations. She's an advisory member of National Center for Universal Design for Learning's UDL Taskforce, and a member of the TASH Inclusive Education Committee and the Council for Exceptional Children's CCSS Advisory Group.

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Your first step toward a UDL-designed classroom: Change how you think about barriers (Guest post) - Brookes Blog

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Happy Tuesday, #TeamInclusion! I have a guest post today that co-teachers and UDL advocates will want to read and share. It's by Dr. Deborah Taub, a UDL/inclusive ed expert and the Director of Research and Programs at Keystone Assessment. Through some short but powerful vignettes, she shows us what's possible when co-teachers embrace UDL principles [...]

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Explore topics about ADHD, dyslexia, and learning disabilities. Learn about focus, hyperactivity, executive function skills, and trouble with reading, writing, and math.

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How to Supercharge 5 Traditional Teaching Strategies with UDL

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How to Supercharge 5 Traditional Teaching Strategies with UDL

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If you're an educator who swears by traditional, tried-and-true teaching strategies, the idea of embracing universal design for learning (UDL) might be a little overwhelming. But UDL doesn't have to equal a top-to-bottom overhaul of everything you're doing now. With a little planning, it can also fit right in with traditional teaching strategies-and infuse your lesson plans with new life and energy.

Today's post shows how five teachers weave UDL into commonly used teaching methods: lectures, Q&As, drill and practice, class discussions, and problem solving. You'll learn about practical ways to:

foster collaboration and community

recruit learners' interest

optimize choice and autonomy

display information in multiple ways

help students monitor their own progress

guide students' information processing

and more

(These examples were adapted from by Patti Kelly Ralabate, a guidebook that walks K-12 educators through the entire UDL lesson planning process, from developing learning goals to monitoring student progress.)

Lectures are a great way to share a large amount of information with a big group in a short amount of time. But they can also be unengaging for learners and are less likely to lead to deep understanding of the material. Here's how Kelly punches up her lectures with UDL strategies (she's a college professor, but middle and high school teachers can try these approaches, too):

Kelly starts her lectures with a provocative question or quote to recruit her learners' interest.

She begins with a KWL exercise (what do you know, want to know, what did you learn?) to activate background knowledge.

She keeps her lectures to 15 to 20 minutes and builds in opportunities for short peer-to-peer discussions or pause-and-reflect events every 5 to 10 minutes. This gives learners a chance to act on the new information and move it from short-term memory to working memory and to long-term memory.

During pauses, she asks learners to respond to questions by a show of hands or another classroom assessment technique.

Kelly provides a lecture guide that organizes content into chunks to guide information processing.

To clarify novel vocabulary, an important strategy for English language learners, Kelly includes a glossary.

Slides help Kelly display information in an alternative way. She uses bullets, graphics, and bold font on slides to highlight critical features and big ideas. Her slides are uncluttered and contain no more than four to six lines of text. That way, she can set the text in 24-point font, large enough to be visible from the back row.

Kelly makes her slides available before or during her lectures so students can follow along and individuals with visual impairments can use a screen reader to translate the information.

Kelly is careful not to use color (particularly red and orange) to convey information, because this makes it less accessible to learners who are colorblind.

Q&As are an ancient and effective teaching technique. They help teachers assess student comprehension and help students with information processing and the transfer and generalization of content. Here's how Luis, a high school social studies teacher, infuses UDL into his Q&A sessions with students.

Luis uses multiple ways to display models of the types of questions that students can ask him or each other. He communicates these models on the whiteboard, an easy-to-read wall chart, and placards at each group's table.

After he provides students with content in a variety of ways (e.g., text, readings, video, narrated slides, topical blogs), Luis holds an "interrogation" session, when students can ask him questions on the topic.

To foster collaboration and community, groups of students develop the interrogation questions.

To optimize challenge, Luis uses "call sticks"-which he refers to as the Question Lottery-to determine when each group will ask questions. Students enjoy the unpredictable aspect of the Question Lottery.

Luis promotes high expectations to optimize motivation by assigning a question type to a group. Sometimes he optimizes choice and autonomy by letting students choose their own question types.

Learner groups are encouraged to use multiple tools to display their questions-prompt cards, slides, or online tools.

To build comprehension and maximize transfer, each student in Luis's class takes a turn at notetaking for the rest of the class. The notes are shared via a class wiki or through printed copies.

Drill and practice may not be every student's favorite way to learn, but it's still used widely to help students move novel content from working memory into long-term memory. Here's how Kathleen, a speech-language pathologist, works UDL strategies into her drill-and-practice methods to reinforce what general education teachers have taught.

To develop self-assessment and reflection, each learner has a speech-language binder for his or her work products. In the front of the binder is a chart with each student's personal learning goals (written in student-friendly language).

To enhance their capacity to monitor their own progress, Kathleen has learners routinely check their progress charts and report the goals they're working on as their session begins.

Kathleen carefully sets up the learning environment to minimize distractions so students can be successful.

Kathleen offers timely, meaningful, mastery-oriented feedback to guide students in charting their own progress.

To reinforce lesson content and optimize relevance, Kathleen uses multiple materials, including authentic demonstrations, short videos, digital tools, and apps designed to reinforce new information.

Kathleen plans sessions that gradually decrease the scaffolds and supports necessary for learners to communicate effectively.

Discussions are a time-honored learning technique; they help build comprehension of the material as they foster collaboration and community. Here's how James, a career-technology educator specializing in automobile technology, infuses UDL strategies into class discussions:

First, the students divide into pairs with one student (who plays the role of the technician) explaining the problem to the other (who plays the role of the uninformed client).

Learners share their experiences and observations with the entire class, highlighting patterns, critical features, and big ideas of their paired discussions.

James draws this information out with discussion probes that he posts for all the students to view.

As the students share with the class, James provides an alternative for the auditory information, guides information processing, and promotes understanding across languages by using a whiteboard to display specific points.

Problem solving and mental modeling-teaching learners how to visualize and solve puzzles you pose for them-helps learners move information from working memory to long-term memory. Here's how Nick, a middle school science teacher, pairs problem-solving with UDL strategies in his lesson on kinetic and potential energy:

Nick offers a variety of media resources to illustrate energy transformation and build or activate background knowledge. Students can choose to view a video about the transfer of energy, operate an interactive app demonstrating how energy transforms during a roller coaster ride, or read a short article about the kinetic and potential energy of a golf ball.

To guide information processing, Nick distributes a detailed guide and discusses the steps in developing a mental model using multiple media, including the whiteboard and passages from the science text.

Nick asks students to construct and illustrate mental models of the energy transformation involved as objects of various sizes are dropped onto a chute. He encourages students to use multiple tools to draw their mental models.

To foster collaboration and optimize challenge, students share their ideas in small, diverse groups.

On their way out, Nick's students complete exit tickets to monitor their learning

Do you have your own experience with weaving UDL into traditional teaching strategies? Tell us your best tips in the comments below!

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How to Supercharge 5 Traditional Teaching Strategies with UDL - Brookes Blog

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If you're an educator who swears by traditional, tried-and-true teaching strategies, the idea of embracing universal design for learning (UDL) might be a little overwhelming. But UDL doesn't have to equal a top-to-bottom overhaul of everything you're doing now. With a little planning, it can also fit right in with traditional teaching strategies-and infuse your [...]

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PreK-12: Instructor-Led Course

In this introductory online course for preK-12 educators, participants learn the research basis for UDL, practical applications of UDL to lesson design, and helpful technology tools that support flexible, inclusive instruction.

Monday, September 11 - Monday, December 11, 2023

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Find out more about CAST. We're busting barriers to learning, until learning has no limits®.

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Overview Video

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UDL in Higher Education

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When it comes to learning, variability is the rule not the exception. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that guides the design of learning goals, materials, methods, and assessments as well as the policies surrounding these curricular elements with the diversity of learners in mind.

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When it comes to learning, variability is the rule not the exception. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that guides the design of learning goals, materials, methods, and assessments as well as the policies surrounding these curricular elements with the diversity of learners in mind.

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UDL Theory and Practice book

UDL Myths and Facts

Visual Concept Map

UDL Exchange

National Center on UDL

BookBuilder

CAST free learning tools

BCSC Tech Tools

UDL Strategies from Goalbook

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Skip to Main Content

About UDL-Universe

Developed as a project of the California State University system, UDL-Universe (UDL-U) supports postsecondary faculty and staff by providing resources and examples to improve postsecondary education for all students, including those with disabilities. UDL-U is designed to be useful for individual inquiries related to small UDL topics, issues, or problems, as well as scalable to larger faculty development efforts (e.g., Faculty Learning Communities). UDL-U frames course redesign as a three-tier professional development process:

Application of UDL principles to enhance teaching and learning

Utilization of accessible instructional media and practices

Awareness of assistive technology enablers and barriers

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

UDL-U Faculty Development Curricula

The following guides support various levels of UDL professional development and course redesign. Each guide offers numerous resources including: campus promotional materials, UDL session planners, UDL curricula, UDL course implementation exemplars, and evaluation instruments. These resources have been successfully utilized by numerous postsecondary institutions in support of enhanced teaching and learning, for all students.

Throughout UDL-U, you will find content boxes that will provide faculty developers with additional strategies and resources for leading the implementation of UDL at your institution. These boxes are identified by an orange colored header, as well as the title "Faculty Developer Tips."

UDL Universe Site Attributions

This site and contents of this site were originally developed through the Ensuring Access through Collaboration and Technology ( about EnACT) project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (P333A-080027). Additional funding has been provided through California State University, Academic Technology Services.

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LibGuides: UDL-Universe: A Comprehensive Faculty Development Guide: Home

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LibGuides: UDL-Universe: A Comprehensive Faculty Development Guide: Home

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Webinar: UDL Now! Revised with Katie Novak

Webinar: UDL and Cultural Variability

Webinar: UDL Planning for Lessons and Collaboration

Top  10 UDL Tips for Designing an Engaging Learning Environment

Top 5 UDL Tips for Reducing Stereotype Threat

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For comparing and contrasting, lining up parallel differences, and highlighting patterns

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for Reading Comprehension

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Checking for Student Understanding Cards

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Checking for Student Understanding Cards

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Leveling the Playing Field: Sharing Learning Targets and Criteria for Success

UDL Case Study: Goals

Using UDL to Accurately Assess Student Progress

Creative Approaches to Assessment from a UDL Lens

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                                                                                                                                  Universal Design for Learning and Lesson Planning

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                                                                                                                                  Universal Design for Learning and Lesson Planning

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Top 10 Tips for Developing Learning Goals

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Top 10 Tips for Developing Learning Goals

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https://padlet.com/CASTUDL/LookingForUDL

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Resources by Principles, Guidelines, and Checkpoints

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Resources by Principles, Guidelines, and Checkpoints

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(download as a PDF)

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https://padlet.com/jeff_marks/THEUDL

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I really struggle when someone asks me, "What does UDL look like?" It is not because I don't know the answer. It's because I don't know what it looks like for YOU. As the brilliant Dr. Liz Berquist explains in UDL: Moving from Exploration to Integration ,

"Because the implementation of UDL is variable and unique - in this sense it is a model of UDL itself. UDL looks different in every learning environment, just as it looks different in every school, district, and state. Although there are patterns to be found in this variability, there is no right way to implement the UDL framework."

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is not just a framework for curriculum design. It is a belief that all students are capable of learning and that instructional methods, when implemented intentionally, can help all students succeed.

So, maybe the better question to ask is, "What are the patterns of UDL?"

To put it simply, when teachers implement UDL, students have choices. And those choices allow all students to access rigorous, standards-based curriculum. What kind of choices? There are four interrelated components of a UDL curriculum and when implemented well, students have choice in all four areas. First, let's unpack those four areas.

Four Components of a UDL Curriculum

Goals

As CAST notes, "within the UDL framework, goals themselves are articulated in a way that acknowledges learner variability and differentiates goals from means." Oftentimes, teachers create goals that include embedded methods. For example, "All students will learn how to write arguments by giving a persuasive speech about which new club belongs in our school." When teachers can step back and see the goal, "Write arguments," they could provide numerous choices for students to achieve that goal that doesn't require all students to stand up in class and read a speech about a club. Ask yourself this: Is the standard actually requiring that students all do the exact same thing in the same way? (The answer is always no!)

Methods

Methods are the instructional decisions, approaches, procedures, or routines that expert teachers use to accelerate or enhance learning. Oftentimes, however, all students are expected to follow the same procedures in how they learn or express their knowledge (read a short blog on UDL and the Death of Lecturing ).

Materials

Materials are usually seen as the media used to present learning content and what the learner uses to demonstrate knowledge, but oftentimes, the same materials are provided to all students. I call this "packet syndrome." CAST calls it, "one-size-fits-all," teaching and learning.

Assessments

Assessments are an expression of student learning. When designing assessments, it's critical that teachers consider exactly what students need to know and do and then strip away any specific methods that have been tied to the goal. Essentially, when reviewing your standards, you will ask yourself, "How will students provide evidence that they met the goal? Can they have choices?"

Translating the UDL Principles into Choice

Now that you have a better sense of the types of choices you're looking for, you may still be wondering how each of the principles of UDL translates into choices for students. The following may be helpful.

Engagement

Students are engaged in authentic, relevant learning opportunities.

What does this look like?

There is a clear culture that values creativity, risk-taking, growth mindset and the fact that there are many ways to arrive at the same destination but that the journey is different for everyone.

A daily agenda or checklist is provided to help students monitor their progress.

Classroom arrangement is set up for minimal distractions.

Students are allowed to work collaboratively. Teachers may facilitate Paideia seminars, Socratic circles, etc...

Engaging choices for assignments: simulations, mock interviews, poetry slams, blogs, debates, etc... are offered regularly if not daily.

Students have an opportunity to personalize their goals. For example, if students are writing arguments, they are all writing about topics of interest to them, exploring the resources that work for them, and express what they know with an authentic product.

Rich, mastery-oriented feedback is provided from teachers and peers consistently - including feedback from students to teachers so they can become an integral part of the design and delivery of their own instruction.

There are many opportunities for students to self-assess their progress, make changes if necessary, and get feedback on how to continue to work toward their goals so they can make better decisions about methods and materials in the future.

Teachers are monitoring the classroom to keep students on task, helping them stay organized and prevent frustration, but students also collaborate to push each other to continue to apply effort and persistence.

Representation

Content and skills are presented in multiple ways and students have a choice about which methods and materials to use to reach the goal.

What does this look like?

Learning objectives or standards are posted and visible to students so they know what the ultimate goal is. Teacher explains the standard to students and its rationale. All students could tell an observer the goal of the lesson.

More than one presentation method is apparent and students are accessing different experiences: lecture, reading text, audio, video, reciprocal teaching. If there is one predominant presentation method, there are additional representations embedded (i.e, teachers read directions while projecting them with a document camera, or students watch a video with closed captioning.)

Teachers pre-teach vocabulary and activate prior knowledge. May use Frayer models, vocabulary tables, images etc...

Teachers provide opportunities or stations where students can learn information on their own (i.e, read a text, view a video, listen to audio, work in a collaborative group, etc...)

Teachers use Powerpoint, Prezi, Glogster, the online textbook, Youtube, or other presentation software to present content. This integrates visuals, audio, and text.

Teacher uses diagrams, charts, and images throughout the lesson. Does not only rely on text.

Allows students to access technology (IPads, Nooks, etc...) so they can customize the display of information.

As students read or do research, teachers remind them to highlight patterns, critical features, and/or big ideas. Not just reading text without scaffolds.

Model note-taking while presenting information (i.e, Cornell notes or slotted notes).

Teachers use some sort of a system like Google Classroom or a Learning Management System (LMS) like Canvas to display and deliver classroom content and activities so that it is available both in class and out of class so that students are able to access the information whenever they need or want it. This access will be available to parents as well.

Expression

Students are provided with choice and/or scaffolding when expressing their knowledge in formative and summative assessments.

What does this look like?

Not all students are completing the same assessments in the same way (but it's because they made the decision - not just the teacher). For example, if all students are asked to solve an equation, students may have the choice of using math reference sheets, manipulatives, calculators, scratch paper, in small groups, with a partner, etc....If students are working toward a written task, they may have the choice of writing on paper, using a device, accessing a graphic organizer, exemplar, rubric, etc...

When teaching specific methods, such as solving an algebraic equation or writing an essay, teacher provides the following: work exemplars, rubrics, frequent mastery-oriented feedback, and all necessary resources and materials necessary to complete assignment (i.e, textbooks, pencils, paper.) but not all students have to use the same methods or materials. It's up to them to self-reflect and create strategies that will allow them to meet the goal.

Teachers may offer engaging choices for assessments, so students can express their knowledge or skills in many different ways: simulations, mock interviews, poetry slams, blogs, debates, essays, multimedia presentations, etc...

Teachers use think-pair-share, private think time, partner tasks, exit tickets or other dipsticking methods so all students are assessed daily.

Teachers have multiple methods of assessing student knowledge when working toward content standards. May be a combination of the following: debates, Socratic circles, essays, objective tests, projects, skits, lab reports, journals, etc...

UDL in Action

Check out the following videos and consider how these teachers provide students with choices by using the UDL Guidelines. Remember, you don't have to do what these teachers do to implement UDL, but you will see that there are patterns between them.

In UDL-topia, students have choices in goals, methods, materials and assessments, and these choices are both engaging and accessible. But early UDL implementation may be only focused on providing choices in one or more areas, so when you're looking for the UDL principles in action, you may see glimpses in a class that is not yet universally designed for all learners to be able to personalize their learning experience in meaningful ways. So, how do you move from point A to point B? As with all things UDL, you need to personalize that process for you and your students, and that starts with asking them for their feedback.

In UDL, student voice is optimized. Strong UDL practice starts with collaborating with students to ask students what they need to be successful. David Rose once said,
"Teaching, at its core, is emotional work."
I truly believe that students know what they need to be successful and that everything that they need to follow their passion and achieve their dreams is inside of them. We as educators have a tremendous opportunity to learn more about our teaching from our students if we are open and ask the right questions and listen to their answers.

So, here is my official answer, if all students are working toward the same rigorous standards but making choices that allow them to honor their strengths, challenge themselves and follow their passions, then that's what UDL looks like.

Dive deeper into UDL. Explore our range of online courses, all universally designed.
Editor's Note: This post has been updated from its original publication.

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Million Dollar Question: What Does UDL Look Like?

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What is UDL and What does it look like in a classroom? An overview of examples and real-life applications of Universal Design for Learning in the classroom

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Another Version of the Number Simulation Activity

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Another Version of the Number Simulation Activity

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