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8 Engaging Ways to use Technology in the Classroom to Create Lessons That Aren't Boring

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Are you tired of delivering the same old lectures on the same subjects year after year? Are you using the same lesson materials over and over and wishing you could make learning in your classroom more interactive?

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Making Sense of Universal Design for Learning

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Too many educators feel that their autonomy has been taken away by standards, scripted curriculum, and ultimately, standardized testing. It doesn't have to be this way. We need our systems designed to meet the needs of our students, not a test, and give our teachers back the independence to proactively design lessons that engage and support all students.
When we teach students to become expert learners who are purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgable, and strategic and goal-directed - the goals of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - improved test results will come. Rigorous state-standards will be met. Students will be engaged, self-regulated, and more successful. Teachers will be more engaged and effective. Everyone wins.

UDL is an educational framework based on decades of neuroscience research and is endorsed by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This framework is being adopted by teachers, schools, and districts around the globe and is considered best practice for teaching ALL students in an inclusive learning environment. UDL empowers both teachers and students by putting students in charge of their own learning.

Yet, there continues to be many misunderstandings about what UDL is and is not. I've put together this infographic to help spread the word about UDL and provide some practical tips for implementing UDL. I'll be the first to say that UDL can't be learned by just looking at an infographic, but with your help, we can spread the word about this education framework that has the ability to shape the future success of all of our students.

What is UDL?

UDL is Universal Design for Learning, an education framework based on decades of research in neuroscience and endorsed by the Every Student Succeeds Act. UDL is considered best practice for teaching all students in an inclusive learning environment.

The goal of UDL is to create learners who are purposeful & motivated, resourceful & knowledgable, and strategic & goal oriented, in other words, expert learners.

Start by embracing learner variability. There is no such thing as an "average" student. Every student has different strengths and weaknesses.

With UDL, teachers transition their role to facilitator, removing barriers to learning by giving students options and choices that empower them to take control of their own learning and reach rigorous state-standards. To universally design lessons, teachers must provide multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression.

Are you ready to start learning more about UDL and integrating it into your daily practice? Enroll in one of our online courses.

Not sure where to start?
Editor's Note: This blog has been updated from its previous version first published in Dec. 2018.

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What is UDL? Infographic - Novak Educational Consulting

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Too many educators feel that their autonomy has been taken away by standards, scripted curriculum, and ultimately, standardized testing. It doesn't have to be this way. We need our systems designed to meet the needs of our students, not a test, and give our teachers back the independence to proactively design lessons that engage and support all students.

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I thought I had a pretty good handle on universal design for learning (UDL), but after chatting with Katie Novak, Ed.D., I realize I didn't understand the framework at all. Novak, author of UDL Now! A Teacher's Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning in Today's Classrooms, Second Edition and assistant superintendent of schools at the Groton-Dunstable (MA) Regional School District, helped me truly understand what UDL is and, perhaps more important, what it isn't.

Q: What exactly is UDL, and why does it matter?
A: Our classrooms today are incredibly diverse. As we embrace equity and inclusion, we have to meet the needs of all students. To do this, we have to change the way we "do" school. When I was young, we were tracked, starting in first grade, into "high" or "low" reading groups, gifted, etc. Now we know that's not good for anyone. Classes have a wide mix of strengths and weaknesses, and a one-size-fits-all curriculum does not meet most children's needs.

In 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) renewed our national focus on the least-restrictive environment. As more and more students were educated with their peers, we started to realize that having all students read the same book and take the same test doesn't work. We began providing accommodations through differentiated instruction and teachers figured out what to change or modify to accommodate "disabled" learners. Although this allowed students to access knowledge, they weren't empowered to become learners and make choices for themselves. Instead, the curriculum was compartmentalized and decisions were consistently made about students without their voice.

The UDL framework starts with the belief that every student is different and that's the norm. We call these differences "variability" and we embrace it. When students come to us differently, and they face barriers to learning, it's our curriculum that's disabled, not our students. All students have assets and strengths and goals and interests. UDL lets us offer them options and choices to create personalized pathways to meet very rigorous goals. Our job is to teach them as they come.

Q: Can you give me an example?
A: Sure. In English language arts, students need to analyze how complex characters develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot. Ten to fifteen years ago, the whole class would read The Old Man and the Sea, analyze how Santiago develops over the course of the text, and write an essay. But that doesn't tell the teacher if the students understand characterization; it only proves they can answer questions about that novel.

With UDL, you look at a traditional lesson and start by identifying the barriers. For this example, the barriers of handing out the same novel to every student could be that the reading level is too rigorous, or not challenging enough, the students lack necessary background knowledge, or visual processing is challenging. To eliminate those barriers, I would provide options like listening to the novel, providing visuals or supporting background knowledge through a video, reading with a partner, or choosing a different book. To teach about characterization, I'd provide students with the option to work individually or in small groups and offer resources and videos so they can personalize their learning and connect it to a text that's relevant, authentic, and meaningful to them.

After that, I'd ask students to express what they learned about character development by either writing an essay, creating an infographic, doing a presentation, creating a vlog, working alone or with partners, and so on. In UDL, I start with the goal and consider which options and choices students need to achieve that goal. There are numerous pathways to reach the same destination.

Q: That sounds like differentiated instruction.
A: UDL empowers students to recognize their own interests and needs and personalize learning to their standard. Differentiated instruction is about what the teacher will do, based on her perceptions of students' needs. With UDL, teachers proactively design the curriculum to eliminate barriers. Differentiated instruction emphasizes the teacher's role to address students' needs; the teacher constructs activities based on different groupings of students. UDL empowers teachers to design lessons for the broadest possible range of students.

Q: Wow; the two are really quite different. Tell me more about UDL.
A: With UDL, we let students make choices and then participate in a self-assessment. They learn how their choices allowed them to work toward their goals so they can make adjustments and learn about what works and what doesn't.

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I thought I had a pretty good handle on universal design for learning (UDL), but after chatting with Katie Novak, Ed.D., I realize I didn't understand the framework at all. Novak, author of UDL Now!

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UDL & Autism (Read Chapter 2 in this excerpt)

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UDL & Autism (Read Chapter 2 in this excerpt)

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Sensory Supports are physical activities that can be calming or arousing in order to support students in getting to a "just right" state for being in school, safe and learning-ready. The Theory of Sensory Integration describes how the nervous system reacts to sensation, gets information from it, integrates the information from different senses and uses it to make an appropriate response for a particular situation. Often, if there is a problem in part of this process, a student can: be over or under reactive to noise or touch, have poor attention, be irritable, be over-reactive, be lethargic or have difficulty developing skills. Some students need sheltering from sensory experiences that they perceive as excessively distressing or distracting (noise, light, touch, etc). Others need sensory experiences that help the nervous system organize itself to decrease negative reactions and allow the student to participate more fully and productively at school.

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A sensory poster with calming sensory activities. This resource can help students and staff choose appropriate sensory activities to help students regulate their body., Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Subjects Behavior & SEL.

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Flexible Classrooms: Providing the Learning Environment That Kids Need

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Supporting & Developing Executive Function

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Supporting & Developing Executive Function

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Thought starters

1. How can you build hand gestures into lesson planning?

2. How can you encourage your students to use hand gestures?

3. Why is this strategy especially useful for English Language Learners?

School Details

Glen Park Elementary School
151 Lippard Avenue
San Francisco CA 94131

Data Provided By:

Teachers

English Language Arts Math Science Social Studies Arts / 2 / Teacher

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Anna Dearlove explains how she uses hand gestures to clarify language. She says that this practice supports all learners, especially her English Language Learners. She even encourages the students to use gestures to explain their own thinking. This is an easy practice to start using right away.

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Universal Design for Learning: Multiple Means of Representation. FLDRS Production

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eHarcourtSchool.com has been retired and is no longer accessible. Because of the age of this application, the programs supported by this platform are not able to benefit from the technological improvements in accessibility, security, and HMTL5 (non-Flash) that we have incorporated into our newer programs and platforms in recent years.

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Make on-brand videos with the leading online video maker. Biteable is the leading solution for creating concise, engaging, on-brand video content.

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QA International launched , a new valuable resource to learn Spanish. Includes 17 all-around themes to explore, including the human body, sciences and food. MORE

From the image to the word and its definition, the Visual Dictionary Online is an all-in-one reference. Search the themes to quickly locate words, or find the meaning of a word by viewing the image it represents. What's more, the Visual Dictionary Online helps you learn English in a visual and accessible way. The Visual Dictionary Online is ideal for teachers, parents, translators and students of all skill levels. Explore the Visual Dictionary Online and enrich your mind. Perfect for home, school or work. Discover a visual world of information!

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QA International launched , a new valuable resource to learn Spanish. Includes 17 all-around themes to explore, including the human body, sciences and food. MORE From the image to the word and its definition, the Visual Dictionary Online is an all-in-one reference.

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Book Creator - Love Learning - Book Creator app

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Teachers love it. Students love it. Book Creator is the simplest, most inclusive way to create content in the classroom.

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AEM Center - National Center on Accessible Educational Materials at CAST

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The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials for Learning at CAST provides technical assistance, coaching, and resources to increase the availability and use of accessible educational materials and technologies for learners with disabilities across the lifespan.

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(Sample)

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*If you see some strategies you like, contact one of your school's Inclusive Practice Leaders (you have 2!) to be able to access ALL of these links!

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*If you see some strategies you like, contact one of your school's Inclusive Practice Leaders (you have 2!) to be able to access ALL of these links!

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*If you see some strategies you like, contact one of your school's Inclusive Practice Leaders (you have 2!) to be able to access ALL of these links!

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*If you see some strategies you like, contact one of your school's Inclusive Practice Leaders (you have 2!) to be able to access ALL of these links!

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*If you see some strategies you like, contact one of your school's Inclusive Practice Leaders (you have 2!) to be able to access ALL of these links!

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*If you see some strategies you like, contact one of your school's Inclusive Practice Leaders (you have 2!) to be able to access ALL of these links!

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.