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This resource contains excellent information regarding the benefits of UDL with supporting professional research. It is relevant because it explains WHY we should be utilizing UDL into our classrooms.

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UDL to Change the World (Video)-Open in new browser for Closed Captioning 

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UDL to Change the World (Video)-Open in new browser for Closed Captioning 

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This video contains short testimonials from UDL practitioners sharing their positive experiences incorporating these techniques. It is relevant because it shows REAL people and their excitement about UDL.

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This website provides a general overview of important pieces of UDL. It is relevant because it provides a basic outline of expectations and importance.

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Universal Design for Learning | Center for Teaching Innovation

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Universal design for learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that works to accommodate the needs and abilities of all learners and eliminates unnecessary hurdles in the learning process. This means developing a flexible learning environment in which information is presented in multiple ways, students engage in learning in a variety of ways, and students are provided options when demonstrating their learning.

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This image shows a brief overview of the three principles of Universal Design for Learning. It is relevant because these are three key areas to consider when designing lessons and materials.

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Universal Design for Learning and Equitable Access (Video)-Open in new browser for Closed Captioning 

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Universal Design for Learning and Equitable Access (Video)-Open in new browser for Closed Captioning 

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This video presenting Dr. Novak shares how UDL can provide Tier 1 intervention supports that support MTSS initiatives. This video is relevant because it shares how UDL can help meet individual learner needs.

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4 Principles of a Universal Design for Learning Approach (Website)

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4 Principles of a Universal Design for Learning Approach (Website)

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This article shares how the use of UDL can add variability within the classroom and create individualized learning experiences for students. This article is relevant because as teachers, we need to ensure our lessons are not only interesting and engaging, but that the information is presented in ways that make sense to the students.

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Differentiated Instruction

Teachers can encourage high school students' success by focusing on learner variability and creating customizable learning experiences.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that guides educators in designing learning experiences that meet the needs of all learners. It helps teachers move from a one-size-fits-all approach toward one that adapts to learner variability. UDL embraces the idea that we should have firm goals for students-using flexible means to reach those goals. The result is more equitable and engaging classrooms.

How do I know Ted would embrace UDL?

At its core, UDL is a mindset, or set of beliefs, that guides educators in everything they do. And Ted has that mindset. It's all about believing-in students and their potential; in the importance of the process as much as the result; and in the power of continual growth, reflection, and lifelong learning.

Begin by Embracing Four Beliefs

While we become teachers to positively impact students, it's easy to feel overwhelmed with day-to-day challenges, especially in these past few years. Still, ask any teacher, and they'll say that the goal of education is more than just helping students acquire and regurgitate knowledge. Instead, we want to equip children with tools for success-show them how to reach their goals and prepare them for ever-changing jobs and a world we can't quite imagine. So how can we do this?

I won't pretend it's easy, but it's crucial to commit to the UDL mindset in order to have success. Embracing the following four beliefs is the first step in designing learning experiences that serve all students.

1. All students can reach the high expectations we set. When we set firm goals for all students, we're sending the message that we believe they're capable. We start by clearly identifying the goals we're focusing on. Then, reflect honestly: Do we truly believe that every student can reach these goals?

As a teacher, I involved students in tracking and monitoring their goals by creating digital Data Notebooks where we tracked academic, behavioral, and other goals. We had frequent one-on-one check-ins and monitored these together. These opportunities to conference around goals made them more manageable and helped us all stay committed to them.

2. Barriers to success exist in the system, not in the students. After firm goals are set, we need to recognize that external barriers can prevent students from being successful. Therefore, we need to be flexible by providing multiple pathways for students to reach their goals. When planning, we can ask ourselves, "What barriers might arise within each of these factors: curriculum, teaching methods, resources, materials, and assessments?"

Multiple means of engagement: Learners vary in how they are motivated and want to engage in learning, so we can provide multiple options for engagement.

Multiple means of representation: Learners perceive and comprehend information differently, so we can provide multiple options for acquiring knowledge.

Multiple means of action and expression: Learners vary in how they navigate learning and express what they know, so we can provide multiple options for them to demonstrate learning.

When teaching, I aimed to address many barriers before we began a unit. Sometimes students didn't have background knowledge, so we'd cover relevant topics and skills at the start. Other times, content wasn't academically interesting or culturally relevant, so we found ways to tie it to their lives. I realized that many students needed clearer directions, checklists, and check-ins, so I created systems within our classroom to address this.

3. Learner variability is the norm, so a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work. We can empower students with choices and autonomy so that they can overcome those barriers and reach their goals. This belief allows us to embrace the three UDL principles that help us design more accessible, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences:

We can put these principles into practice in many ways. Are there opportunities for students to have choice in what topic they study and how they take in information (reading, listening, watching)? Can we create scaffolds for students? Or offer choices in how they demonstrate their learning?

When I created units, I started by looking at our goals and brainstorming ways in which I could offer students autonomy that would still lead them to those goals. Sometimes, they chose their own text or topic. Other times, I offered materials in multiple modalities for them to choose from: reading, watching, and/or listening. Lastly, I saw so much creativity and engagement when students had a choice over how they demonstrated their learning-for example, choosing between a written response, a slide presentation, or a video.

4. Continual self-reflection leads to lifelong, expert learners. There's a lot of uncertainty around the future of work and our world. We know that the ability to learn is crucial. The ultimate goal of UDL is to develop "expert learners" who are purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and goal-directed. Even though this approach may make us nervous, when we show trust by giving students choices, when we teach them how to reflect on those choices and their work, and when we value growth as much as results, we are developing expert learners.

In my teaching, I focused on creating an environment where students felt safe and valued. To emphasize growth, I offered opportunities for revisions rather than only grading final work. I built reflection questions into both our end-of-unit review and our everyday work, mainly through exit tickets. Students practiced reflecting on their work and their choices: If they could do the assignment over again, would they have made the same choices? Why or why not?

Start Small

Of course there's more to great teaching, preparing our students for the future, and applying UDL than these four beliefs, but it's only if we hold these beliefs that the other pieces then fall into place.

With so much on their plates, many teachers are feeling overwhelmed right now. It's OK to start small: Commit every day to having high expectations for allstudents. Believe in them. You can print out this 4 Beliefs poster and put it on your desk. Encourage your colleagues to do the same. While it may not seem like you're doing much, you'll be able to feela difference. And better yet, so will your students. Over time, believing in your students can lead to their believing in themselves, which is a gift that'll last a lifetime.

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4 Principles of a Universal Design for Learning Approach

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Teachers can encourage high school students' success by focusing on learner variability and creating customizable learning experiences.

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In this podcast Tara Courchaine of CAST talks about two programs that directly support classroom educators: The Accessible Educational Materials Center (the AEM Center) and the Center on Inclusive Technology & Education Systems (CITES). This podcast is relevant to our understanding because it provides insight on the importance of accessibility.

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UDL in 15 Minutes | a podcast by Loui Lord Nelson

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UDL in 15 Minutes: Where educators share their implementation of Universal Design for Learning with host Loui Lord Nelson.

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This website provides information on the three key concepts of Universal Design and its importance within higher education. This page is relevant to our understanding of UDL because this is a practice that should be utilized at all educational levels to allow best meet learners' needs.

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UDL is based on the idea that there is no such thing as a 'typical' or 'average' student and that "when it comes to learning, variability is the rule not the exception" (UDL on campus). UDL is not about any single specific teaching practice. It is instead a combination of best practice approaches to engage students and challenge them to think critically. It helps instructors meet the learning needs of a diverse student body through a combination of instructional modalities, formats, and technologies.

When applying UDL to teaching, follow these three core principles that enable greater flexibility to meet individual needs. These principles guide the design of learning outcomes, assessments, methods and resources. UDL really is simply good teaching; many instructors at UNSW Sydney already incorporate practices that are well aligned with UDL principles.

Multiple modes of student engagement that tap into learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn

Multiple methods of representation that give learners a variety of ways to acquire information and build knowledge

Multiple means of student action and expression that provide learners with alternatives for demonstrating what they have learned

Source: Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Version 2.2 (CAST, 2018)

Read more about the guidelines here.

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What is Universal Design for Learning? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL guides the creation of learning outcomes, resources and assessments that work for everyone.

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This image shows a quick capture of the individual needs of students we must constantly be considering when making educational decisions. It is relevant because it shows a group of five students expressing a concern that can be addressed through the implementation of UDL.

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Walking the Walk: Universal Design on the Web (Article)

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Walking the Walk: Universal Design on the Web (Article)

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The professional article discussed the process that a pioneer in UDL, CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), utilized to redevelop their website to ensure it is accessible to all. This article is relevant to our understanding because we should be utilizing the same or a similar process to ensure accessibility of the materials we share.

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UDL At A Glance (Video)-Open in new browser for Closed Captioning 

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UDL At A Glance (Video)-Open in new browser for Closed Captioning 

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This video shares how all learners are unique and how UDL can meet the diverse needs of learners. This video is relevant because it shares how we must remove barriers to maximize learning.

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This image provides visual representations of aspects of UDL. This image is relevant because not only does it provide categorized insight about UDL, but it shares a prime example of something we can incorporate into our classrooms to ensure accessibility, and in this case, specifically ESL and ELL learners or those who experience difficulty reading.