Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Instructional Materials and Methods by Sean Smith https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks en-us 2022-02-11 15:24:13 UTC 2022-03-27 23:10:41 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4dd.png Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Instructional Materials and Methods seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103937569 In the past, many school curricula have been focused on meeting the needs of the average student. The problem with this approach is there are no average students because students have diverse needs that need to be addressed through different strategies (National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2010). Universal design for learning (UDL) addresses the increasingly diverse needs of all students. UDL focuses on the why, what, and how of learning. This approach creates a framework of instruction that works for all students (CAST, n.d.). ]]> 2022-03-20 18:25:35 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103937569 Engagement seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103941266 Engagement focuses on students' motivation in the classroom. This area focuses on the “why” of education and deals with the affective network of the brain (CAST, n.d.). Two areas of focus for engagement are student choice and collaboration.]]> 2022-03-20 18:30:43 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103941266 Representation seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103942266 Students differ in the way they learn, which makes differentiating content delivery critical. These differences can be caused by sensory disabilities or simply by a learners' preference of how they like to learn new information (CAST, n.d.). ]]> 2022-03-20 18:32:06 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103942266 Action and Expression seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103944900 When assessing what students have learned, teachers must give students a variety of options to allow them to demonstrate their knowledge in the best way they can. Some students thrive on traditional multiple-choice tests but struggle during debates and presentations, while others are tremendous writers. Students should be given every opportunity to demonstrate what they know in the most effective way possible (CAST, n.d.). ]]> 2022-03-20 18:35:41 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2103944900 Choice seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104034315 Student choice is an excellent method to increase student engagement in the classroom. Many teachers feel that they need to offer radically different approaches to tasks to achieve choice in lessons which can be daunting. This is not the case because providing students with even the smallest amount of choice in how they engage in learning materials can effectively increase engagement (Mrachko and Vostal, 2020).  This instructional strategy can be accomplished using a variety of tools. Teachers can provide students with a choice in what they want to focus on. By giving students multiple written sources to choose from, they can choose what interests them most. Teachers can also use technology tools like search engines or databases to allow students to choose their own area of focus. Tools like wikis can also be used to store multiple resources online for students to choose from. Student choice makes students an active part of the learning process, which connects to the affective network of the brain (CAST, 2018). ]]> 2022-03-20 20:27:55 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104034315 Collaboration seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104034366 Collaboration between students can spur engagement as it allows students to help each other meet the goals of a lesson or assignment. Having students work in groups allows the teacher more one on one time with students than direct instruction allows. Strategies like mixed ability grouping is an excellent way to help facilitate collaboration in lessons. Grouping students with different strengths will enable students in a group to help each other, increasing engagement. Technology tools like Diigo can be used to create a collaborative research group where students can find resources and share them with each other (Estelles et al., 2010). Twitter is also a collaborative technology tool that can help create an interconnected classroom environment where students can share ideas (Tenkely, 2015). These collaborative tools help connect with the “why” of learning by allowing students to share their thoughts openly with others.]]> 2022-03-20 20:28:01 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104034366 Differentiation seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104083244 Differentiation is critical to the 21st-century classroom as student needs become more diverse. Differentiation of how content is delivered is central to meeting the needs of all students. A straightforward way that I differentiate for my English language learners is by providing pictures and symbols with my vocabulary lessons. Students see content in multiple ways, which helps them connect to the information. A more complex approach is through culturally responsive teaching, which uses students' cultural backgrounds to help them make connections with content (Botshabeng, 2021).

Technology tools can be a critical aid to helping differentiate content for students. Using technology tools like podcasts, Youtube, and Google Slides offers students a choice in how they want to learn the material and connects to multiple senses (Ziho et al., 2017).  Students can choose simple text base sources or a multimedia Google slides presentation. The key is to offer choices so that students can access the method that works best for them. These methods and tools connect to the recognition learning network because they help students recognize new information and store it (CAST, n.d.).
]]> 2022-03-20 21:50:24 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104083244 Assessment seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104108587 Assessment is an essential part of education as, without it, teachers would not know how effective their instruction was. Because assessment plays such a vital role, assessments must be accurate. The best way to ensure accurate results from assessments is to present students with choices regarding how they show what they have learned (Morris et al., 2019). In my class, I use many different types of assessment, including debate, presentations, and performances. These three assessment types provide physical movement and action (Evmenova, 2018). I also use technology to help assess students. Google Forms is a tool that can be adapted to enable many types of assessment. An area where I would like to expand assessment is using 3d printing to create objects that represent what students have learned. These assessments can also be used together in any number of combinations. Students are connected with the “how” aspect of learning by enabling choice in assessment. Physical movement and communication are essential parts of the mind to tap into. ]]> 2022-03-20 22:38:43 UTC https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104108587 References seantsmith44 https://padlet.com/seantsmith44/Bookmarks/wish/2104125345 Botshabeng Monyai, R. (2021). Culturally Responsive Teaching in a Multi-Cultural Setup. International Journal of Diversity in Education, 21(2), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0020/CGP/v21i02/19-35

CAST. (n.d.). The UDL Guidelines. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

CAST. (2018). UDL and the Learning Brain. https://www.cast.org/products-services/resources/2018/udl-learning-brain-neuroscience

Estelles, E., del Moral, E., & Gonzalez, F. (2010). Social bookmarking tools as facilitators of learning and research collaborative processes: the Diigo case. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects, 6, 175.

Evmenova, A. (2018). Preparing Teachers to Use Universal Design for Learning to Support Diverse Learners. Journal of Online Learning Research, 4(2), 147–171.

Morris, Milton, & Goldstone. (2019). Case study: suggesting choice: inclusive assessment processes. Higher Education Pedagogies, 4(1), 435–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2019.1669479

Mrachko, A., & Vostal, B. (2020). Using the “Universal Design for Learning” Framework to Plan for All Students in the Classroom: Engagement through Choice. Elementary STEM Journal, 25(2), 29–31.

National Center on Universal Design for Learning (Producer). (2010). UDL: Principles and practices [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGLTJw0GSxk

Tenkely, K. (2015). Using technology to differentiate instruction. Retrieved from https://ilearntechnology.com/wordpress/?p=5552%20[https://ilearntechnology.com/wordpress/?p=5552

Ziho Kang, Dragoo, M. R., Yeagle, L., Shehab, R. L., & Han Yuan. (2017). Adaptive Learning Pedagogy of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Multimodal Training. Journal of Aviation / Aerospace Education & Research, 27(1), 23–48. https://doi.org/10.15394/jaaer.2018.1752
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