UDL~Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning Guidelines

© 2011 by CAST. All rights reserved. www.cast.org, www.udlcenter.org

APA Citation: CAST (20011). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.0. Wake eld, MA: Author.

                   When Teachers:                                              Students will be:
1.  Provide Multiple Means of Representation---Resourceful, knowledgeable learners
2.  Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression---Strategic, goal-directed learners
3.  Provide Multiple means of Engagement---Purposeful, motivated learners

My thoughts on Universal Design for Learning center around the 3 Guidelines(as listed above) established to allow equal access for all students to a district's approved curriculum.  As I read the current reports on the  upcoming Common Core Assessments and that Performance Based Assessments will incorporate a large portion of the assessment, classroom instruction will need to be viewed in a different way. I believe that as instructional leaders, we need to help teachers look at lesson planning and delivery in a new light.  Student interactions will need to be very intentional and purposeful in all areas across the content areas.  I see the Universal Design for Learning framework as a wonderful tool to help teachers, principals, and instructional leaders in making the switch to providing instruction that is rigorous and engaging for all students. 

When teachers provided and allow students to understand their learning through multiple means of representation, we are allowing the students to learn through their strongest learning styles.  We know from years of research that students primarily learn visually, auditory or kinestheticly, by presenting information in these and other ways we are able to help students increase their depth of knowledge across all content areas.  When students are expected to be involved in their learning, through their conversations and actions, students are more engaged because they are accountable for their learning through their classmates interactions.  Student's high levels of engagement, deter off task behavior because the learning is meaningful, purposeful and the students have helped direct and guide their learning though personal inquiry and interest.

When teachers begin unit planning with the end results in mind, the planning is intentional because the students prior knowledge, struggles and roadblocks can be identified.  Backwards planning allows a teachers to map out their unit with stopping points for further research and inquiry, time for re-teaching or deeper investigating and mid-unit assessment of growth and understanding.  When teachers know the goals or standards the students need to be able demonstrate by the end of a unit, a teacher can incorporate stages of knowledge development that continue to deepen their knowledge throughout the unit to have a solid vs. surface level understanding of the material.  

As I learn more about Universal Design for Learning and compare the framework to the PLC framework I am excited to see how the two ideas can mesh together nicely to support and educate all our learners.  We have worked with PLC teams a great deal in the last few years at our school, I see Universal Design for Learning as our next step in continuing to improve our student achievement.