Universal Design for Learning

    Universal Design for Learning is based on how scientists have discovered that we learn best. The guidelines provide a framework to guide implementation across educational settings with the goal of creating “purposeful, motivated, resourceful, knowledgeable, strategic and goal-directed” learners. (CAST (2018), Figure Universal Design for Learning Guidelines)

  

UDL guidelines I already use in my teaching practices:

Engagement: 

Guideline 7- Recruiting Interest

• As a class, students create the motions/actions to go with the letter sounds to help them remember them. 

• Students set personal goals for learning sight words and track their progress by coloring in the ones that they have mastered.

• Students have the opportunity to visit the science discovery station that has different tools and items relating to the science topic we are learning. For example, magnets and different objects for the students to explore which ones are magnetic.

• Every morning when the students arrive at school, they have soft start materials that consist of different manipulatives or makerspace items for students to create and explore.

• Anchor charts are plentiful in the classroom and are created together as a class. Some examples include routines for workstations, problem solving and writing.

• During writer’s workshop I play classical study music while the students are writing.

• There is flexible seating in the classroom where students are able to choose where they sit. For example, students can sit at a table or on the floor with a clipboard.

Guideline 8- Sustaining Effort and Persistence

• During workstations my students are in flexible groups. These groups are fluid and are not based on ability.

• When there is conflict in my classroom, we use restorative practice/conversations to help solve the issue while allowing everyone involved to have their voices heard.

Guideline 9- Provide Options for Self-Regulation

• For students that experience challenges with behavior choices, I use a “power card” for them to track their behaviors. The students select two target behaviors (ex. I can control my body) to track throughout the day. Approximately every 30 minutes, the student records if they feel they have achieved that goal during that time. The student has a goal of meeting a certain percentage of points four times a day and then chooses a reinforcement for meeting their goal.

Representation:

Guideline 1- Provide Options for Perception

• In the classroom, concepts are displayed in multiple ways. For example, for numbers I use numerals, ten frames, fingers, dice, dominoes and two-colored counters.

Guideline 2- Provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols

• For emergent bilingual students I pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary and use class created anchor charts to support learning concepts and routines.

• My classroom is a print rich environment and is labeled with pictures and words.

Guideline 3- Provide options for comprehension

• We frequently use graphic organizers including KWL charts and Venn diagrams when learning a new concept. 

• During sorting/classification of objects we use examples and non-examples. For example, when learning about animals begin by sorting some animals as this is part of my group and this is not. I do not tell the students what attribute we are looking for, allowing them to use their prior knowledge to figure it out.

Action and Expression: 

Guideline 4- Provide options for physical action

• We use TPR (total physical response) to connect movements to concepts such as letter sounds, phoneme blending and segmenting and identifying syllables.

• My students have opportunities to use a variety of manipulatives in math and reading. For example, in reading students can use magnetic letters instead of writing the letters/words.

Guideline 5- Provide options for expression and communication

• Students can use manipulatives to communicate their answers or practice new learning. For example, when learning letters, students can build the letters using cubes, wikki stix or letter builders.

UDL guidelines I can add immediately to my teaching practices:

Engagement:

Guideline 8- Sustaining Effort and Persistence

• To support providing feedback to students and facilitate students’ ability to be self-reflective I can implement a writing rubric where students evaluate their own writing. Students can check their writing for grammar, mechanics, spelling etc. and reflect on their work. This will help them identify areas they would like to improve/work on.

Action and Expression:

Guideline 6- Provide options for executive functions

• To support students with goal setting and monitoring progress, I would like to add a goal folder for each student. The students could set goals for what they would like to master each grading period. For example, reading level, letter/sound identification, number identification, counting etc. The students will monitor their own progress on their goals and evaluate their goals throughout the year.

These guidelines look great, but I need some help implementing and incorporating:

The following guidelines are ones that I am interested in adding to my teaching practices but may need some help. Under principle 1: guideline 1-offer alternative for visual information, guideline 2- illustrate through multiple media, principle 2: guideline 5- provide options for expression and communication, and principle 3: guideline 7- provide options for recruiting interest. For further implementation of these guidelines, I would like to focus on using educational technology.

I would like to explore implementing education technology for student responses as well as instruction. In the past, our campus has had limited access to technology, however this coming year we are receiving a technology overhaul. With this new technology, every classroom will not be equipped with an interactive panel as well as Chromebooks specifically assigned to each classroom. This will provide more opportunities for students to use access technology and for us to implement UDL through technology. 

We are fortunate enough to have a technology teacher on campus in addition to our library media specialist. She will be an excellent resource for me to access to implement more technology in my lessons as well as student responses. Currently she has worked with students to use Wixie during their library time, but this time is limited and I would like to start using it more in my classroom for students to have an alternative to present their learning outside of big projects. 

I found a great video on Tech Tools for UDL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIZp2K6HpFY  In this video the presenter goes through each of the three principles of UDL and provides examples of apps/software that could be used. For example, under the principle of engagement it is suggested that Padlet or Kahoot would be useful. These examples could be modified for use in almost all grade levels and in multiple settings including the library, art or music.

Another resource that would be helpful in implementing UDL with technology is the following website from GUHSDtech: https://tech.guhsd.net/guhsdtech-resources/udl-technology

The website provides information about Chromebook features, immersive readers and online tools. Below is a part of the reference guide that breaks down each principle of UDL and provides online tools that could be used for each. There is a plethora of information and ideas available on this site along with helpful videos, lesson plan examples and professional development. There is also a link to this Padlet that is full of information about UDL: https://padlet.com/nicole55/universal-design-for-learning-institute-x4radke0o251

Marshall University. (n.d.). Universal Design for Learning. marshall.edu. Retrieved July 6, 2024, from https://www.marshall.edu/udl/udl-and-technology/

This website from Marshall University: https://www.marshall.edu/udl/udl-and-technology/ It also provides digital tools for each of the principles of UDL that again could be applied across grade levels. For example, under action and expression suggested tools include: Flip, Book Creator, and Toontastic. 

Universal Design Learning can be implemented in low- or high-tech ways. Reflecting on UDL aspects that I currently use in my teaching practices, I found that I primarily use low tech tools, requiring little to no technology. The possibilities of adding technology to UDL in my classroom is exciting and I am looking forward to seeing how my students respond.

Resources:

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Blade. (2023, May 18). Tech tools for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIZp2K6HpFY

GUHSDtech. (n.d.). UDL + Technology. GHUSDtech. Retrieved July 6, 2024, from https://tech.guhsd.net/guhsdtech-resources/udl-technology

Nicole. (2018, March 19). Universal Design for Learning Institute. Padlet. Retrieved July 6, 2024, from https://padlet.com/nicole55/universal-design-for-learning-institute-x4radke0o251