You’ll notice that we’ve intentionally labeled these guidelines as Version 1.0 with the hope that you will contribute suggestions and we will be able to revise and vastly improve the guidelines in future “editions.”
We’ve set up the blog so you can comment on each of the guidelines separately but perhaps you have comments to share on the guidelines as a whole. Here is a place for you to do that.
Some questions to provoke your thinking and that we would very much like to hear from you about…
Which of the guidelines are relatively easy to apply to your lesson planning, instructional materials, or teaching practices? Which ones do you find particularly challenging to apply? For the ones that are difficult to apply, what would help you?
Are any of the guidelines more important to you than the others? Why?
Are there web-based curricular materials or lessons you feel are good examples of the application of the 3 UDL principles? Which ones?
Do you have examples to add to any of our guidelines?
Have you shared the guidelines with others? If so, in what context? What was the reaction?
We look forward to hearing from you!
June 18, 2008 at 9:33 pm |
I think in my lesson plans Principle I & II, guidelines 1-6, are relatively easy to apply, once I have recognized what the student needs to learn best. I believe all still have motivation to learn and once I as the teacher have found what motivates them best and provide materials accordingly using all and any multimedia available, especially digital technology. Principle III becomes a bit more challenging. What I have found is that usually, (there have been occasions – depending on the student) if I as the teacher haven’t found a medium to address the emotional concerns of the students, it becomes more challenging to apply principles I and II, although the student will try, but there will be days/ups and downs.
June 13, 2009 at 11:54 pm |
Of all the Principles I agree that Principle I & II are easier for me to apply to my lesson planning, for me as a new teacher, I am learning how to incorporate Principle III and successfully support and meet the needs of all the learners in the classroom. Currently I am focusing on Principle I & II, and utilizing Powerpoint, Video Clips, and Audio and Television.
I have also found using WebQuests, to outline online research helps direct research efforts. I am trilled to see all of the Word tools, and Digital Text book tools to support learning- these are tools I would like to incorporate into my lessons!
August 9, 2008 at 8:24 am |
I very much appreciate these guidelines, which help me to use different ways to reach students. I find myself needing to do a lot of imagination work, while reading through the guidelines. I am wandering if it is possible to put some real life application movie or snapshot clips along these guidelines. It will help visual thinker like myself much easier to grasp the concepts. Just a thought!
September 29, 2008 at 3:34 pm |
As I work to implement the principles of UDL in my district, I wish there was policy (law,even) in place just as there is in architecture.
Learners need protection from long-held biases of our classrooms, systems and governements.
Are you doing work to transfer these principles to policy?
The part that stands out for me is that these principles are for all learners and that the adaptations to curricula must be for everyone so that no one feels singled out and feels bad for needing them. We don’t send someone in a wheelchair to the back of the building; however, we send our learning disabled to the computer to access text differently.
Thoughts?
September 29, 2008 at 3:44 pm |
Hi Kerry,
Funny you should mention your wish for ways to transfer UDL principles into sensible policies to improve access to learning….join us on October 6th for a kick-off webinar on this very topic!
Your voice can be heard in Washington beginning on Monday, October 6th
Calling all Educators, SPED Directors, and School, District, and State Administrators interested in shaping policy related to UDL Implementation
We want to hear from those of you out in the field working to implement UDL
Participate in a Virtual Forum to discuss challenges to the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with colleagues at the federal, state, district and school levels across the nation. Your conversations will inform a small core team’s work at a future face-to-face forum as they develop UDL policy recommendations.
CAST and Project Forum at NASDSE (National Association of State Directors of Special Education) are pleased to host a free webinar on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a kick-off event for a month-long online policy forum on UDL implementation. The webinar will provide you with background on UDL and start the conversation on issues related to UDL implementation in schools, districts and states.
Date: Monday, October 6th
Time: 2:00-4:00PM Eastern Standard Time
Presenter: David H. Rose, Co-Founder and Chief Education Officer of the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and a pioneer of the field of UDL.
Link to the webinar: Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Policy Issues http://www.projectforum.org/
No pre-registration required. You will need to perform a systems check on your PC prior to 2:00PM. For technical assistance prior to 2pm, email jgronneberg@cast.org.
November 1, 2008 at 8:21 pm |
I care passionately about teaching and am enjoying this review. I work at a university that seems so uncommitted to teaching excellence. My students tell me, “Dr. Caldwell, I have never been asked to write research papers in my business classes. I don’t know how to do research.”
I help them succeed and require them to work closely with our Writing Center. I review provided rubrics carefully. But it seems so ironic that most of our faculty do not demonstrate that they care a hoot! Forty percent of our graduating MBA students failed to meet our writing requirements last spring.
April 15, 2009 at 1:51 pm |
If you want to hear a reader’s feedback
, I rate this article for 4/5. Detailed info, but I just have to go to that damn msn to find the missed bits. Thank you, anyway!
June 29, 2009 at 11:36 am |
I am a student teacher and very new to the concept of UDL. Thank you for the informative articles. I have been working with several students who have great difficulty in processing language onto paper and one with oral processing difficulties. And very recently, my grandson has been diagnosed with ASD. Hence, the opportunity for so many options to be incorporated into the strategies for learning is amazing. I have already used quite a few, but I am excited to explore the many new options you have illustrated in Windows, Thank you and I will be investigating further.
June 29, 2009 at 3:09 pm |
As a pre-service teacher graduating in December, I found this UDL presentation highly applicable to my future teaching practice. I love technology and appreciate and marvel at the wonder of it all. I find that many teachers today are disconnected and that students like technology but maybe don’t know how to use it to their advantage.
I implemented as much technology as I could in my last practicum (secondary). I created WebQuests, used PowerPoint and online videos, and created sites for the students to direct them in their learning. The feedback I got was positive from the students, not only because we were going to go on the computers but also because the resources they had were appropriate for them and they didn’t need to waste time searching this vast information network to find something they could understand.
I realize there are more tools out there and I am just getting started, but I look forward to implementing and utilizing more technology as I further my career. Lifelong learning is what it is about!
November 18, 2009 at 2:16 am |
Katie,
I have found technology to be an outstanding aid in teaching and the UDL guidelines really support this idea. I currently use a class website as a communication and teaching tool. I post weekly newsletters, photos, calendars, and any important announcements on it. I have just recently found a way to post videos. My assistant principal is working closely with me to create visual instructional plans from Fred Jones Tools for Teaching. She takes video of me explaining the visual and each step. I can then post this video online for parents and students to refer to. This assists students in transferring skills learned in class from short-term memory to long term memory! It is fantastic!
Brittani
October 18, 2009 at 4:37 pm |
From working in an educational setting for about 2 years now, (which I recognize is probably very minimal for some of you) I found myself agreeing with many of the guidelines presented. I feel as though we could sum up several of them by simply addressing why the students are learning certain things.
In a math class for instance, we are focusing on teaching the students how to make change. But why do they need to make change? Because at one point, the student will go into a convenience store and purchase a bag of chips, or a soda, and it is up to them to recognize if they have received the correct amount back. If the soda costs 1.25$ and they pay with a 20 dollar bill, what should they expect to receive? Recognize the importance of learning how to correctly make change and also, what other doors being able to count back and receive change can open. What types of jobs and situations will they run into as adults where they are required to count back money, and write out checks and so on and so forth. If we simply stick them on a computer and have recognize the difference between 5 cents and 50 cents, what are they really learning?
November 18, 2009 at 2:08 am |
Hi Marisa,
I completely agree with you about providing real-life experiences for children so they see relevance. I also teach children to make change in my class. We practice the skill in our “store” that is created using real empty food boxes with labeled prices. The children have a money pouch with real and play money that they bring to the register to “buy” their food. I am able to monitor their progress as they check out as well as give direct instruction when needed.
Brittani
November 19, 2009 at 2:25 am |
Marisa,
I agree with you in the fact that we need to put these children in real life situations. I do not know what grade you are teaching, but as a preschool special education teacher, all of the classes that I go into have play money and we will role play how to spend it. If we want to wear clothes, we need to pay for the dress. If we want to eat at a restaurant, we need to pay for the food. Many times the students will charge $100 for a cookie or something small, but the amount does not matter at this age. The concept of money is what is important so when they get older, they will be able to use the play experiences for real life opportunities.
Kendy
November 18, 2009 at 2:03 am |
As a first grade teacher, I find the UDL guidelines very helpful to structure teaching in a way that reaches all my learners. I have many students who are at a variety of different levels and learn in so many different ways. My student’s learning styles are, in fact, as unique as their fingerprints!
Young children are active and generally do not maintain focus on any one thing for more than a couple of minutes. Therefore, holding their engagement is particularly challenging. I always try to remember that giving young children (both with and without disabilities) choices or options for learning is a great way to establish engagement from the start. If my first graders finish work early, they have a list of options to choose from for what learning they can do next. I have also found that differentiation is a large part of active engagement. If the child is bored or frustrated, engagement is lost. I have worked hard this year to differentiate seatwork for my students during guided reading rotations. Young children want to succeed, so providing ongoing descriptive feedback and giving time for reflection is very important. I try to conference with each of the children in my class by walking through the checklist/rubric I provide them with for complete sentences. I provide direct feedback during these conversations to help the child improve and/or maintain his/her writing.
November 18, 2009 at 6:42 pm |
Brittani, you are so right that giving children choices and options really helps children with engagement. It also sounds like you are allowing your students to work at their pace. With “cookie cutter” education many children are bored because they have no interest in the topic or already have mastered a particular skill that they become disengaged in school. As teachers we need to reflect on our teaching styles and how things are going in the classroom to determine what is working and what is not.
November 19, 2009 at 2:19 am |
Brittani,
I really like the idea about the checklist/rubric. It is so important for the students to understand what is expected of them. It is also important for them to understand the goals and objectives of a particular activity. If they understand what they are suppose to be getting out of an assignment, they will be more willing to participate.
Kendy
November 20, 2009 at 3:57 am
Kendra,
I couldn’t agree with you more when talked about what is expected of the children. And the best way to do this is go through a rubric/ guidelines that way the children can refer back to it as often as they need!The guidline checklist was an appropraite way to make sure all learners in the classroom will benefit!
Cassie
November 18, 2009 at 6:38 pm |
I think UDL is easy to apply to early childhood programs because most programs are multi-sensory and flexible. In addition, early childhood special education teachers are required by the nature of their job duties to be able to teach, engage and encourage children in multiple ways.
I currently work in a before/after school program. My students range in age from preschool to fifth grade. Using UDL I am able to meet a larger variety of students’ needs. I must know my students well enough to know how they learn best, their interests, and how to modify and accommodate the classroom environment and their activities to maintain their attention. The corporation has ideas on how to operate the program which I appreciate, but I also want the flexibility to customize my own program to meet the student’s needs, interests and provoke their learning within the framework of their individuality.
November 19, 2009 at 2:15 am |
Universal design for learning creates an environment that uses flexible goals, methods, uses various materials, and assessments in order to meet the needs of diverse learners. When looking at how UDL works in the classroom, as far as the curriculum, one must look at the “what”, the “how”, and the “why” of learning. There are three brain networks that need to be customized in order to teach individual differences. They are multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement. Let’s look at these three area for early childhood education.
The multiple means of representation is used to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge. This is integrated into the lesson plans by providing options for perception, visually and/or auditorily. When implementing an activity such as introducing a letter Aa, the teacher would introduce the sound of the letter as well as what the letter looks like. This can be done by singing songs, reading poems or stories, instruction, displaying the letter, and/or finger plays. Another way a teacher can use the means of representation is through language and symbols. It is important to have a language enriched environment. This can be done by using both symbols and words/letters throughout the environment. Comprehension, another way to use the means of representation, can also be used throughout the classroom environment. For example, if you read the story The Three Little Pigs, you should incorporate the story in all of the areas in the classroom: brick blocks in the block area, twigs and straw in the art area, flannel boards in the library area, worksheet in the writing area, pig and wolf manipulatives in the math area, and pig and wolf costumes in the house area.
The multiple means of Action and Expression is used to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know. This can be done through physical action, which should be an everyday activity for the students through music and movement and outside/gym opportunities. Music and movement is a great way for students to communicate, problem solve, and the opportunity to perform. There are many different songs and finger plays that can give children the opportunity to express them. Whenever an activity is introduced to the students, the teacher must explain the goals and objectives for the activity. This gives the students a reason to do the activity. If the teacher gives an assignment without explaining what they want the child to learn, how and why would the student want to do it?
The multiple means of engagement will tap into the learner’s interest, offer appropriate challenges and increase motivation. It is very important for the teacher to understand and know the capabilities of each student within their class. Then he/she must set goal for each student to achieve a certain success. The lesson plans, curriculum, and instruction must then help the students reach their individual goals. The teacher must teach coping skills and strategies to the students so they can reach the goal. Teachers must not only evaluate and observe the students, but must also develop a way to assess themselves and reflect upon what works and does not work.
Kendy
November 20, 2009 at 3:55 am |
I really enjoyed using the checklist. The checklist was a nice tool to use when trying to engage the children within the classroom. Engaging the children is one thing, keeping them focused is another thing. Keeping them engaged and focused at the same time is one of the hardest things to do. As teachers we are looking for ideas on how to change things or enhances materials and equipment through out the classroom. It’s important as teachers to remember that we work with special needs children and typical children therefore trying to reach everyone’e learning ability is hard. Everyone learns differently. Therefore, no two students should be treated the same. However, by enhancing, modifying and adding to the materials makes all the difference!
Cassie Tapia
November 20, 2009 at 4:21 am |
The UDL guidelines are essential in an early childhood classroom because all the children come in at different levels with different experiences and different interest. It only makes sense that as teachers we need to present the content in a variety of ways, allow children to show us what they have learned in different ways and to use strategies that encourage active engagement. This can be done in early childhood by manipulating the play environment, engaging children in circle time activities by using a variety of modalities, and facilitating play that is children directed. For example, if the content is around community helpers, the teacher can; supply community helper clothes and hats in the dramatic area, conduct circle time with visuals and songs around community helpers, as well as having the children take the lead in playing opportunities by choosing to play with community helper puzzles, or taking on a pretend role along with children.
November 20, 2009 at 7:06 am |
I am an inclusion teacher and I believe that the UDL guidelines are very useful when it comes to engagement and also expression. Not all students learn in the same manner and not all students are able to express themselves the same as well. By allowing multiple means of expressions to gather understanding and to keep engagement allows for students to be more focused. Also using materials in diverse ways is very helpful. For example, after reading our book of the week, some of my students may write in their binders, some decide to use the computer to gather materials and create items from story; some students even prepare presentations to class. We also sometimes do readers theater, they really enjoy that.