UDL: Addressing the Variability of Learners in Today’s Classrooms

Go to http://community.udlcenter.org/group/udl-at-cast-11-2012 (address is on your agenda)

Two Steps: 1. Sign up 2. Join the community

1. Understand that UDL is a framework for addressing the variability of all learners

2. Apply UDL to Practice

Goals

5 Workshop ElementsDay 1: Build Background Knowledge

1. Universal Design for Learning2. UDL Guidelines3. Lesson Planning Process

Day 2: Apply BK to Practice4. Applying UDL to your practice5. Building your Toolbox

Beliefs/Assumptions

Students of today Goals of instruction Curriculum Learning

Getting to know you,

the UDL way

Goal: prepare for Indian meal for 4 friends

Think about the ways you would and would not like to do this

I would like to

….

Work with a chef

I would not like to …

Shop for ingredients

CAST8

Debrief the activity

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WClnVjCEVM

UDL Assumption: Variability is the Norm!As you watch the film, think about implications for your practice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WClnVjCEVM

Variability matters!Discuss the implications for your practice.

Physical Space - Problems of Not Addressing Variability

Retrofitting Physical Space

Problems of Retrofitting

Drawbacks of Retrofitting:

Each retrofit solves only one local problem

Retrofitting can be costly

Many retrofits are UGLY!

Universal Design - A Conceptual Shift

“Consider the needs of the broadest possible range of users from the beginning”

-- Architect, Ron Mace

UD Examples

RampsCurb CutsElectric DoorsCaptions on TelevisionEasy Grip Tools…

Universal Design Belief

… “all new environments and products, to the greatest extent possible, should be usable by everyone regardless of their age, ability, or circumstance.”

Retrieved May 6, 2011 from http://www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/cud/about_us/about_us.htm

UD Assumptions

Not one size fits all – but alternatives for everyone.

Not added on later – but designed from the beginning.

Not access for some – but access for everyone.

UD Assumptions

Shift in CAST’s Work

Learning experiences/curriculum/lessons

that “barriers to learning are not, in fact, inherent in the capacities of learners, but instead arise in learners' interactions with inflexible educational goals, materials, methods, and assessments.” Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age, p. vi

CAST believes…

UDL is …

UDL is not …• about watering down the curriculum • the same as differentiated instruction• a special education initiative• overwhelming and too hard to do

a framework for designing learning experiences that enables all individuals to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning.

UDL Assumptions

1. Learners represent a range of variability.

2. The goal of instruction is to develop "expert learners”

Resourceful, knowledgeable learners. Strategic, goal-directed learners. Purposeful, motivated learners.

3. Curriculum needs to reflect the variability of all learners.

4. Learning occurs in the dynamic interaction of the individual with the environment.

OverviewUniversal Design for Learning is a

conceptual shift.It is a framework to design curriculum

that minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students.

Recognition Networks: “the what of learning”

identify and interpret patterns of sound, light, taste, smell, and touch

UDL and the Learning Brain

UDL and the Learning Brain

Activating the Recognition Network

UDL and the Learning Brain

Recognition: What is this?

Multiple Means of Representation – the what of learning

PerceptionDisplay information in a flexible format so that the following perceptual features can be varied

Language, expressions, and symbols

Pre-teach vocabulary, clarify unfamiliar syntax

ComprehensionActivate background knowledge, highlight critical features

Plan, execute, and monitor actions and skills

Strategic Networks: “the how of learning”

CAST©2008

What are you looking at when you view this picture?

UDL and the Learning Brain

• Look at the picture.

•What are the material circumstances of the people?

•What are the ages of the people?

Count how many times the players wearing white pass the basketball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

“We are designed to focus on whatever we are looking for.”

Jill Bolte Taylor, Stroke of Insight

Multiple Means of Action and Expression - the how of learning

Physical actionVary methods of response and optimize use of assistive technology

Expression & communicationUse multiple means of communication, build fluencies with gradual levels of support

Executive functionGuide goal setting, facilitate management of information, and enhance capacity for monitoring progress

Evaluate and set priorities

Affective Networks: “the why of learning”

Make up a story.

“...the brain is specifically designed to make sense of the world outside of use, based on minimal information….we are quite adept at manufacturing alternative scenarios.”

Jill Bolte Taylor, Stroke of Insight

Multiple Means of Engagement – the why of learning

Recruiting interestoptimize relevance, optimize choice, and minimize threats

Sustaining effort & persistence

vary demands, foster collaboration, and increase mastery-oriented feedback

Self regulationpromote expectations and beliefs, facilitate personal coping skills, and develop self-assessment and reflection

Recognition: the “what” of learning”− Multiple means of representation

Strategy: the “how” of learning− Multiple means of action and expression

Affect: the “why” of learning− Multiple means of engagement

UDL and the Learning Brain