Universal Design for Learning

As a part of my course on assistive technology, I am going to be blogging about the information I learn throughout the length of the course, the first being Universal Design for Learning. As educators, it is crucial to think about meeting the needs of all of our students when planning all aspects of instruction. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that make learning possible for all students. UDL does not consist of a single, one-size-fits-all solution, but rather flexible approaches that can be adjusted to fit the needs of individual learners. 

This Wiki Site is an excellent introduction to Universal Design for Learning. It is extremely user-friendly and provides great information.
Universal Design calls for...

Multiple Means of Representation: used to give learners various ways of accessing information and knowledge

• Video Clips
• Audio Books/Electronic Books
• Manipulation of Text and Text Presentation

Multiple Means of Expression: used to provide learners with alternative ways to express or demonstrate what they know

• Podcasts
• On-screen Keyboard
• Talking Work Processors

Multiple Means of Engagement: used to keep learners engaged by tapping into their interests, offering appropriate challenges, and increasing motivation. 

As someone who currently works with students with special needs, I can definitely see the importance of incorporating UDL into the classroom. A lot of the children that I work with benefit greatly from being provided with multiple means of expression, representation, and engagement. Many of the children that I work with are diagnosed with Autism and benefit greatly from visual representations. These students require not only visual representations of the information being presented, but also their daily schedules, reinforcement systems, classroom expectations, and directions given. As a future educator, it is extremely important to be aware of and open to Universal Design for Learning.