How Do they Work Together?
A Paradigm for Maximum Inclusion
Dr. Brady, an Oxford research fellow focused on curriculum development, explains the theory behind how the universal principles of design, used in fields such as architecture, might be applied to education to create more inclusive learning environments and support systems.
National Center on UDL Director David Rose explains how UDL helps meet the most pressing issues facing educators today. Drawing on brain research and the latest learning sciences, Dr. Rose describes the three UDL principles and what they mean for classroom practice.
Universal Design for Learning is:
A way to teach diverse learners in the same classroom, without "dumbing down" the curriculum or stressing out the teacher!
A set of strategies for teaching that allows teachers to recognize students differing background knowledge, skills, and learning styles
Working to embed principles of UDL in your classroom means providing multiple ways for students to engage, multiple ways for them to represent learning and asks educators to provide multiple representations of information to accommodate all learning styles and abilities.
The Three Block Model of UDL by Jennifer Katz draws upon the philosophy of UDL- every child has the right to access our schools, an education, and the community of their peers. It seeks to create a true learning community- one in which teachers and students engage in deep, higher-order thinking around important issues and concepts, and in which students take charge of their learning and learn to be risk-takers, leaders and team players.
The model pulls together the work of Rose and Meyer, who developed the concept of UDL, key evidence-based strategies for inclusive education such as inquiry and differentiation, and the work of the CASEL, which promotes social and emotional learning in schools.
Furthermore it also fits well with the whole-child worldview of Indigenous education and the concept of reconciliation.
Programming strategies for TBM of UDL can be found in Ensouling Our Schools by Jennifer Katz.