UDL

Universal Design of Learning: "One size does not fit all":

UDL is known as the Universal Design for learning which incorporates multiple ways for a curriculum to represent/demonstrate information to students. Through diverse settings in the classroom, teachers format their curriculum to represent all forms of learning focusing on: engagement, representation, action, and expression. Universal Design for learning gives every student an equal opportunity to learn in the classroom, and the opportunity to collaborate with different learners.

Three UDL Principles:

Engagement: known as the "why" of learning, this helps students be more engaged and creates a form of self motivation in the classroom. This allows students the ability to work on self regulation, self motivation, and their growing interests in the classroom. Instructional strategies used to demonstrate and promote UDL include starting the lessons with high interest connections/hooks and allowing/offering choices of content and tools in the classroom.

Representation: known as the "what" of learning, this helps to determine and categorically place what we hear, see, and read. This leads students to learn different perceptions, different ways of expression/representation, and different levels of comprehension. There is no single form of representation that will work for every learner, we must provide multiple representations to enhance ALL students learning. Instructional Strategies used to demonstrate and promote UDL include providing multiple examples in simple formats/simple text, highlighting important information, and providing hands-on texts, notecards, and manipulatives.

Action & Expression: known as the "how" of learning, this helps students learn different ways to express their knowledge in the classroom. This approach requires much planning and organization on the teachers end. Learners will differ in the ways they express themselves in the classroom, providing multiple options to help equalize the playing field for all students is fundamental in the classroom. Instructional strategies used to demonstrate and promote UDL include providing students with opportunities to practice with scaffolds and support, allowing alternatives for students to express/demonstrate their learning, and providing options for projects, written reports, multimedia, and interviews.

Through the use of these three principles students will be given opportunities to enhance their learning in ways that best work for them. Though these principles are very similar, they all bring different aspects of a students learning to light. Engagement is based off of student interest, while representation is based off perceptions and comprehension, and actions/expressions are based on communicating knowledge. Used together they create the perfect balance for a student-centered classroom.