Module - Modeling UDL
1.5 hours
1.5 hours
This Module includes the following:
What your student teacher will learn about UDL
Activities to do with your Student Teacher to model UDL strategies
Resources to learn more about UDL
Your student teacher will learn about UDL during their class that focuses on exceptional learners.
UDL is about eliminating barriers to learning for all students and providing access through providing opportunities for multiple means of
Engagement (how they will be motivated to learn)
Representation (how they perceive and comprehend information)
and Action/Expression (express what they know).
This 5 minute video gives an overview of how curriculum can be designed to meet the needs of all your learners.
This video from the National Center on Universal Design describes UDL as "flexible design that allows choices and different paths, and for things to presented in different ways."
The video outlines the 3 principles of any learning situation:
How does the learner pick up information?
How do they express and act on that information?
How were they engaged by the learning situation?
Student Teachers often need explicit modeling in order to see how UDL works in the classroom. To support their understanding of how UDL works in the classroom, participate in this observation activity: Observation Template
Conference before the lesson:
Share the learning goal of this lesson.
Describe how you designed your lesson to include UDL strategies. *
Did you design the lesson so that content is presented in multiple ways?
Are students able to express their understanding verbally, in writing, using technology or something else?
Are students able to work in small groups or diads or are they stragecially paired?
Observe during the lesson:
Describe how the UDL strategies support student learning.
Describe student engagement during the lesson.
Debrief after the lesson:
How were students participating in the lesson?
How did offering multiple pathways to the curriculum support student learning?
What are some next steps?
*UDL Examples: https://www.cast.org/resources/tips-free
Engagement: flexible grouping, choice of tools, choices in timing of completed tasks, visible timers/alerts, variation in noise, student interests, socially relevant, display goals in multiple ways, emphasize process/effort, cooperative groups, timely feedback, real life examples, etc.
Representation: different sized text, clear font, visual layout, color contrast, pre-teach vocabulary, graphic symbols, support for vocabulary, make relationships explicit, text-to-speech, translation tools, explicit prompts, chunk information, remove distractions, etc.
Action & Expression: provide alternatives for requirements in timing/speed/materials, acces to alternative keyboards/commands, models or examples, guides and checklists, model think-alouds, graphic organizers, templates, assessment checklists, scoring rubrics, etc.
After the student teacher has had the opportunity to observe your modeling of integrating UDL strategies in your teaching, support your student teacher in planning a lesson or task that is universally designed. By collaboratively planning the lesson, you are able to help your student teacher to identify student needs and anticipate "roadblocks" to learning, and select different pathways to the learning goal.
You may use this collaborative planning tool.
1. Mentor teacher and student teacher review grade level curriculum and standards for the next few weeks.
2. Together, discuss students’ strengths and needs based on prior assessments, observations and assignments (student data).
3. Together, discuss points of difficulty in the material and areas that might require additional scaffolding/support.
4. Together, discuss UDL strategies/approaches to support student engagement (Engagement), access to content (Representation).
5. Together, discuss different ways for students to express their understanding (Action & Expression)
CAST: http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.Wa8EULKGNaQ
National Center on Universal Design for Learning: http://www.udlcenter.org/
CAST UDL Exchange: http://udlexchange.cast.org/home
Reading Rockets: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/universal-design-learning-meeting-needs-all-students''
Don't Wait to be an Expert: https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2018/01/24/when-it-comes-to-universal-design-for.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-rm&M=58357605&U=2655221