Universal Design for Learning provides a framework for individualizing learning in a standards-based environment through flexible pedagogy and tools. It challenges teachers to incorporate flexibility into instructional methods and materials as a way to accommodate every student in the classroom.
Within the framework of UDL, Sophia, who needs supports to overcome her visual deficits, and Paula, who has trouble with reading comprehension, could successfully read the same story using a software program that offers text-to-speech, images, and links to vocabulary and background knowledge. Charlie, who needs sequenced, structured support when working on a research project, and Jamal, who can manage the sequential steps in research but needs support for his fine motor disability, could conduct online research using the same program, but different supports. Kamla, whose interests lie primarily in sports, and Jamal, who is an expert on tanks and submarines, could pursue the same reading or math project in the content area of their choosing, thus adjusting for their individual affective networks.
In a traditional classroom, with traditional perspectives, methods, and tools, this type of pedagogical flexibility seems totally implausible. With the perspectives gained from brain research and the possibilities afforded by new media, UDL offers teachers a practical framework for injecting flexibility into the classroom. UDL does more than insist on flexibility; it provides teachers with the information and resources they need to achieve it.
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Example: Watch a video of a teacher describing the positive effects of applying UDL principles: A Teacher Talks About UDL |
The practices we recommend should be familiar to you, because these are the very same practices good teachers use when they can. The difference is that UDL, drawing on the versatility of digital media and its capacity to be transformed and networked, enables teachers to adjust instruction for the whole class, and not just for individual students. In this manner, it empowers us to teach every student, not just some.
In the following chapters, Part II of this book, we explain how to apply the UDL framework to set goals, individualize instruction, and assess student learning in your own classroom.