UDL: The "Intersection of Initiatives"

“The concept of UDL is the intersection where all our initiatives—integrated units, multi-sensory teaching, multiple intelligences, differentiated instruction, use of computers in schools, performance-based assessment, and others—come together.”

This statement comes from Donna Palley, Special Education Coordinator/Technology Specialist for the Concord, New Hampshire, school system (and the driving force behind Concord's UDL initiative). Her words capture our vision of UDL as an approach that ties together the work of other educational researchers and reformers who advocate a break from the traditional classroom model-that of a teacher standing up in front of rows of students to deliver "truth" and later using a test to check whether "truth" sank in. The traditional model has always posed problems for some students, and with increasing diversity, the number of students who fail to thrive in this environment is on the rise.

Among the educational approaches UDL supports is differentiated instruction (see Tomlinson, 1999a, 1999b), wherein teachers individualize criteria for student success, teaching methods, and means of student expression while monitoring student progress through ongoing, embedded assessment. UDL is also compatible with the concepts of teachers as coaches or guides (see O’Donnell, 1998), learning as process (see Graves, 1983, 1990), cooperative learning (see Johnson & Johnson, 1989, 1999; Marr, 1997; Wood et al., 1993), and demonstrating learning in a wide variety of media (see Sizer, 1992a, 1992b, 1996). All these approaches represent aspects of a model where learners actively construct meaning and teachers participate and support learning rather than impart knowledge.

In his book Avatars of the Word, James Joseph O’Donnell speculates on what the real roles of educators will be in an information-rich world:

[It will be] to advise, guide, and encourage students wading through the deep waters of the information flood. [Educators] will thrive as mentors, tutors, backseat drivers, and coaches. They will use the best skill they have . . . to nudge, push, and sometimes pull students through the educationally crucial tasks of processing information: analysis, problem solving, and synthesis of ideas. These are the heart of education, and these are the activities on which our time can best be spent. (O'Donnell, 1998, p. 156)

This is the vision that connects Universal Design for Learning to other educational reform. Instead of being "just one more thing," the UDL framework provides a way to make various approaches to educational change more feasible by incorporating new insights on learning and new applications of technology..

The materials and methods teachers use can either present students with barriers to understanding or enhance their opportunities to learn. By developing and applying UDL, we can minimize barriers and realize the promise each student brings to school. The task for educators is to understand how students learn and use the technology available in this digital age to provide selected supports where they are needed and position the challenge appropriately for each learner. In this way, we can engage more students and help every one progress.

In the next chapter, we look at new knowledge about the learning brain and consider how it can illuminate and refine teachers' understanding of differences among students.