Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning is described as "an approach to curriculum that minimizes barriers and maximizes learning for all students." Initially, I felt that UDL was going to be this overwhelming, new idea for teaching that was going to make me rethink everything that I did in the classroom. Fortunately, many of the pieces laid out within the UDL framework are things I, as well as countless other educators, have already implemented in their teaching. Teachers are asked to make modifications or adjustments to their teaching for different types of learners, as well as students with IEPs, BIPs, 504 plans, or our English Language Learners. Many of the pieces found within UDL fall under these categories, but there are many more that feel like common sense best practices. 

Which of these guidelines am I already using?

UDL has been divided into three different principles: Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression, each of which offer various ways in which teachers can move their practices to a more universal approach that enables all learners the chance to be successful. One of the guidelines that I feel I do the best with is optimizing individual choice and autonomy. Our campus has moved towards a blended-learning approach over the past few years, and one of the advantages of using more technology in the classroom is the ability to give students more options both with what materials they choose to access and how they can present knowledge of that information. For instance, if we have an assignment that asks students to read a short story, I will find different stories at different reading levels or interests to give students more than one choice in what they are reading. Additionally, students often have choice-boards or a variety of ways for them to show they have mastered a particular skill. Some students prefer writing answers, while others prefer simply providing answers verbally. Tools like Flipgrid allow students to demonstrate their learning in a different way than simply typing or writing answers on a worksheet to turn in. I've found that offering students choices in both the what and how of their learning gives them more autonomy and increases engagement.  

Another guideline I feel that I have had success with is optimizing access to tools and assistive technologies. Currently, our district is transitioning to Canvas as our LMS, which requires a fair amount of learning and experimenting with on my end. One of the benefits of Canvas is its ability to provide more access and assistive technologies than Google Classroom. Canvas has a built in Immersive Reader feature that will read the text on a page to students, which is a huge benefit for my students with dyslexia and ELLs that struggle with decoding and reading comprehension. Another tool that has been useful in previous years is the Voice Typing function within Google Docs. Oftentimes, my students with dyslexia struggle with writing because they get so caught up with spelling and sentence structure. The Voice Typing feature allows them to get their ideas down first, and then they can edit and revise their sentences after they have "typed" everything into a Google Doc. 

Which of these could I add

I think one area that I could improve in right now is to heighten salience of goals and objectives. I think too often I assume that all students understand the objective the first time it is mentioned, and I don't revisit our initial focus often enough during the lesson. It's one thing to post an objective and mention it at the beginning of a mini-lesson, but I need to be more direct and purposeful in my approach. One thing I feel would help with this is, especially for more complex or multi-faceted objectives, is to break them down into smaller, more attainable goals in order for students to feel successful at all stages of the learning process, and not be forced to wait until the very end to meet a goal or objective. 

Additionally, the ability for students to maximize transfer and generalization is a key component of learning. Since I teach English and Reading, I hope my students are taking what we learn in my classroom about reading comprehension and strategies for analyzing texts and using them in other classes, but this does not happen organically. I think providing scaffolds and possibly even graphic organizers or pneumonic devices could help support this guideline for students. Revisiting standards and purposely reviewing what we've covered in previous lessons is another important way to ensure that the transfer between learning environments occurs. 

Which of these looks great, but I might need some help to implement?

One area that I have constantly struggled with since becoming an educator is the areas of developing self-assessment and reflection with students. I teach middle school, and students struggle in these areas and often would rather do anything but reflect on their learning. I have tried creating paper portfolios, digital portfolios, data tracking programs, and other tools for reflection and self-assessment, but none have worked the way I have envisioned. The self-assessment and reflection I have had success with usually takes place with an exit-ticket from a single lesson, and not after a long unit or extended assignment. I am hoping to find some strategies this year to really find a system that works for me and my students. 

One other guideline that I might need some help implementing is with facilitating personal coping skills and strategies. Both guidelines I seem to struggle most with fall under the self regulation strand of UDL, and I'm not really surprised by that. Self regulating and reflection is something that comes naturally to me as an adult, but I know that it was something I was disinterested in as a student. I know I need extra practice and models before I will feel comfortable enough really taking advantage of these tools in my own classroom. Coping skills, especially those that revolve around our education, are difficult to teach students. I have students that, no matter how hard they try, seem to come up a bit short in comparison with their peers. A teacher can only say "It's about the journey, not the destination." and "Fall down 7 times, get up 8." before students begin to lose confidence in their abilities. I think being honest with my own personal failures can help, but not for all students. Learning how to teach coping skills and perseverance is difficult, but it's something I hope to improve on in the future. 

Exploration with Implementing UDL

In terms of ideas that I would like to truly implement for this upcoming school year regarding UDL, I would really like to further explore both varying the methods for response and navigation and optimizing access to tools and assistive technologies. With remote and online learning being a reality this year, I am hoping to really provide new and different opportunities for students to respond and demonstrate their learning. Tools like Edpuzzle, Flipgrid, Padlet, as well as mediums like blogs and podcasts are all ways that students are able to respond that are different than what I have done in a traditional classroom. Giving them not only different tools to respond with, but also varying the type of submissions and assignments, should lead to more engagement, especially for those students learning remotely. I have used a program called Classcraft in the past, which is a way to gamify learning, and I have had great success. Utilizing something like that with a variety of response options will hopefully make learning from home more successful than it was during the spring. 

I will have many students with disabilities and other learning impairments this year, some of which I will never meet face-to-face. Providing them with the assistive technologies available is something that I truly need to focus on this year. I have mentioned tools above in this post, but I am always exploring other options to help all learners succeed no matter where their learning occurs. Collaborating with my campus librarian, I want to show students how to access e-books and audiobooks using their library card and the Sora and Overdrive apps available for free. I may not be able to interact with students face-to-face, but I can work to provide them as many tools as possible in order to ensure their success. UDL and all of its various components seem like a great checklist to ensure that I am doing just that. 

Resources

The UDL Guidelines. (2018, August 31). Retrieved July 29, 2020, from http://udlguidelines.cast.org/