The Importance Of Universal Design For Learning In The Classroom
The Importance of Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom
Cassie Kimble
Marshall University
Abstract
Different students, curriculum, teachers, and media present different strengths and challenges. Instead of retrofitting curriculum for students via accommodations and modifications, the principles of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) prompt teachers to design curriculum that is flexible and adaptable to multiple forms of learning and engagement to facilitate the learning of all students.
Keywords: Universal Design of Learning (UDL), flexible, adaptable, accommodations, modifications
An innovative approach to instruction, universal design for learning (UDL), assists teachers as they meet the educational needs of increasingly diverse learners in schools. By integrating brain-based learning theories, research based best practices, and instructional technologies, the underlying principles of UDL offer powerful …show more content…
applications of how learning can most successfully occur for all students (Kurtts, 2006).
One of the greatest challenges for today’s teachers is how to ensure that all of their students have access to and success with the general education, or classroom, curriculum. Under the influences of current legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), outcomes for students with diverse educational needs, including students who receive special education services, are influenced by teachers’ ability to clearly depict concepts or “big ideas” and offer students multiple opportunities for engagement with learning (Kurtts, 2006). With that being said, educating teachers in UDL is key to providing students with the proper education they are entitled to; furthermore, to ensure that all students have a chance to be successful with the general education curriculum, teachers must pay close attention to how they provide access to the curriculum. This is especially important in the core academic areas of math and reading.
As an educator, an important question to ask when developing lesson plans keeping UDL in mind is, do we consider students with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities as we design our lessons or do we design lessons and then accommodate these barriers to learning? For example, a bright student with dyslexia or a student with a visual impairment may have access to concepts through accommodations of assistive technologies, but like retrofitted buildings, these technologies are expensive and may serve to identify and isolate students from their peers. Further, this application of UDL is conceptually too narrow. The principles of UDL apply to all students whether they have a distinct disability or not. Providing assistive technologies or accommodation is not the end goal but the beginning resulting in access to information for all students (Lancaster, 2008). The “universal” in Universal Design for Learning does not imply a single solution for everyone, but rather it underscores the need for inherently flexible, customizable content, assignments, and activities (Lancaster, 2008).
UDL achieves the goal of meeting individual needs by providing alternatives, not by seeking a single solution for all students. Providing both stairs and ramps is preferable to trying to invent a single method of entry that works for all people at all times. Alternatives offer increased access for those who need it and also offer opportunities for everyone to choose according to circumstances. Sometimes we prefer to use the stairs (e.g., to keep in shape, to avoid waiting for the elevator) and sometimes we prefer to use the elevator such as for very long vertical climbs or for carrying a lot of luggage (Lancaster, 2008).
Students with diverse educational needs are provided access to the general curriculum through differentiated methods and materials of instruction. All teachers, both general and special educators, are continuously challenged to design instruction that includes a wide range of options for students that will ensure active engagement with learning. UDL can be used to deliver the curriculum by assisting with overcoming physical, affective, or cognitive barriers without students feeling stigmatized or isolated (Kurtts, 2006).
Diversity in postsecondary education has expanded over the past two decades, creating a need for colleges and universities to reassess traditional instructional strategies to better meet the needs of all students.
This increasingly varied student body presents diverse learning needs often not addressed through traditional instructional approaches in higher education (e.g., lecture). Many recent principles for designing instruction and instructional environments to address student diversity have been based on the principles of UDL (Roberts, Park, Brown, & Cook, 2011). Making post secondary education more accessible to students with disabilities through curriculum development, consistent with the principles of UDL, indicates that the colleges and universities are taking steps in the right direction. By bringing flexibility and creativity to instructional delivery allows students in post secondary education to gain knowledge by taking advantage of their
strengths.
The concept of universal design originated in the field of architecture with the need to provide access to physical structures for individuals with physical disabilities. In 1997, a group of architects, designers, and engineers established the principles of universal design that have influenced environmental design, products, and communication (Kurtts, 2006). The principles of universal design and the underlying framework of universal design for learning suggest that both fields are distinguished by two characteristics; (1) access that is “built in,” rather than “added on,” creating functionality and integration and (2) the usefulness and value of design features that benefit all individuals and students (Kurtts, 2006). It is from this framework that education professionals developed The UDL concepts that have changed the lives of students from elementary to post secondary education.
References
Kurtts, S. A. (2006). Universal design for learning in inclusive classrooms. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 1(10), 1-16. Retrieved from http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=ejie
Lancaster, P. (2008). Universal design for learning.Colleagues,3(1), 1-2-. Retrieved from : http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/colleagues/vol3/iss1/5
Roberts, R. D., Park, H. J., Brown, S., & Cook, B. (2011). Universal design for instruction in post secondary education: A systematic review of empirically based articles. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(1), 5-15. Retrieved from http://www.ahead.org/uploads/publications/JPED/jped_24_1/JPED 24_1 FINAL DOCUMENT.pdf
Cassie Kimble
Marshall University
Abstract
Different students, curriculum, teachers, and media present different strengths and challenges. Instead of retrofitting curriculum for students via accommodations and modifications, the principles of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) prompt teachers to design curriculum that is flexible and adaptable to multiple forms of learning and engagement to facilitate the learning of all students.
Keywords: Universal Design of Learning (UDL), flexible, adaptable, accommodations, modifications
An innovative approach to instruction, universal design for learning (UDL), assists teachers as they meet the educational needs of increasingly diverse learners in schools. By integrating brain-based learning theories, research based best practices, and instructional technologies, the underlying principles of UDL offer powerful …show more content…
applications of how learning can most successfully occur for all students (Kurtts, 2006).
One of the greatest challenges for today’s teachers is how to ensure that all of their students have access to and success with the general education, or classroom, curriculum. Under the influences of current legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), outcomes for students with diverse educational needs, including students who receive special education services, are influenced by teachers’ ability to clearly depict concepts or “big ideas” and offer students multiple opportunities for engagement with learning (Kurtts, 2006). With that being said, educating teachers in UDL is key to providing students with the proper education they are entitled to; furthermore, to ensure that all students have a chance to be successful with the general education curriculum, teachers must pay close attention to how they provide access to the curriculum. This is especially important in the core academic areas of math and reading.
As an educator, an important question to ask when developing lesson plans keeping UDL in mind is, do we consider students with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities as we design our lessons or do we design lessons and then accommodate these barriers to learning? For example, a bright student with dyslexia or a student with a visual impairment may have access to concepts through accommodations of assistive technologies, but like retrofitted buildings, these technologies are expensive and may serve to identify and isolate students from their peers. Further, this application of UDL is conceptually too narrow. The principles of UDL apply to all students whether they have a distinct disability or not. Providing assistive technologies or accommodation is not the end goal but the beginning resulting in access to information for all students (Lancaster, 2008). The “universal” in Universal Design for Learning does not imply a single solution for everyone, but rather it underscores the need for inherently flexible, customizable content, assignments, and activities (Lancaster, 2008).
UDL achieves the goal of meeting individual needs by providing alternatives, not by seeking a single solution for all students. Providing both stairs and ramps is preferable to trying to invent a single method of entry that works for all people at all times. Alternatives offer increased access for those who need it and also offer opportunities for everyone to choose according to circumstances. Sometimes we prefer to use the stairs (e.g., to keep in shape, to avoid waiting for the elevator) and sometimes we prefer to use the elevator such as for very long vertical climbs or for carrying a lot of luggage (Lancaster, 2008).
Students with diverse educational needs are provided access to the general curriculum through differentiated methods and materials of instruction. All teachers, both general and special educators, are continuously challenged to design instruction that includes a wide range of options for students that will ensure active engagement with learning. UDL can be used to deliver the curriculum by assisting with overcoming physical, affective, or cognitive barriers without students feeling stigmatized or isolated (Kurtts, 2006).
Diversity in postsecondary education has expanded over the past two decades, creating a need for colleges and universities to reassess traditional instructional strategies to better meet the needs of all students.
This increasingly varied student body presents diverse learning needs often not addressed through traditional instructional approaches in higher education (e.g., lecture). Many recent principles for designing instruction and instructional environments to address student diversity have been based on the principles of UDL (Roberts, Park, Brown, & Cook, 2011). Making post secondary education more accessible to students with disabilities through curriculum development, consistent with the principles of UDL, indicates that the colleges and universities are taking steps in the right direction. By bringing flexibility and creativity to instructional delivery allows students in post secondary education to gain knowledge by taking advantage of their
strengths.
The concept of universal design originated in the field of architecture with the need to provide access to physical structures for individuals with physical disabilities. In 1997, a group of architects, designers, and engineers established the principles of universal design that have influenced environmental design, products, and communication (Kurtts, 2006). The principles of universal design and the underlying framework of universal design for learning suggest that both fields are distinguished by two characteristics; (1) access that is “built in,” rather than “added on,” creating functionality and integration and (2) the usefulness and value of design features that benefit all individuals and students (Kurtts, 2006). It is from this framework that education professionals developed The UDL concepts that have changed the lives of students from elementary to post secondary education.
References
Kurtts, S. A. (2006). Universal design for learning in inclusive classrooms. Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 1(10), 1-16. Retrieved from http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=ejie
Lancaster, P. (2008). Universal design for learning.Colleagues,3(1), 1-2-. Retrieved from : http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/colleagues/vol3/iss1/5
Roberts, R. D., Park, H. J., Brown, S., & Cook, B. (2011). Universal design for instruction in post secondary education: A systematic review of empirically based articles. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(1), 5-15. Retrieved from http://www.ahead.org/uploads/publications/JPED/jped_24_1/JPED 24_1 FINAL DOCUMENT.pdf