What is UDL? & Why is it important? Course: Diverse Learners and Technology (EDUC – 7109 – 1) Walden University Dr. Green By Lynne Butkiewicz

UDL offers a new way of thinking about creating multiple learning opportunities in every area of course design. Once you start thinking this way, the sky's the limit!"Prof. Sandra Yang, Cal Poly Pomona

According to the Cast website, “UDL is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn.” UDL consists of specific learning goals, materials, assessments and media that will work for everyone. This is a flexible learning environment with a variety of approaches to facilitate students learning. Retrieved from :

 UDL was created to addressed the needs of all individuals so that they are successful in any given environment.  According to Cast website, “Individuals bring a huge variety of skills, needs, and interests to learning. Neuroscience reveals that these differences are as varied and unique as our DNA or fingerprints.” (2011) 

 Students in today’s classroom are diverse with different learning styles and different physical, and cognitive needs than their peers. In ensuring success for all diverse learners it is necessary to create an environment in which all learners are successful by giving them different opportunities to be successful in the educational arena.

According to Cast website there are three networks which are on the next few slides: Recognition Networks ~ The "what" of.The part of brain responsible is shown below. In this network we understand and identify information through touch, sight, smell, hear and taste. According to Cast website, “How we gather facts and categorize what we see, hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author's style are recognition tasks.” (Cast, 2011)

Strategic Networks ~ The "how" of learning. The part of brain responsible is below. In this network we get the ability to plan, measure and implement information received. According to Cast website, “Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are strategic tasks. (Cast, 2011)

Affective Networks ~ The "why" of learning. This part of brain responsible is below. In this network we get the ability to use emotional connections to the learning. According to Cast website, “How learners get engaged and stay motivated. How they are challenged, excited, or interested. These are affective dimensions. (Cast, 2011)

According to Rose, Gravel and Domings there are three principles in which need to be included in a lesson. The following slides will delve into these principles further. Principle 1 ~ Multiple means of representation. Principle 2 ~Multiple means of action and expression. Principle 3 ~ Multiple means of engagement.

 Provide students various options to perceive and acquire information through smell, hear, taste and touch. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5)  Provide options for language and symbols to define vocabulary for vocabulary building. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5)  Engage students in engaging activities using higher order thinking and scaffolding techniques. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5)

Provide options for accessing tools and assistive technologies by using an array of tools which extend human capacity to assist students with motor disabilities can do the same as non disable peers. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5) Provide options in media expression for learners to communicate learning like drawing, graphing, and pictures. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5) Provide options for executive function through scaffolding, charts, diagrams, and graphic organizers. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5)

Provide options for recruiting interest by using attention getting strategies. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5) Provide options for sustaining effort and persistence by eliminating distractions and remind students of the goals. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5) Provide options fro self-regulation by providing students with rubrics for evaluating performance of self and peers in collaborative groups. (Rose, Gravel, Domings, 2009, p.5)

All educators know that students come into their room with a variety of needs, talents, skills, and learning styles with are often difficult to meet in a classroom that consists of lecture only. UDL, “improves educational outcomes for all students by ensuring meaningful access to the curriculum and accurate skill and knowledge assessment. In addition UDL complements existing school reform initiatives.” (Advocacy Institute Organization, 2011) Learn how to identify and remove learning barriers from the classroom. Lessons the challenge of meeting the needs of our diverse learners.

By implementing UDL in the classroom you will be promoting a successful learning environment for all students regardless of disability. Without UDL current curriculum will not meet the needs of the diverse learners in today’s classroom. More demanding curriculum learning objects and no more time in the day or year to meet these needs one must be creative in teaching the curriculum. Bray, Brown & Green comments, “That students can have a variety of exceptionalities that can arise from some type of impairment or an unusual talent.” Current curriculum doesn’t meet the needs of all the students in the classroom today they have different learning styles, physical and cognitive disabilities. Become skilled at removing barriers to learning. UDL you can create an academically successful students not held back by their diverse needs. Students will not feel left out, frustrated or uninterested in the learning environment when their needs are included in the lesson.

You implement UDL in the learning environment through a variety of ways. Use a variety of instructional goals. Use a variety of materials Use a variety of assessments. Use flexible methods to teach the curriculum and be flexible with the media used. Provide students multiple opportunities to participate in the learning environment through different multisensory methods visual, kinestic, tactile or auditory senses. Provide students with different media for their learning styles and preferences.

With engagement being important in an effective classroom it is clear that we must couple UDL with differentiated learning. Doing so would ensure all students in the classroom needs, disabilities and learning styles are addressed encouraging an academically successful student. With this combination sutdent’s will be academically successful regardless of learning styles, physical and cognitive ability barriers.

 Bray, M., Brown, A., & Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse learner: A guide to classroom practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.  Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Reaching and engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore: Author.  Metcalf, D.; Evans, C.; Flynn, H. & Williams, J. (2009) Direct instruction + UDL = Access for diverse learners: How to plan and implement an effective multisensory spelling lesson, “Teaching exceptional children plus. 5(6) Retrieved from   National Center on Accessing the general curriculm. Differentiated instructions and implicatrions for UDL implementation. Retrieved from   Provide extensive and varied vocabulary instruction throughout the day. (2011)   Role of technology  Rose, D. H., Meyer, A., Strangman, N., & Rappolt, G. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from  Universal Design for Learning. The facts for educators. Retrieved from  What is Universal Design for Learning? Retrieved from  Why Universal Design for Learning? Retrieved from