Dr. Amanda Nugent
April 20, 2023
UNIVERSAL DESIGN means the design of items, environments, programs, and services designed to make them as usable as possible for all people without the need for adaptation or special design PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN (National Disability Authority, n.d. )
Equality of use
Flexibility of use
Simple and intuitive
Easy-to-understand information
Error tolerance
Low physical effort
Size and space for accessibility of use
WHAT IS UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING (UDL)
An educational design based on research in the learning sciences, a framework for guiding educational practice that: a) provides flexibility in the way information is presented, how students respond or demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and how they participate, and b) reduces barriers to learning for all students,
including students with disabilities and students who have poor English proficiency. UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING is a set of principles that allow teachers to design instruction to meet the diverse needs of all students
THE GOAL OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
The goal of the UDL CURRICULUM is not only to help students master a certain amount of knowledge or a certain set of skills, but also to help them master their own learning process-in short, to grow from a novice to an expert in their learning
EXPERTS - as an educational goal, have three general characteristics. They are a) strategic, skillful, and goal-oriented; b) well-informed; c) motivated and committed to learn more
THE THREE PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN LEARNING
Presentation
Multiple modes of presentation provide students with a variety of ways to gain information and knowledge, the ability to choose the least costly
Demonstration
Multiple ways of giving students a variety of ways to express and demonstrate what they know
Engaging
Multiple ways of getting students' attention, stimulating their interest, increasing their motivation
"Differentiated Instruction" (DI) "a process in which differences among students are adjusted so that all students in a group have the best chance of learning" (Bartlett, 2016).
What do we need to know to implement DI? There three main aspects
■ Students' individual readiness to learn (what they have already learned and what they are ready to learn)
■ Students' learning needs (how they learn best)
■ What interests them (what inspires them to learn)
DI principles (Hutchinson & Lynn, 2007) include
■ A lesson designed to maximize student progress. Think about who the students are and use respectful assignments.
■ Any special educational needs. Make sure everyone is learning, start with the students.
■ Use any learning support in the classroom.
■ Resources to be used. Make sure all students have a text they can read by choosing tiered texts.
■ Lesson Content. Show students how to make connections between new and already acquired knowledge.
■ Help students use strategies by modeling their use. Involve all students, provide choices
■ How students will be assessed to inform further differentiation. Show students what they have learned, create a set of assessment tools.
■ How students will be grouped - be flexible when grouping students. Form heterogeneous groups (by ability, interest, etc.).
■ Learning environment.
Different ways of differentiating ■ by task ■ by resource ■ by pace ■ by grouping ■ by role ■ with support ■ by asking questions can be used by tutors either.
In a differentiated classroom, students can be passive participants in their learning. Teachers use direct instruction, which they have differentiated based on the learning needs of different groups of students in their classroom. In differentiated instruction, the teacher identifies the same measures of achievement for different groups of students. Teachers use and analyze data to differentiate students in their classroom. From this data, they can apply, adapt, or create different lessons or resources based on the concept of achieving the same measures of achievement for different groups of students. In a differentiated learning environment, the teacher chooses tools and resources for groups of students based on the activities or products included in the lesson. The teacher also decides how appropriate the tool or resource is for different groups of students. The student can choose content or resource based on his or her reading level or skill level. The teacher uses the existing differentiated curriculum or adapts instruction to meet the needs of different student groups.
We can identify each student's needs using an adapted version of the UDL (Universal Design for Learning) classroom profile where the student can understand their strengths, weaknesses, aptitudes, interests, talents and, yes, aspirations. CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) states that common sense tells us that every student is unique. Using a classroom learning profile, teachers learn how students learn best and how they
- Get information about content and what type of content format
- Express what they know
- interact with the content.
In a differentiated classroom, students can be passive participants in their learning. Teachers use direct instruction, which they have differentiated based on the learning needs of different groups of students in their classroom. In differentiated instruction, the teacher identifies the same measures of achievement for different groups of students. Teachers use and analyze data to differentiate students in their classroom. From this data, they can apply, adapt, or create different lessons or resources based on the concept of achieving the same measures of achievement for different groups of students. In a differentiated learning environment, the teacher chooses tools and resources for groups of students based on the activities or products included in the lesson. The teacher also decides how appropriate the tool or resource is for different groups of students. The student can choose content or resource based on his or her reading level or skills.
Assessment for learning (differentiation) occurs throughout the learning process. It is interactive, with teachers:
- Aligning instruction with intended outcomes.
- Determining the specific learning needs of students or groups.
- Selecting and adapting materials and resources.
- Creating differentiated instructional strategies and learning opportunities to help individual students progress in their learning
- Providing immediate feedback and assistance to students.
Assessment for learning provides information about what students already know and can do. So that teachers can develop the most appropriate next steps in instruction.
References
Barbara Bray & Kathleen McClaskey, 2010, PERSONALIZATION, DIFFERENTIATION AND INDIVIDUALIZATION
Bartlett Jayne, 2016, Outstanding Differentiation for Learning in the Classroom Hutchinson, Lynn , 2007, Inclusion of exceptional learners in Canadian schools : a practical handbook for teachers
https://archive.org/details/inclusionofexcep0000hutc_v1f6
Institutes on Academic Diversity, n.d., What is Differentiated Instruction?
https://differentiationcentral.com/what-is-differentiated-instruction/
National Disability Authority, n.d. , The 7 Principles
https://universaldesign.ie/what-is-universal-design/the-7-principles/
Pedagogy and Student Services for institutional transformation: Implementing Universal Design in Higher Education. Ed.by Jeanne L. Higbee and Emily Goff.2013
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED503835.pdf
Rose, D. H., Gravel, J. W., & Gordon, D. (2014). Universal design for learning. In L. Florian (Ed.), Sage handbook of special education (2d ed., pp. 475–491). London: SAGE.
Rose, David & Meyer, Anne Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. CAST (ASCD, 2002)
