A bit on UDL

  

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is a theoretical framework of learning, developed by the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) in the 1980s, that draws on research in neuroscience, education, and technology.  Originally as an attempt to incorporate students with learning difficulties into mainstream classes and later expanded into a more universal vision, it values the individual needs and interests of the learner in an understanding of how real learning occurs.  Lesson, assessment and school design begin with those individual needs, offering choice for everything from seating, approach and output.  Student voice and needs are considered the primary guiding factor in all educational decisions.  Like universal design in other areas, universal design for learning is about providing access to the course material for all learners, regardless of barriers that may be present.

 “Students have varying abilities, preferences, cultures, languages, and experiences, all of which affect how they learn” (Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014)  It is this understanding that guides practice.  It is a changing of the way that “fairness” is seen within an educational setting.  UDL moves from an idea of equality to equity. According to the UDL principles, each area of the curriculum should provide multiple, varied, and flexible options for representation, expression, and engagement.

 

 

So, how does UDL create engaged, knowledgeable and thoughtful learners?

The goal of learning is make experts out of learners.  As defined by Meyer et al, “Expert learners are defined as being: (a) purposeful and motivated; (b) resourceful and knowledgeable; and (c) strategic and goal directed” (Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014).  Using the guidelines of UDL, students use choice to engage with the material and extend learning using their own lives and experience and express that learning in a meaningful, deeper way.  With this understanding of mastery, all learners can become experts, despite the complexity of student needs and individual barriers.  CAST defines the guidelines as universal – applicable to all students in all subject areas.

Using effective UDL strategies, students are engaged with their own education, they learn in more in depth way, they achieve at higher levels and they are motivated to continue to learn.

 I’ll examine more specific ways that UDL can be used to create engaged, knowledgeable and thoughtful learners in future blog posts and unpack research from educators who have already begun seeing the results of these principals in action.

 

 CAST (2011). Universal design for learning guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA: Author

 Meyer, A., Rose, D.H., & Gordon, D. (2014) Universal design for learning: Theory and practice, Wakefield MA: CAST.

 Hartmann, Elizabeth. "Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and learners with severe support needs." International Journal of Whole Schooling, vol. 11, no. 1, 2015, p. 54+. Gale In Context: Canada, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A420051484/GPS?u=ko_k12hs_d2&sid=GPS&xid=a7b757b0. Accessed 15 Oct. 2020.

 

Growing Success

Published in 2010 by the Ontario Ministry of Education, Growing Success is a comprehensive guide to assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario schools from grades 1-12.  It outlines the most equitable approaches to grading and offers rationale for creating positive relationships with students and parents to improve student learning.

What basic truths are necessary to our understanding of assessment?

•       “Our challenge is that every student is unique and each must have opportunities to achieve success according to his or her own interests, abilities, and goals.”

•       “Successful implementation of policy depends on the professional judgement of educators at all levels, as well as on educators’ ability to work together and to build trust and confidence among parents and students.”

•       “Policies and procedures for assessment, evaluation, and reporting need to develop over time, as we learn more about how students learn.”

“The primary purpose of assessment and evaluation is to improve student learning”

(Growing Success, p. 38)

7 Fundamental Principles 

To ensure that assessment, evaluation, and reporting are valid and reliable, and that they lead to the improvement of learning for all students, teachers use practices and procedures that:

1. are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students;
2. support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning the language of instruction (English or French), and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit;
3. are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students;
4.  are communicated clearly to students and parents at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course;
5. are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning;
6. provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement;
7. develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to assess their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning.