FEATURE: SEND
How to apply the Universal Design for Learning in the classroom
I
n our first look at SEND this month, we hear from Livia Bran, Content Manager at
Cypher Learning, a company specialising in learning management systems, who argues for a more individualised approach to creating learning programmes for children with diverse learning abilities, including SEND. The way people learn is as unique as cats’
noses. In case you wonder, there are no two cat muzzles exactly the same. So even though students in a classroom may look alike, they each have a unique combination of background, strengths, needs and interests that affect their learning outcomes. Since classrooms are so diverse, curriculums
need to meet this diversity. However, most often than not, teachers need to meet the same curriculum goals for all their students. These two terms, “the same” and “diverse”, when considered in the same setting inevitably mean obstacles to surmount and challenges to overcome. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is thought to be the solution to the above problem.
Why Universal Design for Learning in the classroom matters In a traditional classroom setting, when a student has a hard time getting the expected learning outcomes they also often take the blame for their poor results. Maybe they didn’t study enough, they didn’t pay attention to class when the teacher explained a key concept, maybe they are just lazy and uninterested in their own educational journey. Only recently have people considered the fact
that the curriculum (instead of the student) might play a significant role in the unsatisfactory results. Every classroom is made up of a very diverse group of individuals, yet the curriculum is the same for everyone. Maybe, if we designed the curriculum to be more flexible and adaptable to
meet the diverse needs of students, the learning outcomes will improve for most. This is the basic idea of Universal Design for
Learning, advanced by the people of CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), a nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through UDL. According to them, Universal Design for Learning is rooted in the learning sciences — including neuropsychology, human development, and education research.
There are three basic principles to UDL, and
before we go on to the part about how to apply it in the classroom, these principles need to be highlighted. Each corresponds to a different part of the human brain that is involved in the learning process and each affects a student’s learning outcomes in its unique way.
• UDL provides multiple means of representation. This answers the WHAT of learning. Teachers should therefore present information and learning content in more than one way. There are multiple options for customizing instructional delivery, from offering alternatives for auditory or visual information to guiding information processing and manipulation. This diversity in how students get new information helps them be resourceful, knowledgeable learners.
• UDL provides multiple means of action and expression. This answers the HOW of learning. Some students enjoy being in the center of attention and present slides of something they learned. Others prefer the more traditional way of writing an essay on what they learned, yet others might be very happy to create a physical model of a new concept they got to master. By being able to demonstrate their learning through more than one standard way, students
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become more strategic, and goal-directed learners.
• UDL provides multiple means of engagement. This answers the WHY of learning. Motivation is a crucial factor determining the success of the learning process. Every lesson must spark an interest in students’ minds and teachers need to identify the best way to achieve this, whether by providing options for sustaining effort or self-regulation to insuring a greater degree of student agency and individual choice. This will help students become more purposeful in their learning process and more motivated.
Now that the theoretical part of universal
design for learning is clear, let’s move on the foggy one: implementing it. There is no one best way to put UDL into practice; how could it be when the students in a classroom are so diverse?
Things to consider when applying UDL in the classroom The comprehensiveness of the universal design framework can overwhelm even the most ambitious educators. The educational system tends to favor the one-size-fits-all instead of options over options of delivering instructions, assessing students and keeping them motivated. Schools and teachers who seek to create
learning environments that are inclusive for all must embrace change and prepare for a long and bumpy journey. The UDL framework is complex and there might be the need to introduce individual components of it over time. After all, change is a process, not an event. The first step in implementing universal design
for learning in the classroom is to carefully assess the current situation. One needs to establish exactly where is Starting Point A if they are to plan the journey to Desired Point B. This analysis of the current classroom or school will determine
October 2018
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