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Design and Deliver

Planning and Teaching Using

Universal Design for Learning

CONTENTS

I Introducing Universal Design for Learning

  1. Introducing Universal Design for Learning. 7
  2. The Vocabulary and Myths of Universal Design for Learning. 23

II The Principles of Universal Design for Learning

  1. Engagement. 43
  2. Representation. 61
  3. Action and Expression. 79

III From Planning to Practice

  1. Designing with Learning in Mind. 99
  2. The Goal and the Lesson. 113

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Loui Lord Nelson, Ph.D., is a consultant specializing in universal design for learning (UDL). She recently completed a 1-year postdoctoral fellowship through Boston College and CAST. She has focused on K12 professional development and systems change design and is conducting research in both areas. Prior to this experience, she was the Coordinator of UDL in Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation in Columbus, Indiana, for four years. Loui began her career as an eighth-grade collaborative teacher in Indiana and then expanded.

THE GOAL AND THE LESSON

If you have a clear sense of what you’re going to do each day and for each lesson, you can get a better hold on what universal design for learning (UDL) is because you know what you want to teach. Now, you’re figuring out how to teach it. Matt Roberts, seventh-grade math teacher. I talked about the lesson goal in Chapter 6 by saying, The goal is the heart of any lesson. All activities, resources used, and products produced should be grounded in that goal. By defining what you want to teach, as Matt states, you are set free to use the UDL framework and decide how you’re going to construct that lesson.

Table 2.1

FROM PLANNING TO PRACTICE

The Kings Path Makers

Once, there was a king who wanted a new path to the river. He called together his kingdom's best path makers and said, Go out and create the best path possible to the river. The path makers went back to their workshops, gathered their path-making tools, and began their work. In a month's time, they completed their task. One path maker was driven by precision. He used a compass and created the most direct route. Another was driven by beauty. She created a meandering path full of flowers. The third was driven by physical challenge. She created a path worthy of mountaineers.

When the king arrived, he discovered that in your differences is a strong similarity. You all achieved the same goal in your own way. The king composed an environment that allowed the path makers to use their individual skills to give him their best work. That’s what UDL guides us to do in the classroom.

The Goal and the Lesson

The primary role of the lesson goal is to offer direction to both the teacher and the students, related to the lesson. A well-written goal allows the teacher to analyze the lesson. The goal is both the gateway to the lesson and the path to determining the lesson's effectiveness.

Alignment

When a car is aligned, it drives smoothly. The wheels are set at the correct angle so the tires wear evenly. When the lesson is aligned with the goal, it stays on your defined path. The goal becomes the center line on the road of your lesson. If your activities or assessments pull too far to one side or another, the lesson will not be as effective. By defining the specific point of the lesson, you can structure in complex activities, push students toward higher order thinking, and guide their learning.

Examining Achievement

When we think of examining student achievement, we consider assessments. Considering any kind of information from students helps examine your goals. Comparing informal, lesson-related feedback from students to the goal of the lesson helps you determine the effect you had through your lesson.

The Vows

The goal: I promise to teach the students a new topic, skill, or concept.
The assessment: I promise to assess their acquisition of that topic, skill, or concept.
The goal: I promise to expand my students' knowledge about a topic, skill, or concept.
The assessment: I promise to assess their expanded knowledge of that topic, skill, or concept.
The goal: I promise to guide them to use knowledge they have.
The assessment: I promise to assess their ability to transfer and apply that knowledge.
The goal: I promise to shift their position on a topic.
The assessment: I promise to assess the positions they held at the beginning and hold at the end.

Revision

The practice of reflection is important when revising a lesson. This is a time when you examine how well your lesson went. Outside of returning to and reviewing your entire lesson plan, overarching pieces to consider include student participation, interaction, the introduction to the lesson, activities, assessments, and scaffolding. By determining the outcomes you want the students to achieve, you can shape the goal and design of your lesson.