As described on the National Center on Universal Design for Learning’s website, UDL or Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles used to design curriculum to meet the needs of all students. Below you will find a brief explanation of each principle.
Principle 1 Representation:
Representation refers to how we gather and recognize information in our brains. Using multiples ways of presenting information. Videos, text, games, etc. everyone grasp information differently presenting information in various ways can help all learners including the students who really need it.
Principle 2 Action and Expression:
Action and Expression refers to how we learn what we learn. This means the organization and how we express what we learn. Providing learners a way to express what they know can be different for every student. Physical action is a way for students to express their transfer of knowledge. For example, instead of asking students to count and draw dots to be able to recognize their knowledge of the number four students can clap or do jumping jacks for the number four. They have still learned the number four and expressed their knowledge but in a different way.
Principle 3 Engagement:
Engagement refers to how we engage and connect with new material. How learners are motivated to learn. Engaging students is the first step to helping them learn. Someone once told me if they aren't engaged they aren't learning. Grasping their interest by providing various ways for students to manipulate information and curriculum. Learners can vary in their learning preferences. Some students like routines and other students prefer different and more new aspects of learning everyday.
UDL has made a huge impact on how I think about planning lessons in my classroom. At one time I thought of UDL as modifications, not understanding that modifications are for specific children and UDL is for everyone. Just because a students is not identified or labeled with a disability does not mean he or she would not benefit from playing a game to learn math facts or presenting information on colored paper as I would for students with vision impairments.
That is a great video! I also originally thought of UDL as a modification that just happened to benefit everyone, as opposed to an actual lesson design that will accommodate and accentuate the learning of all people. The principles really break down the general meaning of UDL and the way you simplified the explanations really broke it down with out missing vital information.
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