What is UDL?
The National Center on Universal Design for Learning defines UDL in this way:
Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs (www.udlcenter.org, 2015).
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides the opportunity for all students to be part of the general education curriculum and progress at their own pace by reducing instructional barriers. The UDL framework is flexible and responsive to all students' learning. Curricula designed using the UDL framework includes varied options for presenting content, differentiated ways students can express their knowledge, and engages students in meaningful learning.
As illustrated in this comic, UDL is based on the idea that when you design curriculum with struggling students in mind and build in strategies and supports to help them succeed, all learners benefit. If we remove the barriers that prohibit struggling learners from maximizing their learning, we can improve access for all.
For a brief overview of UDL, its foundations, and its three principles, view this video from the Center for Applied Special Technology. |
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Neuroscience Foundations
Universal Design for Learning draws from research in neuroscience. According to research, three broad types of learning--learning what, learning how, and learning why--each correspond to one of three main areas of the human brain.
Learning what is associated with the posterior brain regions (the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes within the cerebral cortex) Regions primarily take information in from the senses and transform it into usable knowledge–the patterns, facts, concepts, objects, principles, and regularities of our world. The medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, provides a system of anatomically related structures essential to conscious memory for facts and events, what is called declarative knowledge (Squire, Stark, and Clark, 2004).
This brain network is known as the recognition network. Follow this link to hear an audio clip and/or read a transcript of David Rose of CAST describing the recognition networks of the brain. image and information from: http://www.cast.org/netp/page/NETP/l28 |
Learning how is associated with the anterior parts of the brain (the frontal lobe, from the primary motor cortex to the prefrontal cortex), specialized for learning how to do things, and is expressed through performance (Squire, 2004). This also has been called procedural knowledge, implicit memory, and knowing-how. This type includes learning “low-level” motor skills but also high-level skills and strategies known as executive functions.
This brain network is known as the strategic network. Follow this link to hear an audio clip and/or read a transcript of David Rose of CAST describing the strategic networks of the brain. image and information from: http://www.cast.org/netp/page/NETP/l28 |
Learning why is associated with the interior or central brain regions, including the extended limbic system and amygdala.These evolutionarily primitive brain regions are specialized for affective and emotional learning (LeDoux, 2000). They contribute to learning and remembering not what an object is or how to use it but why it is important to us. These structures underlie what attracts our attention and interest, sustains our effort, motivates our behavior, and guides our goal-setting and priorities. With these regions, we learn our values and priorities: our image as a person and as a learner and the values and goals that comprise it.
This brain network is known as the affective network. Follow this link to hear an audio clip and/or read a transcript of David Rose of CAST describing the affective networks of the brain. image and information from: http://www.cast.org/netp/page/NETP/l28 |
Neuroscience has provided us with a greater understanding of how the brain is involved in learning. As seen above, three different types of learning are supported by three different brain systems. To get a better understanding of how technology can be used to enhance these types of learning, please visit http://www.cast.org/netp/page/NETP/l28. In addition to the information above, you will find additional material on factual knowledge, procedural knowledge, motivational engagement, and where and when people learn.
To conclude your introduction to UDL, read through this article from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The article will guide you through:
- How UDL offers options to present information.
- How students respond or demonstrate their knowledge and skills.
- How students are engaged in learning.