TIE 536
Universal Design for Learning
Craig A. Cunningham, Ph.D.


 

Universal Design for Learning

"Universal design in classrooms means using digital tools to create alternatives for students with the widest range of abilities, interests, learning s\tyles, and multiple intelligences." (Male p 21).

Adaptations should be:

  • subtle
  • integrated into the design
  • benefit everyone

Principles:

Principle 1: To support recognition learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation

Principle 2: To support strategic learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship.

Principle 3: To support affective learning, provide multiple, flexible options for engagement.

What these principles mean in practice:

  1. students with disabilities fall along a continuum of learner differences, just as other students do;
  2. teachers should (and many do) make adjustments for all students, not just those with disabilities;
  3. curriculum materials should be as varied and diverse and the learning styles and needs in the classroom, rather than textbook-centered;
  4. rather than trying to adjust the students to learn from a set curriculum, the curriculum should be flexible to accomodate a range of student differences;
  5. use progressive challenges with built-in scaffolds;
  6. create authentic learning activities that resonate with students' diverse backgrounds and culture;
  7. provide balance of structure, repetition, surprise, familiarity and randomness;
  8. in software, provide audio, video, and captions; feedback both visually and auditorily

Brain research suggests brain has three major systems. Each is served by UDL and by features of digital media:

  1. recognition systems to recognize patterns; UDL provides multiple means of representation; digital media are easily transformable.
  2. strategic systems to generate patterns; UDL provides multiple means of expression and control; digital media are easily transportable
  3. affective systems to determine priorities through emotions and feelings; UDL provides multiple means of engagement; digital media are recordable

Tasks

  1. List Gardner's 8 intelligences and define them. Post it on the course message board.
  2. Develop sample MATH or SCIENCE activities that draws upon each of the 8 intelligences (that is, 8 different activities dealing with similar content). Post your list on the course message board.
  3. Define "scaffold" and give 5 examples of scaffolds in the context of a learning activity. Post your list on the course message board.
  4. Use CAST's "Using UDL to support every students' learning" (here) to list at least 12 teaching methods that can be used in multiple curricular contexts. Post the list to the course message board.
  5. Complete the activity "Getting to Know You the UDL Way" at http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/main.cfm?t_id=12.
    Post a message on the course message board summarizing what you learned about yourself.
  6. Use the chapter "Making Universal Design for Learning a Reality" (here) to identify 7 strategies for building UDL into your district's technology plans. Post the seven strategies to the course message board.
  7. Learn about the 4 principles and 13 guidelines found in version 2.0 of the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative. Create a visual presentation of the pricniples using Inspiration, PowerPoint, or Ezedia. Post the presentation in the Files section of the course web site.
  8. Identify the accessibility features built into Windows and learn how to use them. Teach another member of the class how to use one of the features.
  9. Learn about Bobby, an online way to determine the accessibility of web sites, at http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp. Choose an educational web site that you have used with students. Submit the URL to http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp to determine whether the page is Bobby approvable. You will probably need to learn about how to read the report. Be prepared to discuss your findings with the class.
  10. Search the University of Virginia's e-book library for at least 3 examples of etexts you might use with your students. Post a message to the course message board with your list of etexts and why they might work well for your students. Include URLs.