Snow Day Post - UDL

Smart from the Start: The Promise of Universal Design for Learning by Bart Pisha & Peggy Coyne

My article focused Universal Design for Learning, and how it came to be. It began with architecture. It was mandated by law that buildings must be accessible to all people. Ramps, elevators, curb cuts, and the use of brail on signs made our world more accessible to more types of people, but our intellectual world still was not. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) began to take shape. It is a way of creating curricula that has supports built into. There is no longer a need to come up with individual modifications because the curriculum already has those supports built into it. This means that with every lesson there are multiple forms and ways of learning. One example the article used is that with the use of technology, textbooks can be read to students as well as students reading them themselves. This is two different ways that a student can obtain the information of the textbook and the student is able to choose which way works best for them. Another idea that UDL supports is creating curricula that is engaging and aligns with students' interests. This cannot always happen, but it is important to consider it.

UDL and My Teaching

As a teacher, I addressed these ideas of UDL without even knowing it. Sometimes I think that being an art teacher gives me an advantage. It is very easy for me to allow for many different ways of learning. In one lesson I will:

1. Have discussions with my students about artwork and how it relates to our project.
2. Provide visuals and examples of what I expect of my students.
3. Demonstrate how to do the project through speech as well as physically doing it myself in front of them. 
4. And lastly, many times, but not all I require a reflection for students to write about the project and what they learned. 

All of these things I do touch upon different ways of learning. My students are talking, seeing, doing, and writing. And I do not have separate grades for these activities but considered them all when grading because I know all students learn differently. As a teacher I firmly believe in UDL because of this. This article made me wonder how I can use technology more in my classroom and break away from our normal routine. Consistency can become boring, and I want my students to stay engaged. That is the most important thing to remember about UDL, it is not only about making learning accessible, but about making learning engaging so that students want to learn. I am still trying to figure that out. How do I inspire and engage the most resistant student? I don't know yet, but I will keep trying to find out.