Last week, I had the great privilege to attend the Universal Design for Learning Institute at Harvard. I must admit that, prior to this conference, I knew little about UDL. It is difficult to summarize UDL in one sentence, but here are some of the key points:
- it’s about maximizing learning for all students
- it’s a proactive, rather than reactive approach (preparing for the needs of different types of learners when designing your curriculum, rather than changing your curriculum as you go along)
- it’s what good teachers do, whether they are aware of it or not, but we could all do it better
As this blog is all about engaging our learners, and that is a key component of UDL, I would like to dedicate this week’s blog posts to UDL and the resources for incorporating it into your classroom.
Today, I would like to direct you to the National Center on Universal Design for Learning. One of their featured videos is UDL at a Glance, which you can view here, or in the embedded link below:
(For my entire week-long series on UDL, check out the following links: Universal Design for Learning, Variability Matters, Planning for All Learners, Learning Wheel, and Book Builder. You can also click on the Universal Design for Learning category in my right margin or take a look at my Pinterest Boards for UDL for even more resources.)
