Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning
            When I first started looking into universal design for learning (UDL), I just thought it meant having a teaching approach that could be used across all students. However, as I looked into it in more depth, I discovered that I had it completely backwards. UDL is not about having one way for all students, but having a set of supports that can make learning and the content that is being taught more accessible for every student. It’s about making learning and understanding universal to everyone. It’s like a universal design in building structure. The majority of commercial buildings that are built or remodeled are required to be universally accessible. That means that they have to have ramps for people who are unable to go up the stairs to be able to get in the building.
            In order to make learning accessible to all students, many schools use some form of assistive technology. Technology has drastically changed how we live our lives. It can help or hinder us in equal measure. It can help students that are struggling in class. One video I came across shows a student using an iPad for almost all of her assignments and tests because she could then put in headphones and have the directions and questions read out to her. She could watch videos on how to perform the task she was asked to do. Her language arts teacher would have her stories on there and put audiobooks with them because she struggled. They talked to her teacher and he said that it helped her quite a bit. Another video I watched talked about a student that had troubles with his spelling. His teachers and the occupational therapist at his school came up with the idea of him using a cowriter program on the computer. It’s software that tries to predict what he is trying to write and will help him spell it. It is kind of like autocorrect on our phones, but a lot more elaborate than the software on our phones. He also uses a smart pen. It will record audio while he is writing and then when he presses down on a part of the paper he wrote on, it will play the audio that he recorded while writing that specific section. He uses it to record classes and he will use it to record his own thoughts for an essay. His teachers discovered that he has a lot of great ideas, but he had trouble putting them down on paper because his spelling struggles got in the way.
            What the teachers of these students were doing was creating an environment in their classrooms where all students could learn and have the support they needed. That is what UDL is. Teachers have to think about their students and the struggles they have when trying to learn, and then come up with a support system for them to be able to access the lesson easier.
Helpful Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1cHSTAv6aw&t=21s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaHM_hxZv7Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOUdmzaZrc8

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