Week 5 UDL

 I love the approach taken in the article Universal Design for Learning: Guidelines for Accessible Online Instruction as it is beneficial for ALL students. I work with gifted/high achievers and they are often overlooked when discussing differentiation. The UDL method encourages looking at the curriculum as "disabled" instead of the student and this shift in thinking changes the framework to a more student centered framework. This works to help all students achieve their best and not only those who have disabilities. "Focusing on flexibility and reducing barriers to learning, UDL acknowledges that students learn differently and suggests that students with sensory disabilities, learning disabilities, and language or cultural differences need learning environments that meet their particular ways of learning" (Rogers-Shaw et at., 2018, p. 24). Even gifted students have different learning styles. In short, Universal Design for Learning directs us to reshape educational practices by discarding our assumptions of a shared background. Instead, it encourages a shift toward learner-centered and collaborative approaches. UDL emphasized the use of various means for presenting information, engaging students, and allowing diverse forms of expression. It also underscores the importance of ensuring the content's relevance, value and authenticity. The importance of incorporating real-life tasks into learning experiences, and providing flexibility to accommodate individual needs and preferences. 

To connect my lesson, students will be given the opportunity to collaborate and adjust the difficulty of their own presentations based on their knowledge/skill level. This ties into the UDL model nicely as we work through the process together in creating an individual presentation to share. 

One of the strategies involved in my lesson on Famous Floridians is having students set their own goals for how many slides they will create and how intricate these slides are. This gives them the autonomy to challenge themselves and is automatically differentiated for each student as their presentations will differ in complexity. The resources on the CAST website point out that all learners "perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them" in different ways. My lesson allows students to watch videos, read articles, and even listen to a podcast as a means of learning about their chosen person. 

Rogers-Shaw, C., Carr-Chellman, D. d., & Choi, J. (2018). Universal Design for Learning: Guidelines for Accessible Online Instruction. Adult Learning, 20-31.

About universal design for learning. CAST. (2021, April 20). https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl#.XGn5889Kho4.