By Lindsey Jackson
Universal Design (UD) is a concept originally intended for consumable products, operating under the principle that products should be usable by any consumer without requiring adaptation. It has since been implemented in other areas, too, and has fairly recently begun taking the educational world by storm, despite having been introduced there back in the 1980s. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) suggests that every learner learns differently; that lumping students together into “types” of learners is not only ineffective but actually detrimental; and that adaptable, customizable curriculum is the best way of learning to foster success in all students—something that is of especial concern to educators working with ELLs.
The following are helpful resources for understanding and learning to implement UDL in the classroom:
- UniversalDesign.com: This website offers an overview of the fundamental principles of UD, allowing a deeper understanding of why UD works so well in the realm of education.
- National Center on Universal Design for Learning: At the hub of the UDL emphasis, this website offers specific insight into the principles behind learning: how and why our brains function certain ways. Beyond that, it offers guidelines on what exactly those principles mean for the classroom teachers, as well as the students. Cultivating ever-increasing knowledge of how we learn assists in creating and implementing curriculum that actually works for our students.
- Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice: Published just this year by the original developers of UDL, this book offers examples of real teachers at all levels who have been effectively using UDL in the classroom. The book also has an online component that allows educators to dive even deeper into the content.
- Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom: Practical Applications (What Works for Special-Needs Learners): Partly co-authored by the original developers of UDL, this book offers practical ideas for taking UDL from theory to implementation at every level of class activity: everyday assignments, tests, and essays. It also gives insight into how to incorporate technology into UDL and attempts to modify the mindset that a student who does not learn in the “traditional” way is not disabled; because every student learns differently, every student has a special need.
- CAST: The CAST website not only explains the history and background of UDL, but also offers a wide variety of useful (and completely free!) learning tools for current educators. These tools include everything from the UDL Book Builder (allowing teachers to, in essence, create their own textbooks) to the UDL Exchange (a file-sharing program that enables educators to share their ideas with educators across the country).
UDL is the way of the future (or even the present) for educators, as we continue to strive to help every student succeed. The above resources are by no means exhaustive, but they do offer valuable learning opportunities for the educator who is passionate about seeing all students learn how to learn and to develop their passions.
Lindsey Jackson will be graduating with a Master’s in English-TESOL from Missouri State University in May. She has an undergraduate degree in English Education from Evangel University and currently teaches English composition for non-native English speakers at Missouri State.
