This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
In my new book with Dr. Katie Novak, UDL and Blended Learning , I share a story about working with an architect to design a new home after my family lost our house in the Tubbs Fire in 2017. Over a series of three meetings, my architect asked me countless questions about what I wanted in a home and how I used the space.
They make the world accessible to a variety of people and they make everyday life easier for everyone. In education, students should have access to learning that meets their needs and makes their lives easier in the same way. The Universal Design for Learning framework supports learning for all students. In today’s…
Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with a group of international educators in Dubai grappling with these challenges. How do teachers ensure that instruction and facilitation of learning are accessible, inclusive, and equitable? This includes higher-order thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning.
In my last blog, I focused on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle of engagement. In this post, I want to explore the principle of representation, which is focused on providing students with access to multiple ways of experiencing or receiving information. Click here to access instructions.
Meet Next Generation Science Standards. Throw out Learning Styles and Replace it with UDL. Kathleen: No, not everyone is doing something different in the classroom, but the learner’s actually having some choice in what they do and how they access information. Using the lens of Access, Engage, and Express. Opening Graphic.
In my last blog, I focused on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principle of representation. I highlighted some of the affordances available online that can help students to manipulate digital information to make it more accessible. In this post, I want to explore the third, and final, UDL principle of action and expression.
If this is how the makerspace is set up in your school, then your kids may not have access to the resources, materials, and tools when they need them, especially for STEM or STEAM. Universal Design for Learning® (UDL). UDL was designed to reduce the barriers to the curriculum and maximize learning.
Centering instruction in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and implementing both direct and student-driven instruction can help engage learners, address diverse needs and improve learning outcomes for all students. Students arrive in the classroom with a diverse range of needs, and helping them succeed isnt always straightforward.
It entails individualized education plans (IEPs), differentiated instruction, and universal design for learning (UDL) to meet diverse needs. Accessible facilities, ongoing professional development, and family involvement are vital components. While this was impressive in itself, I was intrigued by the actions of the TA.
To support teachers in design, districts offered flexible professional development models offered in multiple modalities, centered in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices and peer-collaboration approaches to support teachers in creating and engaging students. New approaches should center families. Roundtable Participants.
In this blog series, we’ll explore the delicate balance teachers face when trying to meet the diverse needs of their students while making the most of their limited and valuable instructional time. In a whole group teacher-led lesson, we can “cover the content” in our limited time with students.
Even small changes in classroom design that celebrate diversity and enhance accessibility can make a big difference in creating a truly inclusive environment. To help you get started, weve got three easy-to-understand fundamentals of classroom inclusivity, all inspired by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
What: Teaching techniques designed to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners with varied needs, skills, abilities, and language proficiencies. Differentiating the content, or how students access knowledge, understanding, and skills. Blended Learning Benefit #2: Differentiation. text, video, audio recordings).
Colleges have long had offices designed to support students who have learning disabilities and to encourage broader accessibility in the classroom and beyond. On the latest installment of our monthly online discussion forum, EdSurge Live , we explored accessibility in this unusual era of emergency remote teaching.
But how does the concept of Universal Design Learning (UDL) fit into all this? Why is it so important now, and how can e-learning fulfill its requirements within the UDL framework? What are the fundamentals of UDL and why is it important? First, let’s define UDL in its simplest terms. How can we shape them to fit UDL?
Since classrooms are so diverse, curricula need to meet this diversity. However, most often than not, teachers need to meet the same curriculum goals for all their students. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is thought to be the solution to the above problem. UDL provides multiple means of representation.
For 2025, schools and districts are focused on making learning more engaging for students, creating a more positive environment for educators, and transforming school culture to meet the diverse needs of the school community.
In our newest book, Shift Writing into the Classroom with UDL and Blended Learning , Dr. Katie Novak and I guide teachers in creating the time and space to support all parts of the writing process in the classroom. Technology access can be another barrier.
Educators with a mind towards equity typically excel at access. A first step towards inclusive education can be done through the adoption of UDL. Good teachers are finding ways to meet the learning needs of all of these diverse brains within the same classroom. Opening doors to all students is an obvious move.
It has disabled our education system, creating challenges to educational access, barriers to student academic progress and strains on teachers’ and students’ physical and emotional well-being. Simultaneously, educators needed to identify what content students needed, how to organize it and how to help students access it.
For teachers, this means providing equal access to educational experiences and ensuring that all students have the support and resources they need to succeed academically, socially and emotionally. In short, UDL is a launching point for providing personalized learning experiences. But the menu is not infinite.
I thought I had a pretty good handle on universal design for learning (UDL), but after chatting with Katie Novak , Ed.D., Novak, author of UDL Now! Q: What exactly is UDL, and why does it matter? As we embrace equity and inclusion, we have to meet the needs of all students. A: Our classrooms today are incredibly diverse.
One of the key advantages of using a digital format is that it allows you to easily make copies of the playlist and design different versions to meet the needs of different groups of students or to adapt to different learning objectives. I recommend that teachers use a digital document or slide deck.
Gaps between young people of privilege and Opportunity Youth in rates of learning needs diagnosis, college access and completion, suspension, and incarceration make a critical learning differences story that must be heard. UDL and Opportunity Youth. Redesign physical spaces in schools and classrooms to reflect the UDL framework.
It’s important to vet edtech tools to verify that they promote access for a wide range of learners. For me, vetting edtech products for accessibility is my profession and my passion. . My excitement about making learning accessible for every student is also very personal. Tips to vet edtech tools for accessibility .
Others meet virtually every week for a Friday happy hour or Sunday coffee date to talk about how they are navigating this challenging moment, personally and professionally. #2 They are spending evenings and weekends preparing to meet the demands of teaching in a pandemic. 3 Students are capable of self-directed learning.
The report is a comprehensive guide for educators, district leaders, and policymakers as it offers insights into the benefits and challenges of AI in education and offers practical strategies for effective and ethical AI implementation, with a focus on enabling accessibility. Key findings in the report include: 1.
We touched on a variety of topics related to e-learning for schools and universities, from personalized learning to the usefulness of various edtech tools, to cybersecurity in schools, to how to meet students’ various learning needs, and everything in between. Since classrooms are so diverse, curricula need to meet this diversity.
Teachers collect informal data that helps them design effective lessons and differentiate to meet students’ specific needs. Making formative assessment data accessible to students is essential to foster a learning environment that prioritizes autonomy, self-regulation, and reflection.
Professional learning communities (PLCs) offer a collaborative approach to professional development in which small groups of educators meet regularly to reflect on instructional planning and practice, share expertise and insights from their teaching experiences, and engage in collective problem-solving.
The Philosophy Behind Modern Classroom Design Modern classroom design goes beyond aesthetics, embracing ideas from Active Learning and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to make learning inclusive and hands-on. Can we provide lesson materials in diverse, accessible formats ? Why not take it a step further?
At the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) , one of the largest and most diverse school districts in the United States, we constantly plan new educational programs, prioritizing equitable access and ensuring students graduate prepared for success in college, career and life.
A video can also make instruction more accessible. If teachers plan to differentiate their instruction to meet the specific needs of a group of students, I recommend using the station rotation model to work directly with small groups of students. That way, students can control the pace they consume and process that instruction.
What accessibility features might make this space more user-friendly? The work teachers do to understand their students’ needs is critical to designing learning experiences that will be inclusive, accessible, and equitable. I have yet to meet a teacher who enjoys grading. What are their needs and preferences?
Inclusion means all students in a learning community have access to resources, opportunities, and a voice in the class dialogue. These shifts make it easier to create more accessible, equitable, and inclusive learning environments. 3 Valuing Inclusion. 3 Steps to Creating a Psychologically Safe Learning Environment.
New guide explains benefits of UDL as a framework for creating learning-driven environments and how districts can put theory into practice. It discusses the UDL model of “access, engage, express,” and provides educators with a framework for understanding how to create curricula that meet the needs of all learners.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) draws its inspiration from the broader concept of Universal Design (UD), initially pioneered in architecture. UD aims for inclusive access to architectural spaces for all users. Our focus in this post is on Universal Design for Learning, popularly known by the acronym UDL.
The UDL framework can help teachers shape inclusive learning environments and can support K-12 leaders in implementing new programs. UDL is not another program that teachers have to shoehorn into their already-crammed day–rather, it is a process and framework to help educators ensure they are reaching all learners.
It also explores current teaching practices and frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), offering actionable tips to help schools support neurodiverse students and prioritize inclusive strategies and practices.
Despite my optimism about the benefits of AI in education, the buzz online is focused on the exciting new AI-powered education tools and not on the transformative impact those tools could have on how we design and facilitate learning experiences to meet the needs of diverse groups of students. So, let’s consider an analogy.
Are you looking for ways to better meet the needs of all your students in your classroom? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an excellent solution that can help teachers design lessons and materials for all students. Students can access this regardless of their learning styles or abilities.
Universal Design Learning (UDL) is a way of teaching that fits with e-learning to gain new perspectives and engage in group problem-solving. But why is this pairing of e-learning and UDL so important? What is UDL? What does UDL through e-learning look like? How to address the digital access gap? Lets dive in.
Benefit #3: The 4 C’s and UDL. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) are also evident. With the EduProtocols, students will be engaged in the learning process, be able to access information in a variety of ways, and express their understanding in creative ways. . They know how to access information readily.
AI Tools for Teachers: Meet Curipod, AI Lesson Plan Builder 00;06;00;13 – 00;06;09;25 Vicki Davis And so, Amanda, can you give us some examples of some AI powered educational tools and programs and how they've been effective in helping students learn? And she's @AmandaFoxSTEM on Twitter. I'm sorry Canva Classroom author.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 34,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content