This week I took some time to look at UDL, or Universal Design for Learning. While I have looked at UDL in many of my previous courses, it wasn't until this week that I actually understood the importance of it. With this new realization, though, I had a lot of questions and realizations that I wanted to share.
Let me start by explaining what UDL actually is. According to cast.org, a website outlining all things UDL, it is “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (CAST 2022). Basically, it’s how to be a good teacher. Sounds perfect, right? Teachers just have to understand UDL, implement it, and then all students would be able to learn! Not exactly. See, UDL has different components- representation, action and expression, and engagement. When each of these components is provided in multiple ways to suit learners needs, that is when UDL actually works. The problem here is that teachers must first understand how students learn and then adjust/ cater their lessons to these needs, while keeping in mind what the overall learning goal is. This is where the grunt work comes in. Now that you have a basic understanding of UDL, I want to discuss some realizations that I came to this week. The first being “why does UDL suddenly disappear in post-secondary and even secondary education?”. This was brought to my attention when exploring the website udloncampus.org. This website has this video posted on the homepage. It describes what UDL is in higher education, but what stuck out to me the most was the very first five seconds where a woman states “when students come to postsecondary they are incredibly diverse” (UDL in Higher Education 2015). This got me thinking about everything I have been taught about UDL, where I have been taught to implement it, and how I have seen it implemented. The conclusion that I came to was I have been taught to implement it with little kids, and I have only seen it implemented with little kids. But why? The answer to that question is because it gets increasingly harder to differentiate your teaching when you are dealing with an “incredibly diverse” group of students. It takes practice, hard work, and dedication, but it delivers results. When I think back on my education, I remember having fun in my elementary and even middle school classrooms. I recall learning in a million different ways, acting, creating, reading, exploring, and even taking notes. But at these times of my life I learned so much. Then high school hit and suddenly I was going through the motions of learning every single day. I sat down at my individual desk, took notes for an hour, took an exam or quiz every once in a while, and left the classroom when the bell rang. All day, every day. And how much do I remember learning from high school? Not a lot. And the same held true with my college courses. There was no differentiation, no excitement or engagement. Because it is hard for teachers of higher education to differentiate their teaching, and so much easier to just spit out information and hope students learn it. Not only is it hard for teachers to differentiate when they are faced with such diverse learners, but it is also tremendously less acceptable for older learners to learn through making and creating. This is something else that I explored this week- who is ‘allowed’ to create/ make and who is not? We all know that playing is such an important part of learning… but only for children, right? Once you are in higher education, you’re not allowed to play or create, as society tells us. With these societal expectations, students in higher education will never be exposed to an entire learning experience, and teachers of higher education will never provide this type of learning experience. So why is UDL so much more important in elementary education than higher education? If you ask me, it’s not. References: https://www.cast.org/impact/universal-design-for-learning-udl#.XFBpZi2ZOL9 http://udloncampus.cast.org/home#.XFBobC2ZOL8 Chrissie Butler (June 6, 2013). “UDL graphic frame for quick planning”. [Image]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/36224492@N06/8972765059/in/photolist-eETLrR-pshCp3-2mB3zim-2iusb4E-bS98He-Tha6aE-ewqj88-Pikmw6-2gwnzFc-HZPwd3-C6MTME-eoFQUF-cFgcid-eoFQvB-hRh5g-bTZ4Ex-2jn8M1W-2dUpTU-exyV1J-bDJLqM-Wm8fEf-hRgYz-8JM9vh-8Cu2xB-baZVmk-228h2av-5bXTLj-2kCcy8G-b9jmZ6-qXViC8-cFg9XU-cFgaa5-8JJ6NM-hRgWk-8JJ6Ai-2n85LF1-2n832tX-exvHZn-2n82Be7-8JM9hJ-ij5Etq-hRgTW-2dUrBJ-ij58kV-PJ2omd-2n84idm-2n84idX-2dUkzS-2dPw8t-2dPBrp UDL On Campus (2015, October). “UDL in Higher Education”. [Video]. Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_MCvjkd8Jc
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