My Universal Design for Learning School

by

Rhonda DavisSPED 6334

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When designing my elementary school using UDL principles, the following will be addressed:

• Structure• Classes• Personnel• Instruction • Curriculum• Technology• Assessment

STRUCTURE

STRUCTURE

In my school, everyone will have equal access to the learning environment.

Multiple ramps outside and inside of the school Wide doorways Elevators or lifts for those unable to use stairs Handicapped accessible restrooms Automatic sliding doors Braille on every sign

Out With the OldOut With the Old In With the NewIn With the New

CLASSES

CLASSES

Classes will be grouped by grade level with no more than 20 students that have varying ability levels. Every school that I have been at seems to be good at grouping a majority of the lower performing students and those with behavior challenges in the same class. In a class with varying ability levels everyone can learn from each other.

Teachers will be provided with materials and required to use methods that incorporate the three UDL principles. Instructional materials in an electronic format will be the cornerstone of each UDL classroom that offers a great deal of flexibility. Electronic materials will be used on and manipulated by computers, making it easy to alter content to meet the needs of different students.

All classroom will be spacious, have desks and chairs that accommodate the needs of all students, and access to the latest technology.

PERSONNEL

My personnel will be very diverse. For every general education classes there would be a teacher

and TA in there at all times. For every self-contained special education class there would

be a teacher / TA to student ratio of 2:4. For every 15 kids receiving resource, there would be a

teacher and a TA to provide support. For every 5 inclusive students there will be one support

facilitator for them in the general ed classroom. There will be a lead teacher for each department/grade level. At least two full time master technology teachers.

INSTRUCTION

INSTRUCTION- Representation

Teachers will present instruction using multiple media, such as oral lectures, textbooks, charts or diagrams, audio tapes, and videos.

They will also change the content from one medium to another, such as oral output for students with reading difficulties or pictures and illustrations for students who need a visual image.

Materials would have changeable font style and size, highlighting of main concepts, or variable volume and speed controls.

Material will be adjusted to match students' cognitive styles. For example, students who prefer sequential, factual information might learn a history lesson from a timeline-style presentation. Students who learn better with a base of broader concepts might choose to have the same lesson presented from a big picture, or cause-and-effect perspective, with dates and facts filled in later.

Instruction will provide

multiple means of

representation.

Comprehension

Perception

Language, expression

, and symbols

INSTRUCTION- Expression

Our students will not be limited to one way of completing assignments. Teachers can match the curriculum to each child's strengths.

Assignments will be accepted in various formats. A student who finds written expression difficult might show his knowledge orally; another might turn in a report, write a play, or develop a project to demonstrate learning.

Those students who are slowed down by the physical effort of writing with paper and pencil will be allowed to use the computer and printer.

Instruction will provide

multiple means of action and

expression.

Executive Function

Physical Action

Expression and

Communication

INSTRUCTION- Engagement

Our UDL instruction will allow flexibility in how our students interact with the material so that they will not become bored or unmotivated. The teachers will tailor the level of difficulty of assignments, so that each student is challenged while meeting the overall goals of the lesson.

Teachers will allow students to choose their preferred method of learning new material. One child might learn vocabulary by playing a game in a race against the clock; another might create stories or even artwork to incorporate the new words.

Teachers will also tailor the content to match kids' interests. For example, math principles could be taught using topics ranging from hockey to horses.

Instruction will provide

multiple means of engagement.

Self-regulatio

n

Recruit Interest

Sustain effort and

persistence

INSTRUCTION- Engagement contd.

Instructional materials will provide extra support where students need it. For reading practice, independent readers could read silently from a book. Students needing more support might read computer-based stories where they could click on a troublesome word to hear it pronounced or have the entire text read aloud.

Assignments will be varied according to each child's skills. If the goal of a project is to learn research skills, more advanced students will be required to produce a longer report or cite more references. Students with less developed research skills might gain as much from creating a report using fewer references to cover a limited number of key points.

GENERAL CURRICULUM

GENERAL CURRICULUM

Using my state’s TEKS objectives, I would build the general curriculum using the UDL Curriculum Toolkit. This software will allow my staff to create flexible and customizable educational materials that can meet the needs of all students and allow them to progress to their full potential.

I would also build a functional curriculum for those learners whose disabilities significantly impairs their ability to progress to their fullest potential using the general curriculum.

TECHNOLOGY

In my UDL school, I would use technology to create an educational environment that allows all students to succeed in the general education classroom. Technology can be used to reach the recognition, strategic, and affective brain networks.

TECHNOLOGY- Recognition

Technology would be used to provide multiple means of representation for all students which accesses their recognition network. My school would use video and audio representation, pictures, and music, just to name a few. Those learners who are kinesthetic will benefit from using IPADS, laptops, SmartBoards, and iPods.

TECHNOLOGY-Engagement

• Technology would be used to engage and motivate our students so that their affective learning network is activated.

TECHNOLOGY- Expression

• Technology would also be used to reach our students’ strategic networks by allowing them various ways to interact with the material and to demonstrate mastery of skills and concepts.

ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT

In my school informal UDL assessments will be embedded into daily instruction.

UDL formative assessments will be conducted after every unit.

Any of the tools listed under technology/expression can help assess what a student has learned.

Any student who qualifies for special education services will be allowed to take standardized assessments on their functioning level instead of grade level.

All assessments will be given via whichever type of media a student benefits most from.

References

Rose, DH., & Meyer, A. (2002) Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. Universal Design for Learning. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria Virginia.

http://community.udlcenter.org/photo/udl-in-tagxedo http://www.ginacarson.com/gc/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/UD-snow

-steps.jpg http://www.unifiedav.com/blog/68/smart-boards-collaborative-

classrooms/ classroom‑future.jpg thegoodlife-lindsay.blogspot.com http://visual.ly/how-different-will-classrooms-future-be http://mast.ecu.edu/modules/udl_intro/concept/#tech http://alyssiakajati.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/education-

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