According to Universal Design for Learning (Udl), if the Student Can't Read, Then

While UDL is a mutual phrase in many schools today, it tin be difficult to practically implement in the classroom. To help with this, I've put together a listing of 7 Universal Design for Learning examples and strategies for the classroom.

1. Know your students' strengths and weaknesses

All students are unique, and the way they learn best can be as individualized as a fingerprint. Some may practice better reading and working independently, while others excel after watching YouTube videos and working in groups.  The goal is to understand their strengths and weaknesses, then use that when designing lessons.

Determining strengths and weaknesses can be as unproblematic as asking students their learning preferences, or observing them over fourth dimension and keeping notes on which methods work best for which students. At that place are also many surveys that can aid you acquire more than almost private strengths and weaknesses. Ane caveat is that asking students their preference doesn't always equate to what's best for them. For example, just because a student says he prefers watching videos doesn't hateful that is actually how he learns best.

Y'all should also be prepared to create an individual education plan for students requiring specific accommodations or modifications.

ii. Use digital materials when possible

Although this is improving, I find that many classrooms nevertheless utilise newspaper-based materials. I'1000 not opposed to paper (I notwithstanding buy existent books from Amazon), but digital materials can brand implementing UDL in a classroom much easier.

With digital content you can increase font size, hands look upward definitions, employ text-to-speech to read text aloud, and link out to more than detailed information on almost any topic imaginable.  This is particularly useful for students needing dyslexia reading tools.

If your current classroom materials are not in a digital format, consider ways you tin alter this. For example, you lot could supervene upon outdated content with more upwardly-to-date, digital content available online, or utilise tools like Snapverter to convert newspaper-based materials to digital, accessible materials.

3. Share content in a variety of means

In addition to having content available in a digital format, it'south as well important to share that content in a variety of ways. This tin can help ensure it fits with students' strengths and weaknesses discussed higher up.

For example, if y'all're education a unit on area and perimeter you may know that some students volition do smashing but reading the textbook, while others would benefit from watching a video or listening to a hip hop version of the lesson on Flocabulary. Once they've got the concept down, and so let everyone go their hands dirty past working with manipulatives on their own or in a group to solve a real life problem.

Offering multiple means of representation (UDL'due south showtime principle) helps to ensure that students who struggle in ane surface area do not automatically fall behind their peers.

4. Offer choices for how students demonstrate their cognition

Sharing content in a multifariousness of ways is only half the battle. Engaging students by giving them access to audio, video, digital text, and interactive sites only to handout a paper and pencil quiz at the end of the day isn't ideal.

Obviously some of this is out of your control as standardized testing (and practicing standardized testing) is a necessary role of teaching. When possible however, do your all-time to give students options for sharing their knowledge. This could exist a demonstration, slideshow, speech, or video. Even using simple free tools similar Google forms provides an upgrade to standard multiple choice tests by making it digital (meet advantages above) and helping yous to streamline grading.

5. Accept advantage of software supports

The number of apps, extensions, sites, and built-in supports available to students today is almost space. If you lot have a student who needs a support to help with reading, writing, math, history, chemistry, or any other discipline, chances are it exists.

Allowing students to have advantage of these supports is critical. Not only does it requite them the ability to succeed independently both inside and outside of the classroom, but it also frees upward your valuable time to aid fifty-fifty more than students.

A great case of a support from Texthelp that'southward helping millions of students worldwide is Read&Write. Our handy extension for the Google Chrome web browser allows anyone with a Google account to have access to reading and writing supports on the web, in Google Docs, PDF files, Google Forms and more than.

Watch the video beneath to meet how one commune is benefiting from Read&Write.

Every bit you can see, tools like Read&Write are a nifty mode to provide on-demand support when and where students need it. And one of the great things virtually modern apps and extensions is their ease of use. Many times students simply discover these apps on their own subsequently they are deployed. If not, usually a quick overview at the beginning of a course is all that'due south needed.

half-dozen. Low and No Tech options do be

Even though I've been going on and on about the importance of digital content, software supports, and other engineering science-related tools, it's important to know that technology is non required to implement UDL. Sure, information technology can help, only if you're in a classroom with little to no engineering, that doesn't hateful you lot can't implement UDL.

UDL is all about removing barriers. As mentioned, one way to do this is by providing a range of options when presenting content or asking students to demonstrate their noesis. Instead of using engineering science y'all can even so offer multiple means of representation with things like graphic organizers and handheld whiteboards that students can utilise as response cards. The goal is just to make sure that all students have a way to participate and larn.

vii. Learn from others

Universal Blueprint for Learning isn't new. There are loads of resources bachelor online that can help you become started. You lot tin start past heading over to the UDL Middle'due south website to learn more nearly the topic and the inquiry behind information technology. You lot can check out our dedicated resource folio on the principles of UDL which tin assist you make up one's mind each learner'southward needs and create a personalized learning environment in your classroom.

Only remember to showtime small. Implementing the principles of Universal Design for Learning doesn't happen overnight. For example, begin by taking one lesson and consider ways to represent the content in multiple ways to reduce barriers and help increase student comprehension. Then for some other lesson offer students multiple means to demonstrate their cognition. Or maybe create a short quiz in Google Docs instead of newspaper and demonstrate how students can use a tool like Read&Write to help with reading and responding to the questions.

By tackling UDL 1 step at a fourth dimension, you can see what works and what doesn't for your unique students and classroom.

Editor's Notation: This article was originally published in May 2017 and was updated in August 2018.

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Source: https://www.texthelp.com/resources/blog/7-ways-to-introduce-udl-into-your-classroom/

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