This is a look into what teachers can do regarding universal design for learning and meeting the needs of culturally diverse learners.

1. Customizing Student
Learning Activities along
with Diversity and
Cultural Understanding

2. Differentiated Instruction
• Differentiated instruction is geared to make accommodations
to the known needs of the learner. Basically trying to level the
playing field among learners.
• Teachers can differentiate instruction with technology by
finding alternate ways to deliver content be creating
WebQuest, creating social bookmarking sites, or audio/video
files.
• Teachers can differentiate the process of learning by having
students play games, assign groups based on common
interest, or go on virtual field trips.
• Teachers can differentiate products by allowing students to
produce digital portfolios or concept maps.

3. Universal Design for Learning
(UDL)
• Universal Design for Learning is a way of teaching that
allows students flexibility in how they will show their
understanding of a concept.
• With UDL students have the ability to choose how they
acquire the information, how they will demonstrate their
learning and how they will engage with the information.
• UDL is different form Differentiated Instruction in that
Differentiated Instruction is typically geared to make
accommodations to the known needs of the learner.
Basically trying to level the playing field among learners.

4. Learning Profile
• Knowing how to differentiate learning activities requires teaching to
know their students to include their abilities, their strengths, and
their interest.
• Students can complete a learning profile to aide in determining
multiple intelligences and learning styles that will be in their best
interest.
• Digital technologies can help aide teachers assessing students'
learning styles and managing data.

5. Neutral Networks Foundational to
UDL
• UDL is based on how the brain uses recognition,
strategic, and affective networks that influence learning.
• Recognition Networks: help the brain identify sensory
data including symbols for language, objects, facts, and
patterns.
• Strategic Networks: control processes for planning,
executing, and monitoring your actions.
• Affective Networks: deal with emotions, motivation, and
engagement with a particular topic.

6. Teaching Using UDL
• In the classroom teachers need to be able to set learning
goals, have opportunities for students to interact with learning
situations, and assess their gained knowledge.
• Learning goals need to be concise in the what, how, and why
the learning will take place.
• Individualized learning needs to allow students the flexibility
to interact with the concepts at various levels of difficulty,
support, and tools.
• Evaluating students needs to take into account multiple
methods to demonstrate learning.

7. Assistive Technologies
• Technology can help teachers with UDL. The “Tech Act”
refers to any item, piece of equipment or product that
increases or improves functional capabilities of a person
with disabilities.
• Assistive technology can come in many forms.
• “low-tech” such as pencil grips or left handed products
• “mid-tech” such as portable word processors, or talking
dictionaries.
• “high-tech” such as computers or tablets that can be
customized to meet the student’s needs.

8. Using Assistive Technology in the
Classroom
• Fouzia Khursheed Ahmad stated, “Assistive technology serves in
bridging this gap by ’assisting’ in the practice of educating children in
the same classroom, including children with physical, mental and
developmental disabilities helping them to learn the material in a way
that they can understand, by eliminating barriers that had been
preventing them from being at the same level as their peers (p 65).
• Techers can use the technology they currently have available and
make modifications to it to help each of their learners reach their
maximum potential.

9. Supporting Student’s Needs
• When structuring their classrooms, teachers should be aware of the
needs of their students.
• Teachers should create an environment that encourages
collaboration. Students need to feel that they have a voice and work
as a community to achieve learning goals.
• Make sure you meet the cognitive needs of your learners. Students
need to have the time to think deeply about concepts and make
connections to previous knowledge.
• Educators also need to be aware of the metacognitive needs of their
students. Students need time to reflect on their learning.

10. Equitable Access
• As educators we need to close the digital divide, those students who
have access to technology and those that don’t.
• All students need to have access to current hardware, software, and
connectivity.
• All students need to have access to relevant, top notched, culturally
aware technology.
• All students need to have teachers who are educated about current
technology and how to implement it effectively.

11. Global Awareness
• Teachers need to create a culture that embraces each
student’s cultural diversity. They need to respect one
another’s heritage and be given opportunities to share it
with their classmates.
• Students need to be aware that topics, customs, and
words that may be socially acceptable in their culture may
not be accepted in another student’s culture.
• Classrooms need to be a place where everyone can learn
and benefit from everything a globally connected
environment has to offer.

12. References
Ahmad, F (2015). Use of assistive technology in inclusive education:
Making room for diverse learning needs. Transcience, 6(2), 62 – 77.
doi:10.18411/a-2017-023

13. Photo Credits
• http://differentiated-
instruction.wiki.inghamisd.org/file/view/CAT_chart_v2.jpg/338402144/480x331/CAT_ch
art_v2.jpg
• http://provesthome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Top-10-Reasons-Why-Education-
Is-Important-1.jpg
• https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAlBAAAAJGIyMDFlNTI2LTZkY2YtNG
RjYi04YWU4LWJmMzc2YjViMGM4OQ.jpg
• https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9d4ea1_8d8032a2f4e84400b9d48ab4e4e03bc7.jpg_s
rz_439_334_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz
• http://www.udlcenter.org/sites/udlcenter.org/files/ataglance.jpg
• https://userscontent2.emaze.com/images/46659c92-9e5e-4bbb-af30-
ceed494791ca/efa14e51-86bb-4b8d-93ee-76c022818e5a.jpg
• http://cache4.asset-
cache.net/xt/492625041.jpg?v=1&g=fs1|0|SKP219|25|041&s=1&b=QjQ5
• https://www.mytechlogy.com/upload/by_users/sush.emedia/131410011113MobileTech
Trends.png