UDL is a framework that addresses barriers to learning by providing flexible goals, methods, materials and assessments to meet varied learner needs. It encourages designing instruction from the start with customizable options to allow all learners to progress at their own level. An effective classroom promotes engagement, limits distractions, and has a versatile layout to support individual and group work. Assessment should be flexible and help students demonstrate learning through various strategies and tools.

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2.  UDL is a framework that addresses the primary
barrier to fostering expert learners within
instructional environments. UDL helps address
learner variability by suggesting flexible goals,
methods, materials, and assessments that empower
educators to meet these varied needs. The UDL
framework encourages creating flexible designs
from the start that have customizable options,
which allow all learners to progress from where
they are and now where we would have imagined
them to be. The options for accomplishing this are
varied enough to provide effective instruction to all
learners. 2

3. • Should promote a spirit of engagement and
motivation to learn
• Should have no visual or auditory distractions
(too many posters on walls and too many
children in one area can be distracting)
• Should have a versatile layout that supports a
place to work independently and in a group.
An open-concept structure that can also be
walled off if quiet small space is needed
(petitions)
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4. • Flexible work spaces to accommodate varied
interaction with materials
• Eliminate out-of-date content, materials that
don’t support current learning (birthday
charts), information that isn’t clear and concise,
unnecessary décor, and clutter.
• Student work and work spaces need to be
clearly labeled
• Directions and task expectations need to be
clearly displayed
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5. • Use color coding or some other system of
visual organization
• Display only materials for students that are a
resource, a reminder, or facilitates their current
work
• Set up independent work areas that are
intuitive and easy to use
• Use furniture that is adjustable. If not
available, provide accommodations (seat foot
stools, wedges, and easels)
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6. • Bulletin boards should have solid
backgrounds, no borders
• Space needs to be set up for functional use for
large group activities, small group activities,
and for transitioning to and from different
kinds of activities.
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7. • Students will be grouped according to how they
will be the most successful. They can be grouped
with different aged children if that is where they
prove to have the most success.
• Flexible grouping will be used to meet
instructional needs. They will be grouped and
regrouped according to specific goals, activities,
and individual needs.
• Groups can be teacher-led (whole class instruction,
small-group instruction, or students can work
alone in teacher-directed activities).
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8. • Groups can be student-led (collaborative
groups, circle sharing)
• Groups can be performance based (group
study)
• Groups can be in dyads or pairs (partner turns;
think, pair, share)
• There are no limits to how students can be
grouped as long as they prove to be successful.
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9. • Personnel will be that of a typical school. A principal,
assistant principal, counselor, diagnostician, instructional
coaches, intervention specialists, teachers, teaching
assistants, secretaries, school nurse, cafeteria staff, and
custodians will all be needed to run a UDL campus
efficiently. The main thing to keep in mind is that each of
these titles are important and are needed in order for each
student to be successful. For this to happen, all of these
positions need to be flexible and each employee needs to be
willing to go above and beyond their job description. If you
are of the mindset that “It takes a village to raise a child”,
you are more likely to show progress. An ideal school
setting is one where even the custodian is helping to make
each child successful, whether it be as a reading buddy, a
mentor, or even just a positive role-model. 9

10. • Provide multiple means of representation Most every student
requires different ways of approaching content. Learning and
transfer of learning occurs when multiple representations are
used, because it allows students to make connections within, as
well as between, concepts. Provide options for perception by:
1. Providing the same information through different modalities
(vision, hearing, touch);
2. Provide information in a format that will allow for adjustability
by the user (enlarged text, amplified sounds)
3. Clarify vocabulary, symbols, syntax and structure
4. Promote understanding across languages
5. Illustrate through multiple media
6. Activate or supply background knowledge
7. Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
8. Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation
9. Maximize transfer and generalization
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11. Provide multiple means of action and expression
-provide options for physical action
-vary the methods for response and navigation
-optimize access to tools and assistive technologies
-provide options for expression and communication
-use multiple media for communication
-use multiple tools for construction and composition
-build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice
and performance
-provide options for executive functions
-guide appropriate goal setting
-support planning and strategy development
-facilitate managing information and resources
-enhance capacity for monitoring progress
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12. Provide multiple means of engagement
-provide options for recruiting interest
-optimize individual choice and autonomy
-optimize relevance, value, and authenticity
-minimize threats and distractions
-provide options for sustaining effort and persistence
-heighten salience of goals and objectives
-vary demands and resources to optimize challenge
-foster collaboration and community
-increase mastery oriented feedback
-provide options for self-regulation
-promote expectations and beliefs that optimize motivation
-facilitate personal coping skills and strategies
-develop self-assessment and reflection
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13. • A successful school can have a general curriculum, but
should also be open to a curriculum that addresses each
student’s educational needs and individual differences.
• This will be based on an individual bases.
• Click on http://udlselfcheck.cast.org/check.php to help
you expand your teaching palette to reach all learners. You
can choose a unit or lesson that is ineffective for some of
your students and use the UDL self-check to help you
overcome barriers your curriculum may pose for your
students. Evaluate each curriculum element, think about
them, and write self-reflections as you work.
• The main goal is to enable all individuals to gain
knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for learning. If you are
not accomplishing that with the general curriculum, then it
is probably time to take a different avenue than what the
general curriculum is providing.
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14. • Technology should include ANYTHING that will help
a child to be an expert learner.
• Technology needs to be carefully planned into the
curriculum as a way to achieve the goals.
• Technology can include but is not limited to: assistive
devices (wheel chairs, hearing aids, etc.; iPads,
computers, smartboards, Nabis, language masters, text
to speech devices, CD players, calculators)
• Some new emerging technologies that can help
students are: Flashnotes, Lore, Study Blue, LEAP
motion, Papertab, Chromebooks, Celly, Flipped
Classroom, Snagit, Jing, Camtasia, Lesson Cast, Kid
Blog, Glogster, Live Binders, and Knewton.
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• Assessment is a source of meaningful information
that enables educators to plan flexible learning
activities that support student learning.
• Assessment methods should be flexible and
accessible.
• Provide strategies and tools to students so they can
best demonstrate their learning.
• Students should know exactly how they will be
assessed and what knowledge or skills they are
responsible for demonstrating. They should know
what mastery level understanding looks like and
how to achieve it.

16. • Transparency in assessment methods will not only
result in a better overall learning outcome for students,
it will also reduce the students’ stress and anxiety that
is normally associated with assessment.
• Provide an additional activity that enhances the
students’ learning experience while simultaneously
providing the teacher with the information needed to
provide subsequent learning activities.
• Shift from assessing the learning product to assessing
attainment of the learning outcomes.
• Use the lesson’s “big idea” and essential questions to
form the basis of the learning outcomes to be assessed.
• Involve students in the determination of the
assessment criteria.
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17. • Rose, DH., & Meyer, A. (2002) Teaching Every Student in
the Digital Age. Universal Design for Learning. Associations
for supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria
Virginia.
• www.udlcenter.org/implementation
• www.teachthought.com/technology/15-examples-of-new-
technology
• www.udlselfcheck.cast.org
• www.udlresource.ca
• www.eduplace.com/science/profdev/articles
• www.webcache.googleuser.content.com/search
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