Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
What's essential for some is good for all!
- What is UDL?
- Why is UDL important in NB?
- Where did UDL come from?
- What does UDL look like in practice?
- Want a reference resource to take away?
What is UDL?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching and learning. This evidence-based framework considers the why, what, and how of learning, and can help educators to design flexible and accessible learning environments. It also considers the who of learning, enabling culturally responsive pedagogy.
Learn more about what UDL is and how it works in the following video.
Why is UDL important in NB?
The UDL framework promotes access to, and participation in, the learning process—resulting in expert learners who are better equipped to monitor their own learning. The New Brunswick curriculum, which demonstrates a commitment to the success of all learners and recognizes that individual learning needs are unique, has been designed to flexibly support educators in their applications of UDL. Through the intentional design of instruction and assessment, educators in NB can help to realize the vision of the NB curriculum in their own practice.
For me, Universal Design for Learning is like a three-legged stool, offering students multiple means of exploration, expression, and exposition. Each leg is essential for balanced UDL.
Ben Kelly, Educator, Anglophone East School District
Where did UDL come from?
The UDL framework was developed in response to key findings in neuroscience about how humans learn. Research has shown that we all respond to instruction differently—we each engage with, process, store, and retrieve information in a way that is unique. This is because our brains have three major "networks" and we each use these networks in different ways:
Engagement
(The Why)
Our affective network regulates emotion and influences engagement—why we want to learn.
Representation
(The What)
Our recognition network deals with incoming sensory information and how it's represented—what it is we're learning.
Action and Expression
(The How)
Our strategic network organizes information and mediates how we respond, through action and expression.
Because we use our networks in different ways, and we each bring unique abilities and backgrounds to a learning environment, learning is highly variable. While every student can learn, each will do so differently. There is no "average" learner, nor is there a "one size fits all" instructional approach. Learner variability as the rule (not the exception) is the basis of UDL.
What does UDL look like in practice?
Educators will strive to:
- Create the conditions for belonging.
- Believe in and empower every learner.
- Embrace variability.
- Recognize that barriers exist in the learning design and in the environment, not in the learner.
(Beth Stark, UDL & Inclusive Practices Consultant, 2024)
They will facilitate learning opportunities by:
- Anticipating barriers and seeking solutions.
- Designing for accessibility, through an inclusive and equitable lens.
- Establishing clear goals and providing flexible means of learning and assessment.
Learn more about why and how UDL is applied in the video below.
How might educators activate the why, the what, and the how of learning?
Flip each card below to view some examples.
Engagement
(The Why)
For purposeful, motivated learners, stimulate interest and motivation for learning.
Example
Ensure students feel safe and welcome in the learning environment; State the goal of the lesson or activity
Representation
(The What)
For resourceful, knowledgeable learners, present information and content in different ways.
Example
Use graphic organizers, video, online options, audio, and/or illustrations; Provide context, background knowledge, and clarify vocabulary and symbols
Action and Expression
(The How)
For strategic, goal-directed learners, differentiate the ways that students can express what they know.
Example
Provide rubrics, peer to peer assessment, formative assessment, and self assessment; Optimize access to tools and inclusive technologies for all learners
Learn more about UDL and the guidelines for its implementation on the UDL Guidelines page.
