UDL Helpful Resources

This section of the CAST website is a great resource for teachers to gain more insight about the UDL guidelines. When completing my lesson pre-assessment, I wanted more detail about each of the checkpoints to know whether or not I included them in my lesson. This resource allowed me to click on the specific guideline and checkpoint I wanted to learn more about to acquire a better understanding of each. Once I clicked on the checkpoint, both a brief description of the checkpoint and examples of how teachers can implement it in instruction is included. I would highly recommend this resource to teachers when creating UDL lesson plans.

Checkpoint 2.2 Clarify syntax and structure

Single elements of meaning (like words or numbers) can be combined to make new meanings.  Those new meanings, however, depend upon understanding the rules or structures (like syntax in a sentence or the properties of equations) of how those elements are combined.  When the syntax of a sentence or the structure of a graphical representation is not obvious or familiar to learners, comprehension suffers. To ensure that all learners have equal access to information, provide alternative representations that clarify, or make more explicit, the syntactic or structural relationships between elements of meaning.

Tell Me More!

• Clarify unfamiliar syntax (in language or in math formulas) or underlying structure (in diagrams, graphs, illustrations, extended expositions or narratives) through alternatives that:
  • Highlight structural relations or make them more explicit
  • Make connections to previously learned structures
  • Make relationships between elements explicit (e.g., highlighting the transition words in an essay, links between ideas in a concept map, etc.)

 Checkpoint 2.2: View examples and resources

CAST (2011). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.0. Wakefield, MA:Author

CAST Professional Learning offers ways to increase your professional learning on the topic of UDL. Its services include online learning courses for individuals and small groups, as well as free UDL webinars and newsletters on the most up-to-date information about UDL.

UDL102: Applying Universal Design for Learning to Instructional Practice in Content Areas

UDL102M: Applying Universal Design for Learning to Instructional Practice in Content Areas (Mathematics Emphasis)

UDL Exchange is a place where teachers can browse resources and lessons guided by the UDL principles. They can also share lesson plans and findings with other educators and colleagues. Everything is organized in an area that is easily accessible to users.

Planning for All Learners (PAL) uses the UDL principle to plan and develop curriculum that promotes participation and progress for all learners. The PAL toolkit provides planning steps, guidance, mentoring, lesson examples, templates, resources, and links to other educator's PAL lesson plans (to see how they have applied it in the classroom).

The PDF fact sheet about UDL and elements of good teaching begins by giving a brief description of UDL. It lists the principles of UDL and who benefits from them. The Common Teaching Methods section gives strengths, limitations, and preparation for a variety of teaching methods. This helped me decide on what methods work best for my students. I also thought the section on implementation was extremely helpful to see exactly how to implement methods that promote UDL into instruction.

Heward, William. "Fast Facts for Faculty". Ohio State University. Retrieved on 9/21/2014 from http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/Universal-Design-FF.pdf