Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

I really enjoyed the articles and this weeks videos on Universal Design for Learning. It really reaffirmed what I have been doing in my classroom over the last couple of years. Since moving from New Orleans to Houston, I have had a very big increase of diverse learners. I used to try teaching with a traditional method, but that was very tedious, ineffective, and my students were not retaining information at the level I would like. So, I begin to incorporate modifications and option into my lessons. This took much more planning on my part, but it led to an overall improvement in student achievement. As a I became a more seasoned teacher, I was able to tweak things to meet each one of my students needs with little effort. UDL is not a brand new concept, it is brand new to teachers that have not tried it.

As teachers, we owe it to each student to provide a quality education. We cannot stay in our comfort zone, we have to make adjustments that will allow students to be successful. UDL is not "just another thing do", it is something that we have to provide to ensure that our students are learning. If we embrace UDL, it will actually make our jobs easier in the long run, and our students will enjoy much more success.