Running head: UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING 1

Universal Design for Learning

Heather Benjamin
State University of New York: Cortland
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Today inclusion is necessary and the best way for students to learn. In the past, special

education involved often the segregation of students with disabilities for specialized instruction in

separate classrooms. Everyone deserves equal rights to learn in the same classroom together with

their peers and this was denied to underserved students. UDL, Universal Design for Learning, is a

very important concept to be known and implemented throughout teaching. UDL provides a

blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for

everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be

customized and adjusted for individual needs (National Center on UDL, 2014). UDL is described

as a set of principles for curriculum development that gives all individuals equal opportunities to

learn, particularly focused on getting those students who have been marginalized, students who

struggle, students whose primary language is not English, students with disabilities, and even

gifted and talented students. The purpose of UDL curricula is not simply to help students master a

specific body of knowledge or a specific set of skills, but to help them master learning itself.

Following the provided resources of UDL will make sure that every students educational needs

are being met and each student is a successful learner, no matter how great the difference.

Something that every teacher needs to know is why to infuse UDL in classrooms, and the role

technology plays in UDL, come on our journey of becoming more knowledgeable.

To begin with there are many reasons why to infuse UDL in the classroom the major one

is that, Individuals bring a huge variety of skills, needs, and interests to learning. Neuroscience

reveals that these differences are as varied and unique as our DNA or fingerprints (National

Center on UDL, 2014). All students are different and learn differently that is why UDL needs to

be infused into classrooms, because UDL is for all-inclusive classrooms and learning techniques.
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Today, we live in a technology and media-driven environment. Effective citizens and

workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills such as technology

skills (Framework for 21st Century Learning, 2007). This means that teachers and students need

to know and possess technology skills in order to succeed. Advances in technology and the

learning sciences have made 'on-the-fly' individualization of curricula possible in practical, cost-

effective ways, and many of these technologies have built in supports, scaffolds, and challenges to

help learners understand, navigate, and engage with the learning environment (UDL and

Technology, 2012). Technology plays a very important role in UDL, but is not the only way it can

be implemented.

Overall UDL is very important and is described as a set of principles for curriculum

development that gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn no matter how great the

difference in knowledge is between students. Every teacher needs to know why to infuse UDL in

the classroom as well as know the role that technology plays in UDL.
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References

UDL and Technology. (2012). Retrieved September 24, 2017, from

http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/udltechnology

UDL Connect (2012). What is UDL? The National Center on Universal Design for

Learning. Retrieved from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl

A. (2007). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from

http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework