Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning is a framework to improve teaching so that learning is accessible to all students. Teachers provide multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression.

There is a great graphic at www.cast.org.
Some of the information is new to me and some of it I am already using.  I already provide options for comprehension and activate or supply background knowledge.  Our district started using the 5 E model several years ago.  It is ingrained in my brain to start a lesson by engaging students and relating learning to a touchstone for them.  Checking for comprehension and providing options for comprehension have also been part of my teaching for so long they are second nature.  Transitioning this knowledge to library lessons is not intimidating to me but habit.
Right now, I could provide options for expression & communication by using multiple media for communication to my practice.  I feel like I too often give students one way to show what they know and it would behoove them to have choices.  Through Learning at Home due to the pandemic, I am much more aware of different electronic media that can be used to communicate with students.  Students have expressed themselves in many different ways throughout the year.  The next step for me would be the choice aspect.
Provide options for Executive Functions is an area that looks great but I would definitely need help to implement.  The enhance capacity for monitoring progress part is something I would need to research more and sit with for a bit to think of how it would work in the library.

I found an article that relates directly to libraries and UDL that I would like to spend some time with in the future https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10691316.2012.652549?scroll=top&needAccess=true.

Ying Zhong (2012) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Library Instruction, College & Undergraduate Libraries, 19:1, 33-45, DOI: 10.1080/10691316.2012.652549

This interesting video goes into some of the brain science behind UDL.

I would like to learn more about how to take my students toward being expert learners. There are tons of resources on the Cast website. Right now, I'm at the point in my journey where I don't know enough to know what to ask. There is an overwhelming amount of information available. i think that this is a very important topic that you would have to approach in little bites.