Lesson 5 – Summary
In this module, you were challenged to think about the many ways that students connect with their lessons. What is personally meaningful for one student may be different from another student. Additionally, what is relevant or necessary for a student in one lesson, course, or semester may differ in another. This is because what a student needs is determined by the context – the learning environment, the social environment, and the learning task. When we use UDL, we proactively design many ways for students to engage in learning, receive support while learning, and manage emotions during learning tasks. We do not need to reserve these practices for only some students because all students can benefit from UDL.
Educator Dr. Katie Novak explains this concept using the analogy of choosing a drink at a coffee shop. In the video below, she explains how UDL considerations are similar to a menu of options that provides the user, in our case, our students, with choices.
Play the video for a more fulsome explanation. The video will begin at 6:31. Play until 13:20.
Monday…Someday
In his presentation, Unlocking the Power of UDL 3.0 in Career and Technical Education (CAST, 2024), Bryan Dean shared the following idea: As you learn about new strategies, tools and resources in this course, create a list with two columns, Monday and Someday.
- Under the Monday column, record ideas you might want to implement right away.
- In another column, save those strategies or ideas that might require more time, thought, and design to implement. Those are the ones you can refer to when you update your course or modify your evaluation plan before the next course offering.
References