Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

1. UDL uses the same principles used in Universal Design in Architecture - just like curb cuts and automatic door openers make a building more accessible, the application of tools and technologies in a classroom can make learning much more accessible to every student, not just those with disabilities.

2. The “MYTH OF THE AVERAGE LEARNER ” is a misconception causing educators to design instruction that is only effective for a small percentage of students. A student with a learning pattern outside this "average" range is effectively “disabled” from learning. In fact, the design of curricula can actually create a disability or remove one. A curriculum should take into account that students differ in abilities, interests, and learning processes and meet those needs.

3. Brain Rule #4: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.

   • When you find these happening simultaneously, you have the type of stress easily measurable in a laboratory setting:
     • a measurable physiological response
     • a desire to avoid the situation
     • a loss of control
   • Stress affects both our bodies and our brains, in both good and bad ways.
     • Cardiovascular System
       • Too much adrenaline produces scarring on the insides of blood vessels. These scars become magnets for plaque which. can block the blood vessels leading to heart attack
       • Acute stress with concomitant adrenaline can boost cardiovascular performance
     • Memory and Problem Solving
       • If stress is not too severe, one can solve problems more effectively and is more likely to retain information.
       • Severe or prolonged stress harms the ability to learn in almost every way that has been tested: math, language processing, long-term and short-term memory and concentration.
         • The success of an education can be fully dependent upon feelings of the learner.
     • Immune System
       • Stress response boosts your white blood cells
       • Chronic stress decreases white-blood-cell counts soldiers, makes them less effective, or even kills them outright.