Three Additional Teacher Friendly UDL Resources

#1  The book Design and Deliver by Loui Lord Nelson discusses planning and teaching for UDL and includes a link to 16 short videos made by experienced UDL educators as follows, www.brookespublishing.com/nelson-videos  

I found the video "Promoting Executive Functions: Laurie Martin and Quality Product" to be interesting and helpful. Martin shows how she uses rubrics to keep her 8th grade class on track to complete a project. She reviews the rubric on a daily basis and provides written and oral instructions. Martin carefully selects partner groups for shared feedback regarding rubric completion. Throughout the video, Martin emphasizes a variety of methods to help her 8th graders stay on-task and, ultimately, to foster their executive functioning skills.

#2 "Read With Me E-Books" found at Read With Me E-books can be used easily by teachers and parents of young children to promote early literacy. These free e-books include audio and can also be downloaded and printed to serve as reinforcement and variety. Books focus on different important early literacy skills such as phonological awareness, Bright and cheery, Silly Pets, pictured below, shows children how to identity sounds and syllables 

throughout the story.

  

#3 The Site "Cool Math 4 Kids" found at Coolmath4kids is designed to make math more fun for children aged 12 and under. The site provides clever free math games, lessons, quizzes, and brain teasers structured to teach math in an appealing, user-friendly manner.  Games like "Tractor Multiplication," picture below are provided to teach students how multiplication works and the lattice method of multiplication by means of a multi-player tug-of-war contest.

UDL and Elements of Good Teaching at Ohio State University

Ohio State University's "Fast Facts for Faculty" site focusing on elements of good teaching 

and UDL, http://ada.osu.edu/resources/fastfacts/Universal-Design-FF.pdf, immediately 

explains that UDL does not remove any of the typical challenges of collegiate learning. 

Rather, UDL is good teaching because it removes barriers to access to learning.  To me, it 

is interesting that this site clearly explains that UDL allows all students to be self-sufficient 

learners by making use of available UDL options and that it the teacher's responsibility to 

adhere to UDL in addition to sharing knowledge and facilitating the learning process. 

OSU includes the following instructions regarding the implementation of UDL:

◆ Put course content on-line 

◆ Use peer mentoring, group discussions, and cooperative learning situations rather than strictly lecture 

◆ Using guided notes enables students to listen for essential concepts without copying notes off of overhead 

◆ Update course materials based on current events and student demands 

◆ Provide comprehensive syllabus with clearly identified course requirements, accommodation statement, and due dates 

◆ Fluctuate instructional methods, provide illustrations, handouts, auditory and visual aids 

◆ Clarify any feedback or instructions, ask for questions, and use multiple examples 

◆ Relate a new topic to one already learned or a real-life example

 ◆ Secure a note taker, allow the student to tape record lectures or provide him/her with a copy of your notes 

◆ Allow the student to demonstrate knowledge of the subject through alternate means 

◆ Permit and encourage the use of adaptive technology 

◆ Develop study guides

◆ Give shorter exams more frequently 

All of these components of UDL are consistent with the principles of providing a variety of 

methods of representation, expression, and engagement.  All are consistent with the 

recommendations Cabrini's DRC provides for Cabrini faculty to facilitate learning for all 

Cabrini students especially those with learning challenges.

"Far From the Tree" and UDL in our society

In his book, Far from the Tree, Andrew Solomon examines a wide variety families who accept their exceptional children and the effect on the children of parental and societal acceptance. It's a fascinating book and, weaved throughout, is Soloman's (2012) belief that the "world is made more interesting by having every sort of person in it" and that society should address the needs of all to the "outer limits of our abilities" (p. 43).  Soloman, who is dyslexic, explains that he grew up afraid of illness and disability and through his research came to find that "splendor can illuminate even the most abject vulnerabilties" (p. 702). As educators, I believe that UDL practices which embrace differences and  focus on student-centered educational approaches can contribute significantly to this illumination.

Soloman, A. (2012). Far from the tree: Parents, children and the search for identity. New York, NY: Scribner.

My UDL Stengths and Goals

My greatest strength in UDL is my absolute belief that all learners deserve educational 

environments in which barriers are minimized and curriculum flexibility is maximized. 

Instruction must match the strengths and needs of each student to optimize growth and to 

foster a life-long passion for learning. Through my work at Cabrini's DRC and based on 

what I have learned so far in our EDG 519 class, I have had an "ah-ha" moment. I realize 

that, as an educator, I have always actively practiced UDL principles even though I am 

studying them now for the first time.


For example, in my work in early literacy at the Tredyffrin Library, planning and presenting 

educational storytimes, I paid careful attention to the age and interests of my pre-school 

audience. I found that by choosing straight-forward and sure-to-please topics like trucks, 

trains, and animals captured their attention and prepared them for a successful experience. 

Consistency in my weekly story-time presentations provided built-in options for self-

regulation.  Songs, chants, rhymes, music, and dances offered my lively audience a variety 

of options for expression.  Alphabet letters, stuffed animals, toys, felt board picture 

counting and representational movement provided different forms of representation with 

which to explore our weekly topic.



My greatest challenge in developing a greater variety in my use of UDL is my lack of 

technology savvy.  Through my work at Cabrini's DRC, I am beginning to learn more about 

specific assistive technology options and the scope of the needs that various technologies 

can address.  My goal in EDU 519 is to increase my working understanding of assistive 

technologies in order to optimize access to these technologies for Cabrini students.

UDL's Three Strategic Networks In Action: Lesson Planning and Instruction

Based on information presented on the site  http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html, I have 

discussed the three strategic networks of UDL: affective (the why), recognition (the what), 

and strategic (the how). The CAST site also provides specific examples showing how 

these networks are connected to instruction and offering ways to incorporate these UDL

principles into lesson planning and instruction.  

Affective-Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

As teachers plan instruction, it is critical to provide options for stimulating students' interest, 

promoting persistent effort, and self-monitoring.  Allowing students autonomy in the 

learning process is crucial.  Because of my past experience in early literacy, I am 

attracted to Sylvan's free online "Book Adventure" program for students K-8.  In this reading 

motivation program, students self-select books from over 7,000 titles to read and to create 

their own personal books lists. Students take online quizzes and earn prizes for reading 

success.  As I observed in my experience at Tredyffrin Library's Children's Department, this 

UDL principle of self-selection greatly increases motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm 

about reading.

Recognition-Provide Multiple Means of Representation

Teachers must also consider ways to provide a variety of options in perception, language, 

mathematical expressions, symbols, and comprehension.  As a Title 1 elementary school 

reading instructor, I found that students with relevant background knowledge about a book 

had increased comprehension.  "Digging for Answers," a free online site by the 

Smithsonian Institute, offers lively and appealing quiz games for students K-8 to test their 

knowledge and increase their research skills.  If a student answers a question incorrectly, 

they are prompted to a link that provides appropriate background knowledge.  This UDL 

based site motivates students to seek new information and provides access to background 

information that will ultimately increase comprehension. 

Strategic-Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

When planning lessons, teachers must also include options for physical action, expression, 

communication, and executive function.  In my role at Cabrini, it is clear that students of all 

ages benefit from successful strategies for setting realistic and productive goals.  

Worksheetplace.com's  free goal-setting templates offer a clear and easy way for students 

in elementary and middle school to tackle this important executive functioning task.  These 

user-friendly templates support students' organizational skills and increase positive, 

productive self-motivation. The "Action for Goals" worksheet template shown below 

demonstrates how a student can set clear, specific, and self-determined goals and plan the 

specific actions necessary to achieve their goals.

          

Electronic Posters in Glogster EDU Basic

Electronic posters by Glogster EDU  Basic as described in http://edu.glogster.com offer 

students  a way to form eye catching posters about a host of topics.  I am reminded of a 

formal graphic organizer come alive in poster form. In terms of offering multiple means of 

expression, Glogster offers the creative, visual learner a format to demonstrate a 

wide variety of information in an appealing, organized manner.  Glogster posters allow 

students to interact with the materials in a way that is user-friendly for the teachers as a 

whole range of templates are readily available. Glogster compares their electronic poster to 

the experience gained by students on a class field trip in that it is lively, interactive, and 

multi-faceted with the added advantage of allowing students to go more in depth on the 

topic.


As shown by the "Eco Friendly House" poster pictured below, Glogster's snazzy 

format presents the material in a compelling and coherent way, giving the student an 

opportunity to develop and showcase their presentation skills. Based on my research, I 

believe that Glogster's electronic posters an excellent example of a ready resource a 

teacher could put into play to offer all students a new way to express their knowledge.

 

UDL's Three Strategic Networks: Affective, Recognition, and Strategic

The three strategics networks of UDL are discussed in http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html. 

These networks are designed to provide the flexible approach to curriculum necessary to 

provide ALL learners with equal opportunities to learn. The first network is the affective 

network in which multiple means of engagement are recommended to spark the interest

and sustained commitment to learn in purposeful learners.  The affective network 

addresses the attitude and motivation of the learner and is considered to be the"why" of 

learning. The second network is the recognition network which represents the "what" of 

learning and promotes the importance of presenting information in a variety of ways. 

Presenting information in multiple ways allows resourceful learners to have different options 

for comprehension and perception of the material.  The final network is the strategic 

network in which multiple means of action and expression are encouraged as a way to 

allow goal-directed learners to share their knowledge in different ways. Considered the 

"how" of learning, the guidelines of the strategic network offer options for executive

 functions, communication, and purposeful action.  The Read and Write GOLD assistive

technology software that I discussed earlier, is an excellent tool for providing Cabrini DRC

students constructive options regarding these why's, what's and how's of learning.

The Wonders of Read and Write GOLD

Cabrini's Disability Resource Center strongly promotes the text-to-speech software Read 

and Write GOLD which the Wiki Site, http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com describes as the 

absolute best text-to-speech option. Students who struggle with reading and writing find 

RWG to be a powerful tool, especially as they move on to demanding college level work. 

Why?  When text is made accessible in electronic version, RWG reads the text aloud at a

pace that is selected by the student.  As this pace setting feature is demonstrated to our 

students, it is amazing for me to see their tangible sense of relief and appreciation for 

a more moderate and deliberate pace.  RWG allows students to select certain sentences, 

paragraphs, or the entire text to read at a given time. Students can highlight important 

points in the text, find definitions, and formulate vocabulary study guides from these 

definitions. The vocabulary guide can also include a text picture dictionary as a different 

method of representation. Struggling writers, who may communicate verbally with 

great ease, can use the RWG voice recognition feature to "talk" their writing assignment 

out, producing a written document to be edited and built upon.  For many DRC students, 

the process of learning how to use UDL friendly software, such as RWG, can be 

overwhelming.  As our students' comfort level with RWG increases, it has been fascinating 

to see how truly revolutionary RWG can be for them with its broad and significant power to 

decrease a variety of learning barriers and increase learning flexibility.



Want to see it in action?  Check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RypAr9YhcDo&feature=youtu.be.

UDL Editions by CAST: Academic Freedom and Life Long Learning

CAST's UDL Editions ( http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com ) strikes me as a brilliant 

resource to boost a wide variety of reading and reading comprehension skills while 

simultaneously showcasing classic texts from world literature. My background in literacy 

education and my love of reading attracted me to this resource designed to present classics 

using a flexible online interface with individualized supports for all students. For example, 

when viewing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in this site, a student can select a reading level 

ranging from minimum to maximum support.  Then, using "stop and think" prompts, the 

student can easily access information about concepts such as literary devices, themes, 

points to ponder, and links to additional background information relating to The Gettysburg 

Address.  In addressing the concept of freedom, one of the prompts suggests that students 

consider Lincoln's message of "freedom as an entity that lives and thrives."  I see the 

practice of UDL as an academic freedom that allows all students to learn successfully, live 

fully, and thrive personally.  I believe that enriching learning experiences gained through 

resources like CAST's UDL Editions also promote the important commitment to lifelong 

learning that is one of Cabrini's Core Values.  

Universal Design at Cabrini University

I intend to share the knowledge I gain from researching the principles of Universal Design

for Learning and differentiated instruction. As an employee in Cabrini’s Disability Resource 

Center, I will incorporate my knowledge of assistive technologies employed as 

accommodations to decrease learning barriers and increase learning flexibility for Cabrini 

students with various learning, physical, and psychological needs. Through my interaction 

with Cabrini DRC students, I am convinced that the implementation of UDL is critical for

their academic success. UDL’s goals of providing a customizable, student centered

approach to curriculum design in order to give all students an equal opportunity to learn

inform everything that I do for Cabrini’s diverse learners (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012). My

new understanding of the principles of UDL as offering multiple means of representation,

expression, and engagement, clarified for me the larger scope and meaning of the 

accommodations that I help provide for our students (Dell et al.). The following cartoon 

cleverly illustrates the mission of Cabrini's DRC  as we strive to promote UDL principles to 

level the playing field for ALL learners.

                                                        References

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. Boston, 

      MA: Pearson Education Inc.