Page 224 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

Part 2: UDL and You

Tweet: Regularly “clean” your instructional
closet. Review your assumptions and beliefs
about learners and learning. Keep what fits,
then tailor or dispose of those that no longer do.
#DiveIntoUDL

Every teacher comes to teaching with assump-
tions and beliefs that come from a variety of
places and times: our school experiences, our chil-
dren’s (or friend’s children’s) school experiences,
Figure 4.1 Assumptions and beliefs: Clean our pre-service, our graduate degrees, the PLN we
out your instructional closet regularly. curate, and the climate and culture of the schools
and districts we work in. Some of these assump-
tions and beliefs may be accurate. Some may be
accurate but difficult to implement for a variety of reasons. Others may
need updating, refining, or changing. For example, when Luis first started
learning about UDL, his focus was primarily on removing barriers by
ensuring educational materials were accessible. This focus was shaped
by his experience as a legally blind student who experienced frustration
in trying to access the information he needed to complete his graduate
education. Similarly, when UDL originated at the Center for Applied
Special Technology (CAST), the focus was on removing barriers that kept
“learners in the margins” (like Luis) from accessing learning. As UDL
evolved, this focus expanded to more effectively address the needs of all
learners, not just those with identified disabilities.

Kendra came to teaching with the assumption that disabilities were
internal to the student, based on a medical model of identifying and
labeling students who didn’t fit the system. She most likely internalized
this message from her schooling as well, because there was little talk
about the system not fitting the students. Assistive technology, such
as text to speech and speech to text, appeared to be the perfect retrofit
for these students. Kendra’s “how did I miss that?” moment came while
creating a UDL video with Mindy Johnson, a UDL specialist at CAST. In
the video, Mindy explained that learner ability (or disability) is at the

28 Dive into UDL

Dive into UDL: Immersive Practices to Develop Expert Learners 224