Promoting a global understanding of universal design for learning: The UDL gears

• In Event: Supporting the adoption of universal design for learning in low- and middle-income countries

Proposal

This panel paper will address three barriers to implementing UDL in the low- and middle-income context and a tool designed to alleviate those barriers.

The hope associated with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has spread across the world. It offers a journey toward inclusion, access, and learner outcomes that go beyond the memorization of content. That said, the framework is embedded with language that is inaccessible, there are misconceptions about the scope of the framework, and there is no succinct guidance on what it takes to put it into place. This panel paper will address these three issues.

The UDL Framework entails the UDL Guidelines and the associated mindsets, skills, and practices that are necessary for full implementation. Most who are interested in UDL pay close attention to the Guidelines which include the three principles, nine guidelines, and thirty-one checkpoints. In many cases, instructional leaders (e.g., teachers, meeting leaders, instructors, faculty) are taught UDL-aligned instructional strategies (e.g., turn-and-talk, using manipulatives to learn math, and showing pictures to communicate vocabulary terms). While this effort can help instructional leaders learn about and apply new practices, it does not help them connect with the entirety of the framework. An instructional transformation does not occur through learning disparate strategies; that shift occurs through the adoption of mindsets, learning new skills, and articulating practices that safeguard against exclusion.

Accessible language. The UDL Gears illustrate UDL-aligned mindsets, skills, and practices. The UDL Gears came from a review of the grey and research literature on the implementation of UDL from low- and middle-income countries. This supplemented other global literature. With the assistance of collaborators from 10 countries including Algeria, Cambodia, and Uganda, the UDL Gears use accessible language to communicate information.

Clarifying misconceptions. A machine works most effectively when each gear has strong cogs (i.e., the “teeth” on the sides of each circular gear). When a cog is missing, the machine will continue to work but not as effectively or efficiently. By identifying the “cogs” of mindsets, skills, and practices that align with UDL implementation, individuals in the field will be able to focus on the scope of the framework rather than the narrow aspects of UDL-aligned strategies. Through a review of The UDL Gears, UDL implementers around the world will have a deeper understanding of the impact UDL should have and will be able to design their programming around the identified dimensions of UDL.

Conceptual understanding. Through the use of analogy and imagery, The UDL Gears also provide clarity toward the conceptual understanding of UDL. By clarifying the mindsets, skills, and practices needed for implementation, those applying UDL can explore cultural underpinnings, classroom practices, and policy and procedural designs as they relate to UDL. Instead of becoming stuck in the mindset of strategies, organizations can now use the framework to guide their work toward more inclusive practices.

Author

• Loui Lord Nelson, The UDL Approach