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UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
PREPARE
The Prepare phase investigates the programs, initiatives, resources, and processes in place that relate to the UDL framework and the Critical Elements. During this phase, the focus is on creating a UDL climate through using a common language, understanding learner variability, and working flexibly towards engaging the learning community. We map resources and begin to develop goals and a strategic direction identifying the driving forces for change.
There are three guiding questions:
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How accepting is our learning environment climate?
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How can we leverage what we’re already doing to prepare for UDL implementation?
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What do we want to accomplish?
During this phase, you will:
He Pikorua
This phase of the Implementation tool links to Āta whakaaro, as it looks at the possibilities of what could be put in place. Āta whakaaro overlaps from this phase (Prepare) into Integrate.
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UDL CLIMATE
The Prepare phase focuses on laying the foundation for your UDL implementation by creating a UDL climate for learning. This is a climate where the contributions of all learners are valued and reflect the underpinning UDL goal that all learners can become experts when provided with the scaffolding and support they need to succeed. Teachers who believe that all students can learn, create classrooms and curricula that is welcoming and inclusive. Such teachers have a growth mindset, believing that improvement comes with effort and perseverance.
This image shows the importance of having a growth mindset and importantly, can give you insight into the likely challenges you will face if you’re working with someone with a fixed mindset. Being able to predict these blocks and offer a redirection point is key to being able to move forward.
Adopting a growth mindset isn’t exclusively beneficial to students. Teachers can also gain a great deal, especially when it comes to professional development. This blog may give more information.
However, you may be working with a teacher/school where teachers with a fixed mindset tend to prejudge, label and sort learners based on presumptions about their abilities. You may need to provide support to shift mindset. For teachers to ‘unlearn’ patterns of behavior they will need new knowledge. Emphasizing three concepts in the beginning of the implementation process can support the change in teacher mindset:
THE MYTH OF THE AVERAGE
Many teachers plan learning for the average students or those in the middle. This practice ignores those students who function in the margins. Todd Rose has successfully argued that “no one is average.” (Rose, 2016).
High school dropout turned Harvard faculty, Todd Rose, talks about how a simple new way of thinking helps nurture individual potential. Todd is a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he teaches Educational Neuroscience.
Rose recently spoke with NEA Today about the impact “averagerianism” has had on our schools and how making more room for individuality in the classroom will strengthen relationships between educators and students.
In this video, prodcued by The Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network (UDL-IRN), you will be introduced to the concept of Learner Variability.
LEARNER VARIABILITY
Learner variability is the rule not the exception. It is a fundamental premise of UDL.. It’s a term used to describe all learners who enter a classroom, bringing with them a unique range of strengths and challenges.
EXPERT LEARNING
Expert learners are those students who are knowledgeable, goal-directed, and motivated to learn. The goal of implementing UDL is to develop expert learners. The teacher’s role in this is to design learning options that reduce or remove barriers.
These Top 5 UDL Tips for Fostering Expert Learners by CAST can be used to support the development of expert learners—so learning has no limits.
This video by CAST looks at the goal of the UDL Framework- to create expert learners. How do we help our students become expert learners? What resources can we use to grow as educators? It also provides links to further resources
As you work with teachers to support their shift in mindset, it may be helpful to debunk the myths and misconceptions about UDL.
You may know of UDL as a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning. However, there are several myths and misconceptions about UDL that are common among educators. Addressing these myths may be helpful for your mahi.
As you work alongside teachers, this Discussion Guide may prompt in depth conversations regarding the three principles and guidelines of UDL, and the establishment of a UDL Professional Learning Group.
Most successful, sustainable shifts in practice occur when teachers have support from their Senior Management team.
Key to UDL implementation is the engagement of leadership in the school to ensure the right supports are provided to teachers. This Google Doc is an Introduction to UDL tailored senior leadership.
This article, 'Strategies Principals Can Employ in Their Schools', considers such questions as, How do school leaders keep students engaged in learning? What can principals do to help classroom teachers connect with all their students, including those at risk of dropping out and those with disabilities?
02
RESOURCE MAPPING
Supporting teachers to change their practice requires careful planning and this takes time. Resource mapping is a strategy for identifying and analysing programs, people, services, and other resources that currently exist in your environment. This information can support the team, assess the needs, and make informed decisions about their next steps. Resource mapping helps you establish a sustainable UDL implementation.
There are four stages in resource mapping:
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Who - prior to creating your resource map, consider who is responsible for locating resources. Identify where and how the map can be accessed and define the communication procedures the team will use.
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What - Set priorities and identify the resources you will need. For example, personnel, funding, professional development, procedures, teaching strategies, and tools.
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Where - Collect and analyse the identified resources and make them available to the team.
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How - Set a time when the map will be reviewed and updated.
This reading, 'A Toolkit for Education Communities', provides an overview of resource mapping, describes the role of school teams in the process, and provides tools and strategies for conducting effective resource mapping.
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MEASURABLE OUTCOMES
At this stage of your journey, you will have gathered a lot of data. As you begin to develop your UDL implementation action plan, It is important that you build from your data, particularly the strengths that currently exist. As you develop your action plan’s goals, it is important that you fuse the UDL framework into it by focusing on proactive approaches that offer flexibility and choice. Begin by defining your SMART goal/s. Each goal should answer these questions:
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What do we want to achieve?
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When will we achieve this?
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How will we know that we achieved it?
This video explores 'SMART Goals'. To increase your chances of success when setting a new goal, consider utilising SMART goals. SMART goals provides a structure to ensure that the goal is well-defined and achievable. Utilising this method is a widely recognised approach that can help achieve your objectives.
This article by Mind Tools explores what SMART goals are, and looks at how you can use them to achieve your objectives.
NEXT STEPS
At this stage, you may find it helpful to use the SWOT analysis that was discussed in the ‘explore’ phase. Before moving on to the next phase, here are some reflective questions to support your next steps.
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What changes do we need to make to create a UDL climate?
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What data do we need? How will we collect it and how will we use it to measure our progress?
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What resources and procedures do we need to effectively implement UDL? How will we identify these?
Ralibate, K & Berquist, E (2020). Your UDL Journey: A systems approach to transforming instruction. CAST