My school recently sent a number of faculty members for UDL (Universal Design for Learning)  training. Once we completed the workshops, there was a bit of a lull in terms of next steps for our organization. I liked what I saw during the training (provided by eminent UDL guru Lee Ann Jung) and was anxious to disseminate the ideals around our school. I created a bulletin board in our faculty lounge and, every month, highlighted sections of the UDL framework, supported with examples of lesson plans and classroom resources (shared by like-minded colleagues) that supported the UDL philosophy. 

But, I still felt that, as an organization, we needed to do more. So, I approached the administration about organizing a UDL presentation for the entire faculty. With their support, myself and some colleagues put together a fairly decent introduction to UDL, focused on the background of the philosophy, as well as an opportunity to dive into and unpack the daunting UDL framework.

Here is the Google Slides presentation we used in our introductory workshop. 

It begins with a fun activity where I show a slide that is clearly flawed. Then I challenge the participants to identify the problems with the slide, and come up with ways to improve access to the information it contains. 

Then, the presentation dives into the background of UDL – where it originated and how it transferred into the world of education.

Next, the presentation gets into the UDL framework and introduces another participant activity where we are divided into 9 groups and each group unpacks one of the 9 boxes in the framework matrix.

I’m not saying this presentation will turn your faculty into UDL gurus. But, it is a fun and engaging introduction to a philosophy that some teachers are curious and anxious about implementing – even though they will quickly discover that they are probably using UDL ideas in their instructional practices already!

Anyhow, good luck and here’s to helping design learning experiences that are accessible for all students. 

Ed X!