Weekly Readings

For this weeks educational reading response I looked at UDL, also known as Universal Design for Learning. This can best be defined as a set of principles for developing curriculum and giving all individuals an equal chance to learn. Universal Design for Learning provides all goals, materials, and objectives that would work for everyone. It allows for various methods and creates a flexible approach to teaching everyone. In other words, students with individual needs can be accommodated to, yet learning the same material as others. UDL is crucial to learning because there is a huge gap between excellent learners and learners with needs.There are three main principles to UDL: Providing principle means of representation, providing multiple means of expression and action, and lastly providing multiple means of engagement.

Providing principle means of representation is also referred to as the "what" of learning. Certain learners may have learning disabilities such as dyslexia  and may take longer to grasp information as opposed to others. It is crucial as a future teacher to be aware of these aspects because they must be treated and accommodated.

The second principle, providing multiple means of expression and action is known as the "how" of learning. This strategy of learning allows children to express their knowledge in various ways. For example, if a child has a language barrier and has a difficult time speaking, he/she can express their knowledge in a written text. Providing options for students is important for teachers to recognize. 

Finally, the third principle is providing multiple means of engagement, also known as the "why" or learning. This principle encourages teachers to provide various ways to keep children engaged and active amongst each other, but also independently. By trying different methods of teaching, it keeps kids interested because if they did the same things over and over, they would be bored of doing the same thing and eventually "tune out."