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Universal Design for Welcome: KARINA DIAZ,

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Learning
Theory and Practice. By Anne Meyer, David H. Rose, and
David Gordon.

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Chapter 6: Designing for All: What is a UDL Curriculum?

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Figure 6.1. In 1530, Polish astronomer
Nicolaus Copernicus finished drafting his feedback will also help us
theory that the sun, rather than the earth, stood refine this publication.
at the center of the universe. Creative
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In 1530, Polish astronomer Nicolaus The Book

Copernicus finished drafting his
theory that the sun, rather than the
earth, stood at the center of the My Tags
universe. He floated his idea to
friends and colleagues, gauging their Add Tags:
opinions and gathering feedback. Add
They encouraged him to publish his
work, but he resisted. He was
reluctant, he said, to risk being
scorned "on account of the novelty
and incomprehensibility of his
theses."1 He did not publish his work
until right before his death, in 1543.
He had good reason to worry.
Copernicus knew his theory would
revolutionize not just astronomy but
Western society at large and that

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4/7/2019 UDL :: Reading

resistance to his ideas-from other

scientists, from the Church, from
governments, from the people
themselves-would be fierce. He likely
knew, too, that while it might take
years for his theory to be adopted,
man's understanding of the world
would change forever once it was.
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In our 2002 book, Teaching Every
Student in the Digital Age: Universal
Design for Learning, we announced
that we had "undergone a Copernican
shift toward a new position.... In the
rapidly expanding capabilities of
digital content, tools, and networks,
we see the possibility of conceiving,
designing, and delivering a curriculum
that will accommodate widely varying
learner needs. Essentially, this will
transfer the burden of adjustment
from students to the materials and
methods they encounter in the
classroom."2

Universal design for learning (UDL)

challenged a core dogma of
traditional education: that the
curriculum was and must be at the
center of the learning experience.
This conviction was based largely on
the fact that the predominant
instructional media, such as printed
textbooks and worksheets, were fixed
and inflexible; anyone who could not
learn from the given curriculum was
labeled "disabled" or "underachieving"
or "failing." The curriculum defined the
learner. As we have written
elsewhere, "With no obvious
alternatives to print, students (and
teachers) had to learn to adapt to its
limits. Classrooms became textbook-
centered rather than student-centered
because students, rather than their
textbooks, seemed more adaptable,
flexible, and malleable."3

With the learner at the center, the

curriculum is now defined, or labeled,
by how adequately it can support and
accommodate the diversity and
variability of learners. A "successful"
or "rigorous" curriculum is one that
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Figure 6.2. Our Copernican shift in focus—

from the curriculum to the learner.
Illustration by Chris Vallo, © 2013 CAST, Inc.
more image information

provides genuine learning

opportunities for all. It is responsive
and nimble enough to adjust to the
needs and interests of all users,
including students, teachers, and
members of the wider educational
system.

In a
Thinking and teaching after
well-
UDL

Lesson Planning Overview

designed learning environment,

systematic variability is planned for
from the very beginning, and diversity
is expected, appreciated, and
developed. Learners of all abilities
and from all backgrounds are
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provided with optimal levels of
challenges and scaffolds and are
supported in developing learning
expertise. This includes enthusiasm
for learning as well as knowledge and
skills. When students encounter
difficulty, the curriculum-- not the
student -- is assumed to be
inadequate to meet the varied and
diverse needs of learners. This
replaces the old practice of jumping to
label learners as "disabled" or
"challenged" when they encounter
difficulty with a curriculum that offers
limited paths to success. For
example, suppose a teacher realizes
that some number of students do not
grasp the concept that is being
presented. An effective teacher
changes tactics and presents the
concept in a different way,
recognizing that one approach will not
serve everyone. Effective curriculum
also supports teachers in their
practice and continuing
development.4

In this chapter we explore this shift in

thinking through the four components
of the curriculum: goals,
assessments, methods, and
materials. This definition of curriculum
is broader than a traditional one which
treats curriculum as a sequence of
content elements conveyed by a
particular set of instructional
materials. We emphasize the
interconnectedness of these four
components and emphasize the
importance of goals and assessment
in designing effective curriculum.

We also illustrate how UDL can

inform curriculum design by
highlighting a variety of digital
learning tools that support a UDL
approach to teaching. Some of these
tools are designed at CAST using the
UDL Guidelines and are available for
public use (go to
www.cast.org/learningtools); others
are research prototypes under
development.

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Figure 6.3. Curriculum is the

interrelationship of instructional goals,
assessments, materials, and methods.
Illustration by Chris Vallo, © 2013 CAST, Inc.
more image information

Introduction 68 69 68 of 98

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Meyer, A., Rose, D.H., & Gordon, D. (2014) Universal design for learning: Theory and practice, Wakefield MA: CAST

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