Introduction
According to Ableser & Moore (2018) states that, “UDL is a teaching and course development framework that gives all individual equal opportunities to learn”. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is beneficial by using several innovative teachings
strategies that help to remove learning barriers and provides equal opportunity to all diverse learners. This helps to motivate students to think critically, use their strengths, and work on their weaknesses. This approach provides several opportunities for the teacher to create a healthy atmosphere in the classroom, keep the students engage, and build a strong relationship with them. Furthermore, these are some key points regarding UDL which helps to enhance the daily coaching practice,
- Firstly, representation, action, and expression, and means of engagement are the main principles of UDL.
- Secondly, UDL principles help to remove obstacles in the path of the teaching and learning process and make it comprehensible for many learners.
- Thirdly, it offers several ways to improve students’ positive engagement, ways of effective teaching methods, develop curriculum.
- Lastly, students enjoying learning and getting the opportunity to express their skills and knowledge which helps to increase their engagements and achievements.
While perusing Canadian education I learned all these learning theories in the course “Learning about Learning”, and got opportunities to work on those theories while designing the innovative curriculum in the course namely “Curriculum, Teaching and Learning” Now, I got a chance to enhance profound understanding about UDL in “Educational technology in the Curriculum” course.
My app review is on educational learning app known as “Quizizz” which is not only beneficial for teachers but also for students in several ways. It helps to engage all diverse students in active learning to achieve their learning outcomes efficiently. Quizizz allows learners to conduct student-paced formative assessments in a fun and engaging way for students of all ages. The salient features include Student-paced: Questions appear on each student’s screen, so they can answer questions at their own pace, and review their answers at the end.
Moreover, quizzes, likely are best for helping students recall facts and prepare for traditional tests. Use Quizizz as an in-class quiz game or assign it for homework for students to complete on their own. While teachers can create quizzes brand new, there’s also a handy database with tons of existing quizzes and questions that can be grabbed and edited as needed. The after-quiz reports make it easy to use quiz results to inform instruction. Teachers can see how students performed on each question and use that information to figure out what needs to be retaught or readdressed, as well as which students might need some individual or small-group reinforcement. Since quiz creation is made pretty easy with Quizizz, teachers might invite different students each week to generate a quiz to review the week’s material. So, I highly recommended other teachers to use “Quizizz” for creating a UDL.
Ableser, J. & Moore, C. (2018). Universal design for learning & digital accessibility compatible partners or a conflicted marriage? https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/9/universal-design-for-learning-and-digital-accessibility-compatible-partners-or-a-conflicted-marriage
Kennette, L. N., & Wilson, N. A. (2019). Universal design for learning (UDL): What is it and how do I implement it? Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 12(1), 1-6.
Hello Sapana,
Thanks for a detailed review of ‘Quizizz. I will surely consider it in my teaching later and in a group assignment. Seems like another app that caters to a wider and varied group of learners. Yes UDL, is a comprehensive approach towards learning. It goes beyond the restricted limits of topic-centered, teacher-centric teaching. It helps to create a strong trust relationship between the teacher and the learner, which further enhances the learning process. It is for sure a student-centered, student-paced learning approach. A must approach for equality and equity in education.
Take care.
Hello Sapna,
Thanks for sharing valuable information about UDL.
I agree with you that the students can improve their critical thinking skills and strengths by using UDL approach. It also provides opportunity to teachers to build positive relationships with students and understand their interests, needs and aeras in which they are lagging. In this way, the teachers can create a positive learning environment in the classroom where every diverse student can feel safe and secure and show their interest toward learning.
Thanks