Giving Compass' Take:

· Today's students learn differently than their parents and the education system needs to reflect that. To best serve every student and promote future success, EdSurge provides some tips and tricks to build your classroom through a Universal Design for Learning–an inclusive way to connect every student to learning.

· How does UDL cater to every students? What is the best approach when creating a UDL classroom?

· Taking a Universal Design for Learning approach can help prepare students with disabilities for success.

Would you want to be a learner in your classroom? That’s not a trick question—think about it. Perhaps some of the activities and lessons wouldn’t resonate if you were sitting behind a desk listening to them yourself. This may be especially true in classrooms where material is presented in a one-size-fits-all format. After all, the more options students are given to complete assignments, the more likely it is they’ll find one that interests them.

Such an approach is nothing new. Many educators know it as the building blocks behind Universal Design for Learning, or UDL. Developed by CAST, UDL is comprised of three guiding principles that seek to increase engagement and accessibility: Providing learners with multiple means of engagement; representation; and action and expression.

What does that mean: engagement, representation and action and expression? First, engagement looks at ways the learner regulates their learning while sustaining interest, effort and motivation. Representation is focused on how the information is presented to the learner, in order to to promote understanding. Finally, action and expression focuses on the ways the learner can demonstrate their mastery of the subject and respond to the activity.

Read the full article about Universal Design for Learning by Mike Marotta at EdSurge.