|
|
Universal Design for Learning:
Accommodating Difference in
the Classroom to Maximize Progress
by Betsy Enright
We are accustomed to hearing about Universal Design in the
context of removing barriers and providing
accessibility to the physical environment, through up-front
architectural planning. The creation of buildings, structures and
public areas that are accessible to everyone from the outset has proved to
be beneficial to the population as a whole and has spread to a vast array
of areas from landscaping, transportation to computer web sites.
The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
describes how the concept of Universal Design for Learning can bring us
beyond expanded access to physical spaces to meaningful participation in
curriculum, instruction and assessment and, ultimately, learning in the
classroom. In Universal Design for Learning, David Rose and Anne
Meyer describe how focusing on goals of the curriculum, instruction and
assessment can be designed with flexible alternatives to meet the
individual needs of diverse students including students with disabilities.
Rose and Meyer state that “applying universal design to learning
materials and activities can increase access for learners with wide
disparities in their abilities to see, hear, speak, move, read, write,
understand English, attend, organize, focus engage, and remember.”
Want to read more?...Click on the link below for the
entire article!
Follow these links for more information on Universal
Design for Learning
Return to FACTS Vol 5
This is an official publication of The University of
Maine
A member of the University of Maine System
Updated:
01/11/2007
|