The Science Behind the UDL Framework.

I recently reviewed the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) website to deepen my understanding on why UDL works and how to destroy the learning barriers so all students have the opportunity to succeed in my classroom. One key idea from the CAST website is that we recognize the three brain networks for learning. The affective networks are the “why” of learning, which should include engagement in the learning process. The recognition networks are the “what” of learning, which is how we represent the material to our students. The final network is the strategic network or the “how” of learning, which is the actions and expressions, student’s can use to demonstrate what they know. If we recognize the three networks we can design our instruction and curriculum to fit the needs of all learners. Just like we all have different hobbies and interests, we have different ways of learning new material. As educators we need to keep in mind, one instructional strategy will not fit all learning styles. In order to meet the diverse needs in your classroom ask yourself, “What is the goal or objective of the lesson?”, “What are the barriers that will hold my students back from learning?”. When you have your answers to those two questions you can design your instructional practice using the three strategies of the UDL framework. Implement different forms of engagement to “hook” different learning styles into your lesson. Think about the graphics and multi-media you can use to enhance your lesson for representation of the material to the students in order to help transfer the knowledge. Try to use a differentiated menu to allow students to show you that they have reached the goal by using different actions and representations. 

Reference: 
About Universal Design for Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.VhV8ZCvgAnM