Universal design infographic9/7/2023 There are several attributes intrinsic to a differentiated learning environment. This is achieved through giving them the tools they need to be constant learners. These concepts encompass a holistic approach to education with an emphasis on one core tenet: growth for all learners. Universal design is an implementation of these differentiation principles. In essence, differentiation is a way of thinking, a manner of tailoring teaching methods to the diversity of any given group of learners. To this day, CAST promotes UDL and continues to research and develop innovative ways to address difference in education ( ). To address this deficiency within the education system, CAST developed an entirely new paradigm for education: universal design for learning (henceforth referred to as UDL). Through their research, they came to the realization that “the burden of adaptation should be first placed on curricula, not the learner” (CAST, 2011). Its mission was to discover ways to use technology to make education more accessible to disabled students. In 1984, a group of education researchers founded the Center for Applied Special Technology, now known as CAST. So, how do we determine what educational choices are actually helping learners, and what is just lip service to the idea of differentiation? To transform this abstract, theoretical concept into an actionable curriculum, universal design enters the scene. In the classroom, differentiated instruction can be something as simple as subtitles on a film to something as complex as an assignment that allows learners to choose the media form their project takes. What are Differentiation and Universal Design?Įducator Carol Ann Tomlinson’s (2014) description of differentiated classrooms can be distilled into a definition of differentiation: It is a flexible approach to instruction featuring an adaptable curriculum meant to maximize the learners’ potential. How do you design your collection, space, and services to address all these users’ needs? One answer is by using the principles of differentiation and universal design. A 17-year-old student is just looking for a fun fantasy novel where diversity is a natural part of the worldbuilding. A 13-year-old boy on crutches is struggling to navigate the bookshelves without assistance. In the non-fiction section, a first-generation Mexican immigrant is looking for college prep books specifically designed for students with English as a second language. In the new young adult romance section, a Black teenage girl with an anxiety disorder beginning to question her sexuality is having trouble finding a novel starring someone just like her. In any public library, there are bound to be users as diverse as the collection itself (perhaps more diverse than the collection itself). Carol Ann Tomlinson (2014), Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, p. In differentiated classrooms, teachers ensure that students compete against themselves as they grow and develop more than they compete against one another, always moving toward-and often beyond-designated content goals. Thus, teachers in differentiated classrooms accept and act on the premise that they must be ready to engage students in instruction through different approaches to learning, by appealing to a range of interests, and by using varied rates of instruction along with varied degrees of complexity and differing support systems. In differentiated classrooms, teachers begin with two critical “givens”: there are content requirements-often in the form of “standards”-that will serve as destination points for their students, and there are students who will inevitably vary as learners. Chapter 12: Advocating for the Instructional Role.Chapter 11: Professional Development and Growth.Chapter 10: Assessing Learning in the Public Library. Chapter 9: Collaboration: The Power (and the Price) of Working Together.Chapter 8: Differentiation and Universal Design for Learners.Chapter 7: Connected Learning in the Library.Chapter 6: From Theory to Practice: Instructional Approaches.Chapter 5: How do Children and Teens Learn? Part 2: Critical Learning Theories.Chapter 4: How do Children and Teens Learn? Part 1: Traditional Learning Theories.Chapter 3: Working Backward to Move Forward: Backward Design in the Public Library.Chapter 1: What Can Public Librarians Teach?.
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