Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
As a disability rights advocate and scholar, I am committed to making my classroom accessible to all types of learners. As my teaching statement makes clear, I believe in every person's capacity to learn. By employing a "universal design" approach to the classroom, I attempt to create a learning environment that works for all students. Although I still welcome specific accommodations for individuals with disabilities, the UDL learning environment attempts to change the teaching techniques so that accommodations may not even be necessary. For example, using images on PowerPoint slides and handouts may be imperative to the students who are visual learners, but it also makes the material more interesting and easy to remember for all students. Following the principles of UDL, I make sure that I present material in a variety of formats, and that I create diverse assessments. Although I still use exams and traditional papers, I also employ more hand-on activities to assess learning and improve engagement.
Val Erwin, a colleague from Southern Methodist University, and I recently presenting a workshop on UDL for Feminist Pedagogy at the National Women's Studies Association. We both believe UDL and feminist pedagogy are complimentary classroom techniques that help maximize learning and challenge traditional notions of what counts as knowledge, learning, and learners.
As a disability rights advocate and scholar, I am committed to making my classroom accessible to all types of learners. As my teaching statement makes clear, I believe in every person's capacity to learn. By employing a "universal design" approach to the classroom, I attempt to create a learning environment that works for all students. Although I still welcome specific accommodations for individuals with disabilities, the UDL learning environment attempts to change the teaching techniques so that accommodations may not even be necessary. For example, using images on PowerPoint slides and handouts may be imperative to the students who are visual learners, but it also makes the material more interesting and easy to remember for all students. Following the principles of UDL, I make sure that I present material in a variety of formats, and that I create diverse assessments. Although I still use exams and traditional papers, I also employ more hand-on activities to assess learning and improve engagement.
Val Erwin, a colleague from Southern Methodist University, and I recently presenting a workshop on UDL for Feminist Pedagogy at the National Women's Studies Association. We both believe UDL and feminist pedagogy are complimentary classroom techniques that help maximize learning and challenge traditional notions of what counts as knowledge, learning, and learners.