Week 5 - UDL & Lesson Planning

 UDL & Lesson Planning

        When I first started learning about Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a lot of it made sense to me right off the bat. As a teacher myself, it felt like this framework finally put into words what many of us in the classroom already know: students are different, ALL of them, and in their own ways. "UDL researchers emphasize that there no “average” or “typical” learner and that all learners have varied abilities, strengths, experiences, and preferences" (Rao, 2021). Trying to design lessons for an "average learner" just doesn't work, especially when you're teaching alternative education students who have already had a rocky school experience and need something more tailored and accessible to them, personally. 

        Kavita Rao's article Inclusive Instructional Design: Applying UDL to Online Learning really helped deepen my understanding of how UDL isn't just about accessibility, it's about being proactive, thoughtful, and inclusive when designing our lessons. It also gave me new ways to think about how to build better online and tech-enhanced lessons that meet students where they are. These ideas are especially helpful in the ongoing planning process for my high school psychology lesson. 

        Rao describes UDL as a framework that helps teachers design learning environments where all students can succeed. Instead of trying to fix students or force them to fit into one mold, UDL pushes us to redesign the curriculum so it’s more flexible, engaging, and accessible from the start (Rao, 2021). The three main principles of UDL are:

1. Multiple means of representation – different ways to show the content

2. Multiple means of action and expression – different ways for students to show what they know

3. Multiple means of engagement – different ways to motivate and connect with students

        Rao also introduces something called the UDL Design Cycle. It’s a planning process that starts by thinking about student variability, including what supports they might need and what barriers they could face, and then intentionally builds those things into the lesson (Rao, 2021). It sounds simple enough, but it’s a huge shift from the way most lessons are traditionally planned, as a one-size-fits-all with accommodations being made after the fact. 

"UDL Design Cycle, adapted from Rao & Meo (2016), Rao, 2021"

        Teaching in alternative education means that most of my students have already been labeled “at-risk” or have struggled in mainstream settings. Many have experienced trauma, mental health challenges, or just haven’t had success in a traditional classroom. Using UDL to create my lessons gives me a framework to support them before they hit a wall, rather than reacting after the fact.

        Instead of trying to guess what might go wrong and scrambling to fix it mid-lesson, I can start to plan with their needs in mind. For example, some of my students struggle with reading, so I could implement the use of text-to-speech and visual supports from the start. Others have anxiety or attention issues, so I could break tasks into small chunks and give them choices in how they show what they’ve learned. UDL can help me build a classroom environment where more kids can actually engage, participate, and feel successful.

Lesson Connections

        Before reading this article, I hadn’t intentionally built my lesson around UDL. That being said, once I understood the UDL framework more deeply, I realized that many elements of my lesson already align with UDL principles, even if that wasn’t my original goal. At the same time, this article also opened my eyes to areas where I could strengthen the lesson by being more proactive and intentional in my design choices.

     "Principles of UDL, Canadian Mental Health Association, 2025."

1. Representation

        My lesson includes a variety of media formats, including videos, curated articles, class discussions, and visual aids. I also provide optional text-to-speech tools and plan to include captioned videos, which supports students with different learning preferences and access needs. These inclusions and tools naturally align with the UDL principle of providing multiple means of representation. However, I could be more intentional about offering each piece of content in multiple formats. For example, instead of assuming students will watch a video, I could offer a transcript or visual summary as an option. I could also consider adding teacher-recorded versions of articles or reading supports for students who struggle with comprehension.

2. Action & Expression

        This project already gives students a lot of freedom to choose how they show me what they're learning, especially with how they present their information. They have a variety of tools at their disposal, which according to Rao "provide powerful supports for demonstration and application of knowledge and collaboration/interaction with peers and teachers" (2021). This supports the UDL guideline of offering multiple means of expression and also allows my students to play to their strengths and interests. While students do have that choice, I could go further by providing scaffolds to help them succeed with each format. For example, offering templates for Canva, providing sentence starters for podcasts, or showing model projects for them to review. This would also help support students who aren't familiar with the different formats who want to try something new. I could also better support executive functioning skills by building in things like clear checkpoints, timelines, and visual reminders to ensure students stay on task and know what is expected of them.

3. Engagement

        The topic of the lesson itself, stress and mental health, is personally relevant and emotionally engaging for most high school students, especially in an alternative ed setting. Students start with a reflection on their own experiences and use real-life teen stressors as their focus, which helps make the lesson meaningful to them. The element of choice also supports motivation and autonomy. However, one thing Rao emphasizes is the importance of supporting persistence and effort, especially in online or independent learning settings (2021). I could build in more opportunities for feedback and reflection, not just at the end, but throughout the project. For example, adding a quick peer check-in or teacher conference halfway through could help students stay on track and feel supported. 

CAST UDL Website

        CAST's UDL guidelines website discusses the three major principles of UDL (engagement, representation, and action & expression) and provides a set of checkpoints for each that can further support learners’ diverse needs. After reviewing the site, reflecting on my current lesson, and the needs of my students, I identified two specific strategies that I would integrate that I believe would only further strengthen my lesson. 

Engagement - Consideration 9.1 - "Recognize expectations, beliefs and motivations" (CAST, 2024)

    Many of my students deal with low self-confidence when it comes to academic work, and they often struggle with motivation, especially on longer, open-ended projects. According to CAST’s UDL guidelines, helping students set goals and believe in their ability to succeed is key to engagement. To address this, I could integrate a goal-setting mini-activity at the beginning of the project phase. Before students begin designing their product, I could ask them to complete a short reflection:

• What do I want to accomplish with this project?
• What do I want my audience to learn or feel?
• What will success look like for me?

        Pairing this with a student-friendly project rubric (that we would likely co-create or discuss together) could help my students feel more ownership and clarity. I could also invite students to revisit their goals mid-project to reflect on their progress or make adjustments. This process could help "to support learners to find inspiration in the learning process and to develop confidence in themselves as learners" (CAST, 2024). 

Representation - Consideration 3.3 - "Cultivate multiple ways of knowing and making meaning" (CAST, 2024)

        Supporting comprehension isn’t just about giving students content in different formats, it’s also about honoring the many ways students understand the world. In alternative education, where learners often come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, this broader approach to representation is especially valuable. "Diverse cultural perspectives bring unique insights and methods of understanding the world" (CAST, 2024). In my lesson on stress, I could move beyond standard definitions and scientific explanations by inviting students to explore how different communities understand and respond to stress. For example, I could include materials that present both Western psychological theories and scientific approaches and Eastern or more holistic perspectives on stress and resilience. Storytelling could also be used as a way for students to share personal or cultural narratives about coping, which not only deepens understanding but also validates their lived experiences and makes the lesson more personal.

        I could also offer multiple entry points into the lesson. For instance, letting students begin by watching a video, reading a narrative, analyzing a comic strip, or discussing a classmate's story. Giving my students options in how they begin and move through the content helps them connect in ways that feel natural and intuitive based on their own ways of knowing and learning, and removes the pressure of "forced" interactions and traditional learning styles. 

2024 NETP, UDL, & the Digital Use Divide

"Passive Learning and Active Learning, Geeks for Geeks, 2023."

        The 2024 National Education Technology Plan (NETP) really helped me think more critically about how technology is being used in the classroom, especially through the lens of the "Digital Use Divide." It’s not just about whether students have access to devices or Wi-Fi anymore. The real gap is about how they’re using that technology. Are they just clicking through slides and watching videos passively, or are they actually engaging with the tools? This is where the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework comes in. 

        Reading the NETP guidelines made me reflect on my own lesson on stress. The good news is I’m already integrating multiple forms of digital media and offering students choices in how they show what they’ve learned, like creating infographics, memes, or podcasts. That’s definitely a step in the right direction. But these guidelines also pushed me to think beyond just offering tools. It made me wonder If I'm truly helping students use these tools in realistic, skill-building ways.

        For example, one area I could improve is by making the creation process more intentional instead of passive. "Active use of technology utilizes technology to discover, analyze, and apply learning rather than passively receiving information" (U.S. Department of Education, 2024). Instead of just giving students the option to make a podcast or a PSA, I could build in short mini-lessons or peer feedback check-ins that focus on the craft of creating, like how to edit audio, write scripts, or organize visuals effectively. This kind of structure supports deeper engagement and ensures the students are using tech for more than just consumption.

        These guidelines also reminded me that we should be teaching digital literacy alongside content, not just assuming students know how to use the tools. A lot of my students need guidance with the basics, especially because their access to and development of basic tech skills may vary widely. Including mini “tech workshops” in the lesson could make the digital tools more approachable and reduce frustration overall. This also supports the UDL's idea that we should be building these supports into the lesson prior to any roadblocks (Rao, 2021). 

Resources

CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from

        https://udlguidelines.cast.org

Rao, K. (2021) Inclusive instructional design: Applying UDL to online learning. The Journal of Applied

        Instructional Design. doi: 10.59668/223.3753. Retrieved from:

        https://edtechbooks.org/jaid_10_1/preparing_teachers_f 

U.S. Department of Education. (2024). 2024 National Educational Technology Plan: A Call

        to Action for Closing the Digital Access, Design, and Use Divides . U.S. Department

        of Education.