U. Universal Design for Learning at University

U.

Way back when I began this career of teaching, I read somewhere back in 1998 how UDL or Universal Design for Learning was a new, radical way of teaching. I wish I could remember the book I read which said UDL needed to be used with caution as it was new, untested and required further investigation.

In contrast, today, it has become one of the leading forms of communication between the teacher and the student. What is fundamental about UDL is explained by Novak (2019) in her introduction to Murawski and Scott's book on 'What Really Works with Universal Design for Learning':

UDL is defined as the design and delivery of curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of all learners by providing them choices for what they are learning, why they are learning it and how they will share what they have learned.

This idea follows 'Choice Theory' first proposed in 1998 by the great William Gasser, MD, from Ohio. Somehow, I have the original book called: Choice theory in the classroom. Check out these links:

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ767001.pdf

http://circle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae200769033507.pdf

bit.ly/3gbTsgF

"Choice theory is theoretically intended to enhance motivation and performance of students" (Patall et al., 2010, p.896).

Patall, E., Cooper, H., and Wynn, S. (2010). The Effectiveness and Relative Importance of Choice in the Classroom. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 102, pp. 896–915, (Online) https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019545

To me, Glasser is like what Jesus is to the Catholics - and he walks the waters of knowledge and understanding that my other heroes do such as Roy Killen, Bill Rogers, John De Nobile and Edward De Bono:

https://wglasser.com/

A little story on Roy Killen... ...what an awesome dude. He has retired now and lives in Newcastle, NSW, and I sent him an email questioning something in his book, not ever thinking that he would reply but he did. WOWSER. 

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