Universidad Andrés Bello

Facultad de Educación y Cs. Sociales

Pedagogía en Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media
PEI 502 / Integración Laboral V

Why UDL Matters for English Language Learners

March 9, 2018

Katie Novak explains why the implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) is best practice to
increase engagement in all students

In 1922, my grandmother moved from Trois-Rivières, a city in Quebec, Canada, at the age of eleven.
Speaking only French, and traveling with her older sister, she was determined to learn English once she
arrived. Each day, after she finished her official au pair duties, she walked to the local market to teach
herself English. Her textbooks? The handwritten signs posted above the food and day-old newspapers.
Her teachers? The store owner and passersby completing their nightly shopping.

Before she died, she bragged that she was fluent in groceries long before she mastered conversational
English. Her strategy was simple, she said. She befriended the store owner, who gave her the permission
she needed to amble around the store, picking up fruits, vegetables, boxes of cereal, and newspapers. And
if the signs did not exist?

She would pick up a shiny apple or a handful of walnuts and ask anyone who would listen, “Qu’est-ce
que c’est?” She recalls the kindness of her strangers, always patient as they helped build her
comprehension and provided her with feedback.

Without any formal education beyond third grade, Mémère became fluent in English because of her daily
market visits. Knowing now what I know about education, it is clear that Mémère’s “teachers”
exemplified the principles of universal design for learning (UDL), a framework that provides options to
ensure that all students have the opportunity to experience growth and success. Mémère got not just one
way but a whole basket of tips and assistance to learn English.

The Building Blocks of UDL

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) urges states to adopt UDL in a number of areas. For example, it
says assessments should be designed using the principles of UDL. It also requires schools to use the
principles of UDL to support the learning needs of all students, including English learners (ESSA, 2015,
Section 4104).
In a recent publication of WIDA Focus On, a series of bulletins on topics of interest to educators of
English language learners, it notes, “Accessibility principles, including processes like Universal Design
for Learning (CAST, 2008), can help educators rethink how they position language development support
within activities.” The building blocks of UDL include three core principles, which remind educators to
provide options to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to access and engage with rigorous
academic curriculum.

Provide Multiple Means of Representation

The first principle of UDL reminds educators to provide multiple means of representation to build
knowledge and comprehension in all learners. In the case of my Mémère, she had manipulatives: pungent
onions, stalks of celery, and newspapers that stamped her fingers with black ink. But that was not enough
for her to develop and use English. In addition, she had options to build background knowledge by
accessing visual support through pictures and words and accessing auditory support through
conversations with individuals who encouraged her language expression.
She also had access to her native language, as the storeowner spoke French. We can foster multiple means
of representation in the classroom by providing all students with access to visual support as well as the
option to listen to texts in English via peer reading, audio books, and text-to-speech.
One of my colleagues, ELL teacher Cheney Harper, designed a lesson for her students on the rainforest
and took them on a “virtual field trip.” At the beginning of the lesson, Cheney welcomed all students at
the door, which was decorated with a lush, green poster of the rain forest. She then opened up an
“explorer backpack,” from which she gave them each rain forest props to begin their rain forest scavenger
hunt.
Each student received a scavenger hunt list, and they had to find twelve animals that live in the rain forest
by searching around the classroom and in books. In the classroom, she had hidden twelve stuffed animals,
each attached to informational text that provided details about the animals. As they found the animals, she
Universidad Andrés Bello
Facultad de Educación y Cs. Sociales
Pedagogía en Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media
PEI 502 / Integración Laboral V

identified the names of the animals (i.e., jaguar, caiman, speckled bear) and shared characteristics of the
animals.
She then took them on a “rain forest tour” on the iPad so they could build more background knowledge
on the rain forest. As they worked, they had access to translation software and dictionaries, so they had
access to their native languages. Having access to the multiple means of representation allowed all
students to actively participate in the activity, learn academic vocabulary, and engage with peers in a fun,
meaningful way.

Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

It is not enough to comprehend information if there is no way to express it. Students need numerous
methods to express their understanding as they develop into writers and speakers.
When we examine the Common Core State Standards, teaching methods, materials, and assessments are
not outlined. This provides us with an opportunity to create multiple pathways to meet the same
destination by providing students with options.
This is no accident, as the Common Core endorses UDL as the framework to support all students as they
reach for the standards. The standards are only the “what.” UDL is the “how.”
There are many different paths to reach the same destination. We, as educators, need to embrace the many
possible journeys that our students can take in order to arrive at the same place. Traditional assessments
are one-size-fits-all and expect the same product from all students (i.e., everyone is expected to write
informative text as a five-paragraph essay).
UDL encourages multiple options for expression and multiple scaffolds to help all students reach the
goal. Take the anchor standard, “Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex
ideas and information clearly.”
Sentence frames, graphic organizers, collaborative work, exemplars, and the use of the WIDA English
Language Development Standards provide necessary supports that allow all students to express what they
know in inclusive, diverse classrooms while working toward the same standard. Additionally, since
students master speaking before writing, educators may provide English learners the option to audio
record their learning, supplement with visuals, or use voice-recognition software to scaffold the language
process as they continue to develop into writers.

Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Engagement is at the core of all learning experiences. If we want students to learn, we have to foster both
attention and commitment by providing students with authentic, meaningful experiences in learning. All
students need access to options that help them connect their own cultural backgrounds to new learning
activities, as well as access to their peers to foster collaboration and community. In order to master a skill,
one needs practice.
A lot of practice. Peers provide an amazing opportunity for English learners to practice speaking in the
classroom. Just as my Mémère befriended countless customers at the market, our students need to interact
with their peers.
From “do-nows” to brainstorming sessions to collaborative discussions, authentic opportunities to build
language with others are what build a solid foundation to learn academic English. Teachers can observe
these collaborative conversations, informally assess students, and give feedback on their language
structures and use of vocabulary to provide additional means for action and expression in authentic
settings.
These three principles of UDL—provide multiple means of representation, provide multiple means of
action and expression, and provide multiple means of engagement—remind all educators to ensure that
English language learners always have the option to build background knowledge, interact with
information visually and auditorily, access rich scaffolds and supports to help highlight the patterns of
language, and have numerous opportunities to express what they know in ways that are authentic and
meaningful, all while experiencing the value of collaboration and feedback.

Of course, in the early 1900s, my grandmother had no concept of universal design for learning, nor did
her teachers. David Rose, Anne Meyer, and their colleagues at CAST would not articulate the UDL
principles until the very end of the century. But something happened in that marketplace which
exemplifies what we want teaching and learning to look like today.
Now that we have a framework that is intertwined with our Common Core State Standards, WIDA briefs,
and federal legislation, it is time to optimize and scale the framework in all classrooms. Let us make that
Universidad Andrés Bello
Facultad de Educación y Cs. Sociales
Pedagogía en Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media
PEI 502 / Integración Laboral V

happen so our students can experience the same magic that my Mémère did, as she learned to appreciate
the power of language.
Katie Novak, EdD, is the assistant superintendent of the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District in
Massachusetts and a leading expert on universal design for learning implementation. She is the author of
four books, including UDL Now! (CAST Professional Publishing, 2016), Universally Designed
Leadership (CAST, 2016), and Let Them Thrive (CAST, 2017). Learn more
at http://www.katienovakudl.com.