MODEL SAMPLE CRITICAL REFLECTION

UDL’s

Throughout my teaching placement, I have tried to incorporate UDLs in my lessons. A UDL is a way of
trying to incorporate each student into the lesson and remove any barriers to learning and give each
student a fair and equal chance to learn. “UDL isn’t something you do as much as something you believe
about teaching and learning. The UDL framework recognizes and embraces learner variability and
provides a lens for creating instructional goals methods, materials, and assessments that work for
everyone, it’s not a single one size fits all solution”. (Katie Novak, Catlin Tucker, 2021). By using UDL
strategies I was able to be flexible with my lessons and adjust them regarding students’ strengths and
needs. “Students are engaged, are able to learn at their own pace, while barriers to learning decrease”.
(Ralabate, 2016)

With UDL strategies they are 3 principles that we look to incorporate. These are strategies for
engagement, representation, and expression. For a strategy of engagement, I would get the students to
conduct a think pair share activity with the students to get them communicating with each other and
discuss the question at hand and be able to break it down to find out what it is they need. I found this a
great way of getting the students who may be shy speaking out in class to start talking about the question
and growing confidence.
For representation I would try and use different types of visualization of drawings and objects mostly in
the graphics class I found it easier to incorporate with Graphics. For this, I would create a SolidWorks
model for the students that could be viewed in all directions to be able to help them visualize it better and
I also made physical models for the same reasoning.
Having worked on and completed the other two principles the final one was expression. For this, I would
try to get chatting with the student and find out how they felt they were getting on. I would assess their
work in class and homework, and I would also use an exit card to give me a better understanding of how
the students were getting on. I found sometimes it gave me a better understanding rather than just asking
the students in class how they were finding the topic.

Overall, I found it difficult at times to include good UDL in the lesson and try to fit them in but I feel that the
benefits from using them are far greater than any negatives. It is something that I wish to further my
knowledge on and bring into my teaching in the future.

UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes (Katie Novak, Catlin Tucker, 2021)

Your UDL Lesson Planner : The Step-By-Step Guide for Teaching All Learners (Ralabate, 2016)