Universal design for learning (UDL) is a set of principles for designing curriculum that provides all individuals with equal opportunities to learn. UDL is designed to serve all learners, regardless of ability, disability, age, gender, or cultural and linguistic background. UDL provides a blueprint for designing goals, methods, materials, and assessments to reach all students including those with diverse needs.
-- Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy
Using graphic novels in the classroom represents a unique opportunity for teachers to augment learners' access to the curriculum by following a fundamental principle of Universal Design for Learning: providing "multiple means of representation." Read on to discover how to use graphic novels to increase accessibility and enhance student learning and success in the classroom.
Universal Design for LearningUniversal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on the principles and practice of Universal Design, which emerged in the US to help ensure the construction of in-built, accessible architectural features for all users of public spaces. The movement developed gradually in response to a series of acts in latter of half of the 20th century which sought to remove infrastructural and societal barriers to persons with physical disabilities. It's important to note that in architecture (and education!), universal design is not about retrofitting. For example, a well-designed entrance to a building would consist of a ramp for everyone to use, as opposed to architectural practices in which stairs serve as the primary means of entering a building and a ramp is added after the fact. Ultimately, it became obvious that thoughtful architectural design makes public spaces more accessible to people with disabilities, but everyone else as well. For example, sidewalk / curb cuts are necessary for folks who use wheelchairs, but they are equally beneficial to a parent pushing a stroller.
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UDL in Education ContextsUDL is not a new framework (it was developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology in the 1990s), but it is gaining traction in schools and its use is even mandated in some US school districts. Teachers can apply the principles of UDL to everything from the physical layout of their classroom space to the design of their lessons, formative assessments, and unit plans. The principles of UDL are:
Following these guidelines helps to ensure that all students can access the curriculum and its delivery in a way that is flexible, inclusive, and equitable. |
Graphic Novels and / as UDLGraphic novels are more accessible than traditional texts because of the form's requisite combination of text and image(s). Images render the novel more accessible to all readers, but particularly those with learning difficulties (such as dyslexia) and speakers of languages other than English. As such, the accessibility inherent to the form helps to enrich both reading comprehension and vocabulary building.
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