UDL and the Future of Learning

I found the “Future Learning” video very intriguing. What struck me the most was Sugata Mitra’s comment about how students can teach themselves, and a key to future learning will be the absence of the teacher (very Montessori-esque). I do not agree with this statement, because I do believe in the teacher’s role to construct learning experiences, provide scaffolding, and identify clear learning goals. However, I do think that children are wired to want to learn. I believe if they are given the proper environment, resources, and challenges, children enjoy learning and can teach themselves. Our current education system is certainly flawed and oftentimes suppresses this natural motivation to learn. Schools must tap into what motivates young minds; in order to do this, teachers must speak the language of the “digital natives”.

Universal Design Learning provides students with flexibility in their learning, by offering a variety of flexible ways to present, access, and consume learning materials. UDL requires teachers to design their teaching in a way that accommodates and boosts all types of learners. A UDL curriculum builds in supports and challenges, and eliminates barriers to achieving the learning goals. New digital technologies make UDL a more viable model for classroom learning, because learning can take so many new forms. I think providing students with as much choice as possible is what I want to incorporate into my own teaching from the UDL model. I would like to start giving students menus, so they can direct their own learning and experience the curriculum in a variety of ways (watching a video, listening to a recording, or reading an article). By being flexible and offering choices, students can work at their own pace, and consume the learning material in a way that compliments their learning.