UNIVERSAL DESIRE FOR LEARNING
principle i
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about udlMany learners who are gifted, talented, or have disabilities are vulnerable to receiving poor education that is not tailored to their unique needs and skills. Curricula that is designed to meet the needs of an “average” learner excludes individuals with different abilities, backgrounds, and motivations. This results in failure to provide all individuals with fair and equal opportunities to learn.
Universal Desire for Learning (UDL) gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn through a set of principles for curriculum development. UDL is not a single, one-size-fits-all solution, but rather an approach that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. The UDL framework encourages creating flexible designs from the start that have customizable options, which allow all learners to progress from where they are and not where we would have imagined them to be. The options for accomplishing this are varied and robust enough to provide effective instruction to all learners. UDL creates instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone. Each individual brings a unique set of skills, needs, and interests to learning. Neuroscience reveals that these differences are as varied and unique as our DNA or fingerprints. Three primary brain networks come into play with UDL:
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