“What I have always loved most about BCSC is its focus on Universal Design of Learning. I didn’t know UDL existed when I started my student teaching, but I fell in love with it and how it can be used to create equitable learning environments,” says Mr. Hudelson, who has been teaching at BCSC for nine years. “I think the most important thing is having options for students. I love the analogy of UDL as a ramp because a ramp is a great way to get from point A to point B; it allows options for everyone. So, no matter what kind of mobility needs you have, or if you don’t have any at all, a ramp’s going to work well for you.
By providing options in the classroom, we can kind of make the classroom like a ramp where those who do need that gradual incline have it, those who don’t need it, don’t need it. They can still walk on the exact same ramp and go the same direction.” In the early 2000s, UDL was introduced throughout BCSC. It is what makes the district stand out as a place for all learners to thrive. “It’s a framework for everyone. Why? Because what works for those in the margins, works for everyone,” says Ms. Laswell.
Watch Ms. Laswell talk about how and why UDL was introduced into the fabric of BCSC and why, in many ways, it is the “secret sauce” of the district’s success in helping all learners.
“I think BCSC stands out as a model for inclusivity because UDL is more than a framework. It’s a way of thinking and doing. Whether you are looking at the cafeteria or the classroom, the playground, or even an administrators’ meeting, we model UDL from the top down and the bottom up so that it works its way into the fabric of who we are and what we do,” adds Ms. Laswell. “UDL is really about having a design mindset and a design attitude, and it’s about looking at every angle and making sure that you’re giving every student the opportunity to have access to the content and the skills they need to be successful. It’s all about teaching students how to think, not just learn.”
The use of visuals is a good example of how UDL can make a big difference through one small strategy. Principal Dettmer explains. “We may have students with autism who need a visual schedule so that they know what’s coming and can be prepared. But we may also have ‘traditional learners’ who might have focus concerns and they, too, like to know what is coming up next and what is required of them. Or we might have a kiddo with anxiety, which we didn’t know about, but who is also benefitting from the visual schedule to stay on track. So, that visual schedule we may have created for one kid with autism really has now helped lots of other students. Sometimes you might have a student with lower reading skills who maybe can’t read that it’s reading time, but can see the picture of a book on the schedule and now they know to take out their reading book. So that one little support is removing so many barriers for different kinds of kids. And I think that the more we learn about scaffolding and supports for students, the more we’re realizing we’re meeting the needs of all kids.”
Listen as Ms. Laswell talks about how school-wide strategies and supports through UDL can help all kids, even nonverbal students with autism, and provides an example of training she did with the Food Services staff.