This is a snap of the Designer's Circle. The capstone experience I use in my classwork. The lead student designers set up a repertory plot and everyone, technical theater majors or not, is allowed to design the lighting for a dance. Looking at this particular setting of my classroom I can see some room for providing more access. The tiered rows and seats bolted in the the floor don't help. Yet there are some learning opportunities that are more accessible here. The lighting console has touch screens. The GUI is intuitive, with color wheels and kinesthetic faders. The sound system offers a similar access to the technology, with plenty of reinforcement for the hard of hearing. But there is something more. It is the ecology of the curriculum. The lighting designers and board ops share roles. Peer to peer mentoring brings along the less experienced. Other disciplines are intertwined. The sound engineer is coordinating the choreographer's musical choices. The stage manager connects everyone together, calling the show and bringing the pieces together.
Given this scenario something about UDL jumps out at me. Multiple learning styles are critical for the success of the event. The ecosystem of the curriculum is interwoven in the ecosystem of the learners. The diversity of skills and intelligences collaborate with the complexity and systems of the event, of the product. It makes natural sense to recombine silo-ed disciplines to provide a design for learning that is as complex and diverse as the learners. My tentative conclusion is that to provide UDL you need to increase the complexity of the curriculum. What is needed to provide a universal design for learning is an ecological and systemic approach to a learning environment that is aligned with the curriculum.
In this scenario you are not accommodating anyone--you are integrating the diversity that is the success of creativity and innovation into your learning environment. You are matching roles and responsibilities with technology and skills.
Given this scenario something about UDL jumps out at me. Multiple learning styles are critical for the success of the event. The ecosystem of the curriculum is interwoven in the ecosystem of the learners. The diversity of skills and intelligences collaborate with the complexity and systems of the event, of the product. It makes natural sense to recombine silo-ed disciplines to provide a design for learning that is as complex and diverse as the learners. My tentative conclusion is that to provide UDL you need to increase the complexity of the curriculum. What is needed to provide a universal design for learning is an ecological and systemic approach to a learning environment that is aligned with the curriculum.
In this scenario you are not accommodating anyone--you are integrating the diversity that is the success of creativity and innovation into your learning environment. You are matching roles and responsibilities with technology and skills.