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UDL is a process, not a checklist

7/12/2017

6 Comments

 
By Jana Nicol

​UDL is a process, not a checklist. This was such an a-ha moment for me. It seems so simple, but it has taken me a very long time to come to this conclusion.

When I participated in the UDL action research project in 2013-14, our research team sought to find or create tools to facilitate the implementation of UDL in classrooms. At that time, for us, that meant finding or creating the 'perfect template', something that we could use and share with teachers to make it easier to plan with the UDL principles in mind. We scoured the internet in search of the almighty template, but nothing felt right. We even created a couple of them, and made many revisions along the way. They were usually some variation of a checklist. They usually included checklists for technologies we would use in our lessons, multiple intelligences that were targeted, and of course CAST's UDL guiding principles.

I even spent an entire school year committed to using a checklist. I put it in a plastic sheet protector, and kept it in my lesson plan book. I diligently completed my checklist with a dry erase marker daily. Each day I would erase it, and repeat the process. It took some time, but I convinced myself that it was time well spent. Maybe it was. In any case, I was hooked. Completely addicted to checklists.

This year I returned to work after a year-long maternity leave. I considered using my checklist again, but I asked myself why I felt the need to use this checklist? Who was it for? No one looked at it other than me, and I resolved that by abandoning this tool that I was not abandoning UDL. After all, when I am writing my lesson plans or creating unit plans, UDL is always a part of my thought process. Why the need to document it in such detail? 

Then I had an epiphany. I realized that the time I spent filling out a checklist each day, not to mention the countless hours I spent in search of, and in the creation of 'the perfect checklist', perhaps was not time well spent after all. What really mattered was that I was constantly trying to implement UDL practices in my classroom. That lessons were planned from the outset to target the needs of all of my students. That learning activities were designed to be engaging for students. That students were given choice and autonomy. That the physical environment and learning materials were accessible. That my classroom was managed in a way to minimize distractions and foster collaboration and community. And most importantly, that I did not need a checklist to accomplish any of that. So ended my addiction to checklists.

I'm proud to say that I've been checklist-free for the last three months. It's been wonderful! I'm no longer faced by the task of erasing and re-doing a checklist each day before I leave work. It might not seem like much, but removing just one daily task from a seemingly endless pile of daily tasks has been liberating. And, as I suspected, removing the checklist from my lesson plan book did not mean that I'm no longer 'doing UDL'. I am still highly engaged with implementing UDL in my classroom, and I don't need a checklist to prove that!

I'm really happy with this decision. Maybe even as happy the teacher in this stock photo. I mean, who wouldn't be happy with a class of five students?
Picture
Source: http://www.flanderstoday.eu/education/happy-teachers-make-happy-pupils-shows-antwerp-study
6 Comments
Geneva Steinmann
12/2/2018 06:18:41 pm

I totally understand the idea of the "checklist". As a newer teacher I feel that before I was always looking towards my lists to see if I finished a lesson or not. In this year of teaching I have found myself understanding that the checklist is not necessarily best way of teaching. I find myself and my students more engaged in the lessons if I focus at the troubles that show up in a lesson rather that the checks I need to mark off. Thank you for your inspirational story!

Reply
Jana Nicol
21/2/2018 08:43:47 pm

Hi Geneva,

You're most welcome. While preparedness is good, being responsive to student's needs in the moment, and going off the path to meet those needs is even better. Some of the best stuff happens when we deviate from 'the plan!'

Reply
Margaret Gilmore
15/4/2018 11:51:51 pm

I loved reading this Blog that UDL is a process, not a checklist! Such an eye opener for me! It is so important to always strive to implement UDL strategies into every lesson to ensure student engagement and accessibility to all! Thank you for sharing your insights!

Reply
Jennifer Woods
16/5/2018 01:57:06 pm

I personally feel as a new teacher that UDL is embedded in my brain. Haha. As a SPED teacher, we often have so many check lists I could not imagine implementing another one. Sometimes we have to take a step back and look to realize that we need to change our approach to instruction. UDL seems like such a process, but it really isn't. Thank you for the insight!

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knowledge wisdom link
31/5/2022 06:31:07 am

I read your blog. Having very use full information help me a lot. I will read more articles on your blog.

Reply
Jana Nicol link
2/10/2022 08:08:40 am

Thanks, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

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    ​About me

    My name is Jana Nicol, and I have been teaching since 2005. I'm a UDL enthusiast and I love to learn and share ideas with other educators!

    ​I am currently working as a First Nations Education Coach in New Brunswick, Canada, on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Wolastoqewiyik, Mi'kmaq, and Peskotomuhkatiyik.

    I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, kayaking, working out, reading, and being outdoors. ​

    Views expressed are my own.

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Photos from rahego, Martin Pulaski, San José Library