Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

This was a tough checklist and topic for me to apply to my job responsibilities.  I am the Director of the Adult Tutoring Program at the Literacy Center of West Michigan.  I recruit and train community members in order to certify them as Adult Reading and/or English Language tutors.  They work one on one with an Adult Learner.

So, as I assessed my current understanding of UDL and use of it, I was thinking of the Professional Development that I offer to community members, Tutor Training.  This instruction incorporates technology and encourages tutors to integrate technology into their tutoring sessions, but it does not include assignments and/or assessments of tutors.  I also supervise Literacy Coordinators that have a caseload of adult learners.  These adult learners are matched with certified Literacy Tutors.  The adult learners are assessed, in a standardized fashion, by the Literacy Center.  Tutors are also encouraged to measure their learner's progress in other ways (read alouds/fluency demonstrations, writing samples, etc.).

So, are we effectively training tutors to create a tutoring environment utilizing the UDL?  Yes, but not all tutors utilize all of the strategies that we suggest  We are very thorough when it comes to teaching tutors how to lesson plan.  We do model how to begin with the end in mind.  Many of our tutors create very dynamic lessons regardless of their education background.  This is exciting to see!