Learner agency – the goal of UDL
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Find out about UDL’
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Go to top of current page: Learner agency
Go to top of current page: Learner agency
Barriers to agency in the design
Barriers to agency in the design
Look for barriers in the design, not the learner.
UDL aims to change the design of the environment rather than to situate the problem as a perceived deficit within the learner.
UDL Guidelines 3.0, CAST (2024)
The goal of UDL
The goal of UDL
Learner agency is about having the power, combined with choices, to take meaningful action and see the result of those decisions.
It … is about learners having the understanding, ability and opportunity to be part of the learning design and taking action to intervene in the learning process to become effective lifelong learners.
Derek Wenmoth (2021)
Conditions for agency
Conditions for agency
Designing learning environments that support learner agency requires:
- Recognising culture and identity – acknowledge and affirm the diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and identities that shape how learners engage and express agency.
- Continually examining educator-learner relationships – reflect on power dynamics and foster respectful, reciprocal interactions that value learner voice.
- Creating space for meaning-making – provide opportunities for learners to engage with content individually and collaboratively through dialogue, reflection, and inquiry.
- Examining bias and barriers – identify and address biases or systemic structures that may limit some learners’ ability to participate fully and authentically in the learning process.
UDL and learner agency
UDL and learner agency
Check for barriers and unnecessary challenges to learner agency created by the design of teaching and learning.
Source: Chrissie Butler (2023)
Characteristics of learner agency
Characteristics of learner agency
The UDL Guidelines support the development of learner agency by guiding the design of environments where learners can become more:
- purposeful – learners have confidence in their own ability and make decisions to support their learning
- reflective – learners assess what supports learning and what gets in the way and make adjustments
- resourceful – learners draw on strengths, skills, cultural knowledge and experience, and available tools to support learning
- authentic – learners connect new ideas to their lived experience and develop deeper understanding of the world
- strategic – learners set clear goals, monitor progress, and adapt plans as needed
- action-oriented – learners initiate and collaborate in efforts to meet their goals.
Source: The goal of UDL – Learner agency: UDL Guidelines 3.0 | CAST (2024) (opens in a new tab/window)
Useful resources
Useful resources
The goal of UDL: Learner agency
An introduction to learner agency on the UDL Guidelines website.
Publisher: CAST (2024)
What are expert learners?
What are expert learners?
In a UDL context, expert learners are:
- puposeful and motivated (they can manage themselves when they get stuck, collaborate with others, focus on a task, are resilient)
- resourceful and knowledgable (they can find and curate information, connect ideas to create new understandings, transfer understandings across contexts)
- strategic and goal-directed (they can break-down a task, manage deadlines, organise resources, communicate thinking).
Source: Adapted from Universal design for learning: Theory and practice (opens in a new tab/window)
Characteristics of an expert learner
Characteristics of an expert learner
David Rose, Co-founder of the UDL describes the characteristics of an expert learner.
Closed Captions
Barriers to developing expertise
Barriers to developing expertise
Katie Novak describes how our current teaching practices often don’t allow students to become expert learners.
No captions or transcript
Who can be expert learners?
Who can be expert learners?
The goal of developing expertise applies to all participants: students, teachers, and all of the personnel in the system itself.
If everyone is focused on developing expertise as a learner, the context is suffused with great models.
Anne Meyer, David H. Rose, and David Gordon
Reflection questions
Reflection questions
- How does the idea of expertise in learning impact on your thinking?
- How could the idea of expert learners impact your practice?
- How do students develop expertise as learners?
- What attitudes and habits indicate that learners are developing expertise?
Source: Adapted from Universal design for learning: Theory and practice (opens in a new tab/window)
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Find out about UDL”:
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How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: Universal Design for Learning
Understand:
Strategies for action:
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Find out about UDLShow suggestions for Find out about UDL
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Provide multiple means of EngagementShow suggestions for Provide multiple means of Engagement
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Provide multiple means of RepresentationShow suggestions for Provide multiple means of Representation
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Provide multiple means of Action and ExpressionShow suggestions for Provide multiple means of Action and Expression
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How to plan using UDLShow suggestions for How to plan using UDL
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Design considerations in primary settingsShow suggestions for Design considerations in primary settings
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Design considerations in secondary settingsShow suggestions for Design considerations in secondary settings
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Design considerations in NCEA assessmentsShow suggestions for Design considerations in NCEA assessments
