Handbook for Language Teachers
Karin Vogt, University of Education Heidelberg, Germany
Universal Design for Learning isn’t just a theory—it’s a practical framework that transforms how we plan and deliver language lessons. In this module, you’ll work through a concrete teaching scenario: designing a B1-level task on AI’s environmental impact for a diverse group of teenage learners. By analyzing a real learner group with dyslexia, ADHD, multilingual backgrounds, and varying attention spans, you’ll learn to make strategic UDL-informed decisions that don’t just accommodate diverse needs—they leverage diversity as a strength. Through reflection and hands-on planning, you’ll discover how multiple means of representation, action, and engagement create accessible, motivating tasks for all learners.
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Analyze a diverse learner group and select appropriate UDL considerations from the three core principles (representation, action & expression, engagement) that address specific learning needs in your teaching context.
- Prioritize and apply UDL principles strategically to design a task-based teaching unit that provides multiple pathways for access, expression, and motivation while maintaining high academic standards.
The handbook has taken a task-based approach to UDL-informed teaching units. You have designed a teaching unit for your teenage learners on B1 level. Your learners are supposed to work on the environmental impact that AI applications have as a neglected aspect of Artificial Intelligence applications. Their target task is to make an infograph, a short video or a poster from input material on AI power supplies needed.
Input texts can be multimodal, allowing for multiple means of representation as a UDL principle. They comprise charts, an accompanying text, and / or a brief Youtube video. Examples have been provided below.
Energy demand from data centres: https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/energy-demand-from-ai
Youtube video: e.g.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz3AYYZBiGs&pp=ygUeYWkgZW5lcmd5IGNvbnN1bXB0aW9uIEIxIGxldmVs, 4:34;
- https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7V_oJZmr5hc (0:41);
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYrQSJAw27I&pp=ygUeYWkgZW5lcmd5IGNvbnN1bXB0aW9uIGxlYXJuZXJz (3:51)
or other materials that you deem suitable.
You will find the learner group description below.
- Based on the description of the learner group, please choose relevant considerations from the three UDL principles that would match with the planning of your target task for the specific learner group. How do your considerations comply with the diverse learning needs of specific learners?
- From the list of relevant considerations from 1., please prioritise considerations, ending up with a top 5 list. Think about reasons for your choice and if possible, share your list with others.
Learner group analysis:
The learner group is a group of EFL learners aged 13 to 15. The learners are located in a Western European context, with access to tablets and other digital media in their learning environment. The learners come from diverse linguistic backgrounds, with L1 ranging from Ukrainian and Italian to Arabic and Farsi. They have English as their second or third language, some as their fourth.
There are three learners with diagnosed dyslexia in the class, while the teacher suspects that there are at least two more with undiagnosed dyslexia. These learners have trouble with spelling and understanding and producing more complex language in the target language, they often need scaffolding like skeleton texts or sentence starters as language support.
Two learners with diagnosed ADHD and some more learners with a short attention span and problematic planning skills form part of the group. Like the dyslexic learners, these learners profit from multisensory and multimodal input and activities. Tasks need to be broken down into smaller steps for some of the learners.
Learners are generally interested in communicating in English, oral communication in particular, and they work effectively in pairs and groups. Although there are groups of friends in the class who prefer working with each other, everyone in the class is prepared to co-operate with everyone else.
You will find below the principles and considerations of the Universal Design for Learning Framework (CAST, 2024). Please have a look at the principles and think about how they can help to achieve the overarching goal of UDL, fostering learner agency. Can you give examples from your own teaching environment?
If you would like to read more about UDL, please consult chapter 10 in the Handbook. Chapters 11 and 12 give you more information about using UDL in your teaching.
Here are the guidelines of UDL on the CAST website: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/