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Jaida VanDunk
UDL Worksheet
Siegel
February 15, 2019
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Prepare and add a Title Page to the document. Respond to each prompt clearly and
concisely following APA form and style guidelines.

1. Examine the diagram below. Study the functions of the various parts of the
brain.

Regions of the Brain

2. Examine the diagram below. Study the areas of the brain related to the “Why”,
“What”, and “How” of learning.
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Continue by reviewing the material about the parts of the brain at

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/nervous_system_disor
ders/anatomy_of_the_brain_85,P00773/ . \

3. The second diagram comes from the CAST website. Study the diagram. Think
about how the 3 principles of Universal Design for Learning are related to
activation of each of the 3 areas of the brain identified in the diagram. The 3
principles are:
a. Multiple Means of Representation
i. Present content in different ways; ex: different forms of media,
animation, utilize background knowledge, etc.
b. Multiple Means of Action and Expression, and
i. allow students to express knowledge in multiple ways
ii. provide models/opportunity/feedback/support
c. Multiple Means of Engagement.
i. Just because on student (or several) are excited by a certain activity,
that doesn’t mean other students will be
ii. Find different ways incorporate different interests into curriculum so
that all students have the opportunity to get excited about something
iii. Help students learn from mistakes  if they mess up they are less
likely to lose motivation because it is something they are interested in

4. Explain how the definitions of the regions of the brain in the first diagram relate
to the 3 regions of the brain in the second. (Maximum 100 words)
The frontal lobe of the brain is connected to the “how” or the “strategic networks” of
learning. This area of the brain controls a lot of our personality traits, including our
behavior, thought process and movement. The second diagram provided further
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explains how our frontal lobe can influence our reactions, expression and
organization of thoughts.

The recognition networks control the “what of learning”, and the parts of the brain
that contribute to this are the parietal lobe, which controls our language and touch, the
occipital lobe, which controls sight, and the temporal lobe, which controls our
hearing, learning, and emotions. The recognition network focuses on how the
occipital lobe, temporal lobe and parietal lobe gather information through our
different senses and how the information that we gather is presented.

The “why” of learning, the affective networks, is controlled by the frontal lobe,
temporal lobe and parietal lobe, and this network focuses on our motivation.

5. Given the information in the two diagrams above, explain the 3 Principles of
Universal Design (Multiple means of Representation, Multiple Means of Action
and Expression and Multiple Means of Engagement) in terms of how they relate
to brain function. (Maximum 300 words)
Multiple means of representation encourages teachers to present information in a
variety of the ways to better caption the attention of students. This relates to our
recognition networks, which control how we absorb information through a variety of
senses. Content needs to be presented in a way that all students can understand.
Multiple means of action and expression suggests that students should have the
opportunity to present the information that they have gathered in a variety of ways.
This relates to the strategic networks in our brain, which control our thought process
and expression of info.
Multiple means of engagement recognizes the fact that not all students share the exact
same interests, so students should have the opportunity to study what they are
interested in in order to encourage motivation. The affective networks of the brain
control our interest and motivation.

6. How does this help you understand the 3 principles of UDL)? Given this
information, how you might structure each principle in the classroom?
(Maximum 400 words)
Understanding how different parts of the brain might affect student interest, retention
of knowledge and expression is very helpful because it helps me recognize why
UDL’s can be so beneficial. It is reassuring to know that there is science behind this
technique that proves why and how it can help so many students. Now that I know
this information I will be able to identify more ways to support students. For example,
if I see a student who is really jittery, emotional, and struggling to stay focused, I’ll
be able to recognize that they are working more with their frontal/temporal lobe and
aren’t interested in what I am teaching. If I am able to recognize that they lack focus
because they are not intrinsically motivated, I can make the choice to incorporate
something that they enjoy into the curriculum, and continue to readjust and find ways
to support them if that doesn’t work.
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7. Extend your thinking. Recall what you have learned about the similarities and
differences among children from ITL404 or ITL604. Explain 2 ways UDL can
be an effective means for addressing the learning needs of both typical and
atypical students. (Maximum 200 words)
UDL’s are extremely helpful to all students because I encourages teachers to identify
the strengths of their students, and use those strengths to help them grow, regardless
of whether or not the student is typical or atypical. If a student is “typical” and is able
to follow general curriculum that’s great, but teachers can still utilize UDL’s to keep
them engaged and interested so that they do not lose their motivation. UDL’s also
give students who don’t do well with traditional teaching methods the opportunity to
succeed by providing them with multiple options. For example, if a student is given
the assignment of summarizing a book that they read in class but have dyslexia and
struggle to write without errors, they might have the opportunity to draw a story book
that summarizes the book or act out what happened so that they can still show their
understanding of the book.

8. How easy or difficult do you think it will be to effectively implement the

principles of UDL in your own classroom? Why do you think so; provide
rationales? (Maximum 150 words)
I don’t think I will struggle to implement UDL’s in my classroom because I have
always believed that lessons should be based off of the interests if students. Student
input is very important to me and I strongly believe that the idea of having a say in
how they learn curriculum will boost student motivation and interest, and help the
students work harder to meet goals. The only thing that I worry about is that UDL’s
will not necessarily help students with standardized tests. I am confident that they will
have a better understanding of the information on the state test, but if they struggle to
write without spelling errors, allowing them to act out a book report may not improve
their writing skills.