Author: Michelle Grenier

Universal Design for Learning in Physical Education

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UDL is a way of thinking and acting that may change the way you approach student learning. Rather than thinking a student needs to change, UDL looks at the learning environment. Consider what within the environment is a barrier to learning. Is it that space itself? Is it the equipment you are using? Perhaps it is the way the students are expected to learn. The learning environment can include other barriers such as the goals of the class, the way assessments are conducted, or the way the students are organized. See below for a diagram that outlines an ecological analysis of the learning environment (Haywood & Getchell, 2019). When considering implementing UDL in the classroom, it is important to look at the following elements.

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UDL provides a framework for implementing strategies to reduce barriers to student learning. The main way to do this is to create a learning environment where students have what they need to flexibly meet the learning goals. When developing and planning your lesson, think about the students, the classroom environment, and the task you are teaching.

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50 Million Strong by 2029: Removing Barriers and Promoting Physical Activity for All Students

Despite the call for Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs (CSPAPs) to meet the needs of all students (AAHPERD, 2013; CDC, 2013), there is little practical guidance within our professional literature that directly promotes the inclusion of students with disabilities.

Central to the conversation on the value of CSPAP for students with disabilities are matters of health and well-being. Because students with disabilities face multiple barriers including mobility, skill acquisition and accessing the physical space, creating an environment of inclusivity is essential (Brian, et al., 2017). As such, it is imperative that all educators and CSPAP leaders include students with disabilities into their thinking and planning. One framework supporting all children is Universal Design for Learning (UDL); (Rapp, 2014).

Universal Design for Learning is a strategy that can support the inclusion of all children to meet daily recommendations of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and contribute to SHAPE America’s 50 Million Strong by 2029 commitment.  UDL’s concepts include multiple means of expression, representation and engagement. Most of all, it is a mindset that reinforces the need to provide equal opportunities to all of our students. Implementing UDL in educational settings will ensure that the physical, social, and learning environments are designed so that diverse learners are supported (Perez, 2014).

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50 Million Strong: Utilizing the Universal Design for Learning to Reach All Children

50 Million Strong (50MS) includes all children as seen on the photo on the 50MS literature from SHAPE America. This image depicts children that come from diverse backgrounds with a range of skills and abilities. Our job as educators is to address the needs of all students, including those with disabilities. Because many physical education teachers have only one or two courses related to teaching inclusively, programming can be difficult. We have assembled a few important points that every teacher must keep in mind:

  1. Children with disabilities are children first!
  2. All children must have access to the curriculum and be offered similar units of instruction as their peers even if they are in a self-contained, modified, smaller class, or an inclusive class. In other words, physical therapy does not count as physical education.
  3. When conducting assessments, they must be assessed with everyone else and their scores must count towards educational outcomes.
  4. If they have a paraeducator who works with them in physical education, the para should be trained to ensure that the child is safe and receives the best education.
  5. Adapted Physical Education (APE) is a service NOT a placement. APE can be delivered in any setting. It is how the class is taught; not where it is taught.
  6. Lastly, the Universal Design for Learning approach should be adopted as a teaching strategy so that every child who walks in to the gymnasium will access the curriculum.

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that takes into account every child and their learning style. It started in 1990 with the passage of the American’s with Disabilities Act, addressing the primary barriers to educational opportunity.

UDL embraces the ethos that every child be included, and have access to the general education curriculum. Variations in equipment, rules, instruction and environment are planned when the lesson is created and NOT as an afterthought at the bottom of a lesson plan.

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