Specialized Instruction, Universal Design, and Differentiation- How do they differ and how can technology help?

The three buzzwords, specialized instruction, universal design, and differentiation, are all used when discussing students with disabilities, but they are not all created equal.

Specialized Instruction- Is when instruction is changed to meet a student with special education services needs per their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

Universal Design- Is instruction to optimize learning for all students based on brain research.

Differentiation- I instruction that maximizes students’ learning through addressing different interests, readiness, and learning styles.

As shown above, specialized instruction goes beyond Universal Design and differentiation to provide the necessary services to students with IEPs, however, Universal Design and differentiation are extremely important and should occur as well as specialized instruction. Technology is a great way to implement all three. Below are some websites with resources for implementation of all three using technology.

Specialized Instruction:

https://online.sju.edu/graduate/masters-special-education/resources/articles/top-10-resources-for-special-education-teachers

Includes resources for teaching students with disabilities, games, laws, and more information about different disabilities.

https://online.sju.edu/graduate/masters-special-education/resources/articles/top-10-resources-for-special-education-teachers

Achieve the Core is a great way to backward map math IEP goals.

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/common-classroom-accommodations-and-modifications

This is an advocacy site for parents that can also be very helpful to teachers for why students have IEPs and what the IEPs mean.

Universal Design:

http://www.cast.org/our-work/about-udl.html#.W39gsuhKjD4

CAST is everything you need to know about Universal Design

http://www.udlcenter.org/

The National Center on Universal Design for Learning also has great knowledge and resources of what Universal Design is and how to implement it.

https://www.edutopia.org/universal-design-classroom

Great article on the importance of UDL.

Differentiation:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-myth-too-difficult-john-mccarthy

Great article on differentiation that dispells some myths.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/differentiated-instruction-resources

Here is a great list of resources for differentiating instruction with technology.

References:

Image:

“State Support Team.” State Support Team Region 7 SST Home Page, sst7.org/sp_ed_docs.

Accommodation Central. “Specially Designed Instruction, Differentiated Instruction, & Universal Design for Learning.” Accommodation Central, central.education/learning-library/specially-designed-instruction.