Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning:

the similarities and the differences

Differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning are two different but
similar modalities of teaching. Differentiated instruction(DI) is a way of thinking about
teaching and learning. Universal Design for Learning(UDL) is a set of principle for
designing a curriculum that provides all individuals with equal opportunities to learn.
Both strive to serve in helping all learners regardless of their abilities.
Differences that both DI and UDL have are that DIs approach is specific to
student assessment information regarding their readiness, interests and learning
preferences. A teacher will give a formative assessment and interpret the results to help
make educational decisions regarding the needs of the individual student. With this way,
the instructor will need to constantly assess the student so they can adapt the material
being taught based on the students individual needs. On the other hand, UDL focuses
on having flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments by anticipating the full
range of learner needs. Basically, with UDL, the instructor is making assumptions on
what the learner will need instead of waiting to find the individual problems. If a teacher
is able to anticipate the problems before they occur, then alternative ways of teaching
can be put into place prior to teaching. The overall goal of the UDL is to eliminate
unnecessary barriers to learning in order to increase student achievement; whereas, the
goal in DI is to provide a responsive and optimal learning environment to maximize
achievement for all learners.
DI and UDL share many similarities when it comes to their principles. Overall,
they strive to set high expectations, provided access to Academic Standards, and
increase student achievement. Differentiated Instruction focuses on the content, the
process, and the product. Universal Design for Learning focuses on representation,
engagement, and expression. Content and representation are similar because they
provide options for learning. Process and engagement are similar because they provide
options for challenging the student. Lastly, product and expression are similar because

they provide options to demonstrate what was learned. Both DI and UDL agree that
students learn in different ways and giving opportunities for learning at appropriate
levels is important. Both methods believe that students should not all be forced to fit into
the mold of a set curriculum. They believe that instruction should be adjusted to
accommodate all students.
Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction share the same
beliefs what it comes to helping students with disabilities. The major difference is how
they go about adapting the curriculum for the students. UDL anticipates a problem
before it occurs and DI tackles problem areas as they occur. Both UDL and DI can
essentially be used in conjunction with each other, but it is important to keep in mind
that they are not the same process.