What's the Difference? - Teacher Pathway [Read]

UDL and Differentiation 

According to UDL-IRN:

"differentiation is an important component within any classroom. Acknowledging student needs and creating scaffolding around those needs is an unquestionable support. Differentiation effectively responds to the needs of students who have demonstrated an academic or emotional disconnect to the topic or skill being taught. UDL is a framework that is used to design a lesson and learning environment. Using the options suggested within the framework, teachers can establish structures and supports to meet the variable learning needs of their students. The intent of UDL is to design, from the beginning, a lesson or learning environment that can be accessed by all students. There will be times, though, when the needs of all students are not met through the design of the lesson or learning environment. At these times, differentiation should be applied (UDL-IRN, 2014).

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Loui Lord Nelson explains that "differentiation is just one component of UDL. Differentiation is a strategy that helps you address each student’s individual levels of readiness, interest, and learning profiles. UDL is an overarching approach that addresses the environment first, including the physical location and the lesson, unit, and/or curriculum. When you address the whole environment upfront, you make sure all students have full access to everything in the classroom, regardless of their needs and abilities (Nelson, 2015).

In other words, differentiation is reactive, UDL is proactive.