It's not what you do, it's how you think about what you do

Universal Design for Learning is not something that you do, it's how you think about what you do.  For many, an introduction to UDL consists of the UDL Guidelines.  Unfortunately, this can lead to a belief that you can "do" UDL.  I even heard a teacher reflect once that she thought UDL was a good thing to do, but not all of the time.

Don't get me wrong, the Guidelines are useful.  However, the essence of UDL is the core belief that there is a pathway for everyone to learn.  Pulling guidelines out of a hat will not ensure that each and every student will learn from YOUR presentation, will be engaged by the choices YOU have made, or will demonstrate their full potential with the assignments and assessments YOU have chosen.  The essence of UDL is building choices for students and providing them with the experiences and freedom to understand and choose what will work best for them.