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This provides links to strategically implement a UDL

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Weeks of creating our classroom environments are now behind us, and we are well into the school year. We know our students. We know our content. We are set with our planning, teaching, and learning routines. The excitement of the new school year is still in the air. But let's be real-as the weeks move along and the curriculum picks up steam-teachers and students may need a little spark to keep an ongoing connection between learners and classroom-learning environments.

Let's keep the excitement of the new school year fueled by our decisions to create learning experiences that motivate, excite, inform, and inspire! The best part is-all teachers can keep the spark in the learning by looking at their lessons plans through a Universal Design for Learning lens. That's right-any lesson-any teacher-anywhere.

It's All About the Process

Through a UDL lens, our curriculum supports our decisions in guiding students how to learn. The content is taught within a strong learning process, so students experience learning rather than just receiving it. With the research to support learner variability, we know that all students in any classroom need a variety of conditions for optimal learning to occur. These conditions include three brain networks that, when set in motion, serve to guide each learner in our room to connect to the content in significant and personal ways.

Let's consider a hypothetical 7th grade social studies class: As the students walk in, they notice the clearly stated learning target posted on the board. As the teacher introduces the lesson, she weaves in key vocabulary words, which are also posted on the board. She engages the class in a brief discussion to ignite their connection to the content. After watching a brief video clip, the students share their thoughts about the video with their peers.

Just within this 15-minute introduction, students set goals, activated their background knowledge, deepened their understanding through multimedia input, and shared their thinking through peer interactions. During the remaining minutes of class, students were provided choices for reading about the day's topic. Some read from textbooks, some read on iPads, while others listened to peers read within cooperative groups. Some students chose to engage in discussion and jot down key words, while others chose to write a brief paragraph to demonstrate their understanding for the day.

Even in the most basic lessons, all three-brain networks can be illuminated. Simply provide opportunities for your students to think.

Strategies for Affective Networks: Providing Multiple Means of Engagement

Imagine your class filled with wide-eyed, eager, motivated students. Sometimes we feel like we've hit the mark with our lessons, while other times we know a lesson falls flat. That's a lot of pressure to put on ourselves. We know it is not just up to us to create the motivation in the room. We must guide our students to become intrinsically motivated, so they will be engaged in the learning without depending on us to entertain them. Yet we must create the scene. We facilitate the opportunity for our students to be purposeful, motivated learners. Here are some examples to ramp up the engagement:

Make time to hear what your students think.

Shake up the seating plan-form cooperative groups and peer interactions.

Plan for student-led discussions-you facilitate the learning; they guide their performance and deeper understanding.

Create a culture of student reflection-connect students with how they feel and they will be more relaxed and open to learning.

Strategies for Recognition Networks: Providing Multiple Means of Representation

The ultimate goal is to guide our students' abilities to comprehend and to use their resources as they gain knowledge and skills. Here are a few low-tech examples to support recognition networks:

Activate background knowledge by making time for students to connect with their thinking around new topics. Remember, meaningful learning happens when learners connect the new with the known.

Embed vocabulary development while planning for direct instruction as needed.

Provide multimedia input such as visuals, auditory, movement, and kinesthetic modalities.

Check out these free learning tools at the Center for Applied Specialized Technology (CAST), the organization that originally defined UDL.

Strategies for Strategic Networks: Providing Multiple Means of Action and Expression

Sometimes teachers feel that a well-managed class is a quiet class of students who sit, take notes, raise their hands-but above all remain silent. But teachers, listen up! There's no need to be protective of every moment-release some responsibility to the students for their own learning. Meaningful learning should be noisy, active, and above all, productive! So let's make that happen. Take a look at one of your upcoming lesson plans. How can you guide your students to be strategic with a clear focus on the learning goal(s) for the day? Perhaps one of these examples will be worth a try:

If UDL feels like something new to you, just begin by printing a copy of the UDL Guidelines and selecting one guideline each week to embed in your teaching cycle. Before you know it, you will be noticing the natural ways that you can embed UDL principles into your daily routines. In addition, you may use the guidelines to identify specific strategies to target the needs of the learners in your classroom. The bottom line is that UDL is the perfect go-to teaching tool to guide our instructional decisions as we strive to create clear access between the curriculum and the learners in our room. This is an all-access pass that will keep that spark of the learning process alive and well in your classrooms.

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Sparking Up Lessons With Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

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Weeks of creating our classroom environments are now behind us, and we are well into the school year. We know our students. We know our content. We are set with our planning, teaching, and learning routines. The excitement of the new school year is still in the air.

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This provides ways you can adapt books for different readers.

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To integrate reading and writing into communication & language learning we need to have lots of books that are easily accessible. Books should be accessible physically as well as through content and interest. This holds true for ALL learners even those that don't like books but do like...... wheels. We have made literacy accessible for a young girl who only liked elevators, and a boy who only liked balls, and a young adult who liked Barney books but not much else. It holds true for ALL disabilities, and ALL levels of reading and writing.

For our final September Literacy Strategy of the Month, we wanted to share the abundance of resources for making adapted books. Because when we have great adapted books, literacy is more accessible. Check out these awesome resources for making your own adapted books and for printing out already created adapted books and lessons. We love early literacy adapted books as much as we love adapted chapter books. We have found time and time again, that adapted books are the foundation of opening up a world of literacy for ALL of our learners. Enjoy and feel free to share any other resources you use.

Handout on Adapting Books by Pam Harris - explicit instruction for preparing adapted books

5 Ways to Make Page Fluffers & Spacers - Accessibility for turning pages

Verbs, Verbs, Verbs (Printable Adapted Books Collection) by Ruth Morgan at Chapel Hill Snippets - Wonderful collection of adapted books

Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities- Adapted Literature - Resource for adapted chapter books, lessons, and more

New York City Department of Education: Adapted Books - Great collection of adapted books

Baltimore City Schools- Book Specific Communication Boards - Communication boards to go with adapted books

Dade County Public Schools ESE- Interactive Storybooks - Awesome collection of adapted books

Tar Heel Reader - Adapted books searchable by a wide range of topics and also a resource for writing books. Just read the books first as these adapted books are for ALL ages

SETT BC- Accessible Books - Great collection of adapted books

SLP Corner- Adapted Books by Peg Hutsonp Nechkash at Pedia Staff - Thoughts and resources on adapted books

Adapted Books- Autism Helper - Collection of adapted books and lessons

Accessible & Adapted Books- LiveBinders - Resources on adapted books and writing

Adapted Books Room Eighty Three on Pinterest - Nice curated resources for adapted books

Adapted Books and Related Materials by Special Education Service Agency - Resource for adapted books and related materials

Adaptive Book Fun - Thoughts on adapted books

This post was written by Robin Parker

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Literacy for Everyone with Adapted Books

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To integrate reading and writing into communication & language learning we need to have lots of books that are easily accessible. Books should be accessible physically as well as through content and interest. This holds true for ALL learners even those that don't like books but do like...... wheels.

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Universal Design for Learning and inclusive classrooms

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Linda Ojala and Room 3, Silverstream School

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By Alexa Darby, Elon University

This approach helps you make your teaching accessible to all students.

What is Universal Design for Instruction?

Universal design originates in barrier-free design and architectural accessibility. According to the Center for Universal Design, "Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design." In recent years, this approach that was originally applied to building design has been applied to instructional practices. Universal Design for Instruction targets the best practices of teaching for each student's learning needs.

According to Scott, Shaw, and McGuire (2001), the nine principles guiding Universal Design for Instruction are: 1) equitable use, 2) flexibility in use, 3) simple and intuitive, 4) perceptible information, 5) tolerance for error, 6) low physical effort, 7) size and space for approach, 8) a community of learners, 9) instructional climate.

Equitable use means that each student has the opportunity to meet the objective. Flexibility in use allows for making necessary adjustments. Simple and intuitive requires decreasing ambiguity and complexity. Perceptible information recommends providing information in a variety of approaches to allow for different sensory strengths and weaknesses. Tolerance for error asks faculty to take into account that not all students start at the same place and learn at the same pace. In thinking about low physical effort, the instructor considers the best way to sustain student attention and to reduce fatigue. Size and space for approach invites faculty to think about the way materials and physical space are used in a lesson. In the development of a community of learners, the goal is to increase interactions between students and the instructor. In reflecting on the instructional climate, we want to keep our expectations high while encouraging a friendly and learning-centered environment. Scott, Shaw, and McGuire emphasize that not all nine principles are used in every activity.

Strategies for implementation

1. Equitable Use. You might think here about the kinds of tests and assignments you require. An instructor might, for example, ask the students to take tests and write a paper. If the students took essay tests and wrote a paper, the course would allow strong writers to illustrate their knowledge, but it would not be equitable for students who have disabilities that affect their writing. One remedy would be to add a multiple choice section to an essay exam. A second course requirement could be a course presentation which could be done individually or in pairs. The key to equitability is providing a number of different ways that students can demonstrate their knowledge.

2. Flexibility in Use. The flexibility in course requirements involves being free to revamp your approaches. On the first day of class, some instructors ask their students to complete note cards that ask for different kinds of information, including student assessments of their own strengths and weaknesses. Upon leaving class that day, the instructor thinks about the equitability of the course requirements. If an instructor realizes that the course requirements focus on a student's weakness he or she should be flexible in enhancing the assessment approach. Some instructors try to use different types of assessments so that all students have an opportunity to show their knowledge. In addition, some instructors might give students options in choosing their test format (i.e., only essay or combination multiple choice and essay).

3. Simple and Intuitive. In designing a syllabus, lecture, activities, and assessments, you should be sure your goals and methods are clear and easy to understand. In class lectures, Scott, McGuire, and Foley (2003) suggest using concept maps for complex ideas. Scott, Shaw, and McGuire (2001) recommend providing students with grading rubrics for papers and projects so that students are aware of your high expectations.

4. Perceptible Information. Students perceive information in a variety of ways. Some students do best with visual information, while others rely heavily on their auditory skills. This principle of perceptible information reminds instructors to share knowledge through multiple avenues. Many instructors use overhead projectors or PowerPoint, allowing students to both see and hear the course discussion. In addition, some instructors provide lecture notes and an audio link to their lectures on their course Web site.

5. Tolerance for error. In many courses, there are students who come into the class with a lot of background knowledge and others who don't. In an effort to meet the needs of students with varying amounts of prior knowledge, some instructors provide introductory material in class and ask the students to do outside readings targeted at a higher knowledge level. In the next class, the more complex information can be discussed and the next topic introduced. This approach allows for both introductory and advanced information to be shared. Another approach is to provide links on the course Web site to further information either on the introductory or more advanced level. The purpose is to provide students the opportunity to learn at their own pace, expanding their knowledge of the content area.

6. Low Physical Effort. The crux of this principle relates to maintaining student alertness and reducing fatigue in the classroom. Many instructors already account for low physical effort by varying their instruction to include a combination of lecture, individual exercises, and group work. This variety allows students to move around and to increase their attention to each separate task. One other way to address this principle is to allow students the option of writing their essay exams either by hand or in the computer lab.

7. Size and Space for Approach. Most often, instructors are assigned classrooms, and they don't have much say about the desk style or physical space. The key to this principle is being aware of the classroom's physical space and thinking ahead of time about different ways to use the space. When you think about the type of materials that you use in the course and the arrangement of desks, for example, you are preparing for the student who sprained an ankle and the student in a wheelchair.

8. A Community of Learners. To create a community of learners, instructors need to be flexible, perceptive, and tolerant of different levels of prior knowledge, as well as being aware of approaches to increase students' attention and ways to use physical space. To create a positive community of learners, faculty members need to incorporate all aspects of the Universal Design for Instruction principles. The willingness to learn from the students in the class will facilitate the growth of a community of learners.

9. Instructional Climate. While Scott, Shaw and McGuire (2001) position instructional climate as the ninth principle, I find it to be first in importance, as it is crucial to the success of everything else. One cannot have a community of learners without having a positive instructional climate. Instructors help to create this climate by everything that they do, from the way they respond to student questions to the arrangement of the classroom chairs. It is amazing, for instance, how changing the seating arrangement from rows to a circle can transform class discussions.

Students know how they learn best. Give them credit for the knowledge they bring to the classroom, and make them partners in the creation of a positive instructional climate.

References & Resources

References

Center for Universal Design (1997). Universal Design Principles. Retrieved January 3, 2007, from the Center for Universal Design.

Scott, S.S., McGuire, J.M., & Foley, T.E. (2003). Universal Design for Instruction: A framework for anticipating and responding to disability and other diverse learning needs in the college classroom. Equity and Excellence in Education, 36 , 40-49.

Scott, S.S., McGuire, J.M., & Shaw, S.F. (2001). Principles of Universal Design for Instruction. Storrs: University of Connecticut, Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability.

Shaw, S. F., Scott, S.S., & McGuire, J. M. (2001). Teaching college students with learning disabilities. ERIC Digest #e618. Arlington, VA.

Resources

DO-IT at the University of Washington

Faculty Ware at the University of Connecticut's

Project PACE-University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Rochester Institute of Technology

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education

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Understanding Universal Design in the Classroom

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By Alexa Darby, Elon University This approach helps you make your teaching accessible to all students. Universal design originates in barrier-free design and architectural accessibility. According to the Center for Universal Design, "Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design."