# data[].attributes.body
This resource describes how assistive technology can benefit students with disabilities. It gives insight on technology that can be used for certain disabilities that will benefit a student with that disability. It gives reference to the main types of disabilities we are likely to face in public education.  It is important that all teachers have a basic understanding of the disabilities we will face in our classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Technology Solutions That Drive Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This is just one example of how technology can give students who think and learn differently a more personalized and accessible learning experience.

Referred to as assistive technology, these tools are "any type of equipment or software that helps people to work around the challenges they have, whether that be with learning, communication or mobility," explains Kara Ball, an elementary science and STEM education specialist for Baltimore City Public Schools and a special education expert at Understood, a nonprofit organization providing support for people with disabilities and their families.

But what types of assistive technology tools are out there? And how can educators best use them in a modern learning environment to help students of all abilities reach their full potential?
MORE ON EDTECH: Read about the 2020 ed tech trends that focus on equity and tech accessibility.
Examples of Assistive Technology in the Classroom

Nearly 7 million students in the U.S. - almost 14 percent of all students - received special education in the 2017-2018 school year under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Education.

To ensure those services are provided and that instruction is inclusive of all learners, school districts are increasingly integrating assistive technology tools in general education classrooms.

Ball categorizes them into two areas: high tech and low tech. High tech refers to devices or equipment with digital or electronic components, such as augmentative communication devices, alternative keyboards and power wheelchairs. It also includes software or built-in accessibility features on devices such as text to speech, word prediction and optical character recognition. Low tech refers to simple adaptive tools such as timers, graphic organizers and flexible furniture.

"Assistive technology really gives students the ability to access grade-level content and allows them to be independent," Ball says.
Discover how immersive technology sparks critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity.
Adopting Assistive Technology in a Modern Learning Environment

As schools increasingly embrace modern learning environments and integrate technology into classrooms and the curriculum, they must also be mindful about potential barriers of technology in special education.

Here are a few ways educators can use digital tools in the classroom to meet the individual needs of their students and help them through learning challenges:

For students who are blind or visually impaired: Today, many devices such as Google Chromebooks come with audiovisual assistance. For example, Chromebooks have a built-in screen reader called ChromeVox, which reads content out loud for users on the Chrome browser. Chromebooks also have features that make on-screen content easier to read, such as screen magnifiers, high-contrast mode and select-to-speak. Teachers can also plug in or pair a Braille keyboard with Bluetooth if students need Braille support. Popular cloud-based applications such as G Suite for Education and Microsoft Office 365 also have dictation capabilities, allowing students to type by using their voice.

For students who are deaf or hard of hearing: Ball says she uses FM systems - wireless devices that directly transmit sounds to a hearing aid - to communicate clearly with students who have hearing loss, even in a noisy classroom. For teachers using video technology in the classroom, there are educational apps such as Flipgrid with closed-caption features, as well as videoconferencing tools such as Microsoft Teams, which comes with live captioning and subtitles.

For students with speech disabilities: Speech-to-text software and word prediction tools can assist students with speech disabilities in communicating with their teachers and peers. For example, Office 365 applications have Dictate, an AI-enabled add-in that allows students to speak into a microphone and have their speech converted into text on the computer.

For students with learning, cognitive and developmental disabilities: Besides creating VR experiences for students with autism, tools such as memory aids, audio books and text-to-speech systems are especially helpful for students who need assistance with learning, attention and organization. One particular tool is Microsoft's Immersive Reader, which was specifically designed to support students with dyslexia and dysgraphia. With the Immersive Reader, students can have text read out loud and broken into syllables - even in other languages. Microsoft's Tell Me feature allows students to access commands on Office 365 applications without having to remember them. There are also downloadable fonts such as OpenDyslexic, which can enhance readability and reading speed for students with dyslexia, Ball says. Plus, there are handy smart tools such as the Livescribe Echo Smartpen, which acts as an all-in-one microphone, speaker and storage device.

For students who need mobility assistance: One way teachers can optimize their classrooms for all students is by adopting flexible furniture, a key component of a modern learning environment. Standing desks, wobble stools and even exercise balls give students more freedom and comfort to move around in the classroom, Ball says. Another example is having students use interactive displays or touch-screen monitors if they aren't physically able to use a keyboard or computer mouse.

With assistive technology, schools can create more inclusive classrooms and empower students with disabilities to participate in the general education curriculum.

"If I'd had any of those options available to me, I probably would have been a very different student," says Ball, who has dyslexia and dyscalcula. "Being able to give students these resources to help them be independent is really the benefit of these technologies."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assistive Technology in The Classroom Empowers Students with Disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Assistive technology (AT) is available to help individuals with many types of disabilities. Learn how assistive technology gives students a voice in their education.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses some of the levels of assisted technology available. It also gives some of the functions associated with AT as well as some of the different types of AT. It talks about some of the mid-tech devices that teachers can use to help students excel throughout school. It is important we make sure students have access to this technology and utilize it to make the most of their education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Add to favorites
Prepared by Gabrielle Young, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Jeffrey MacCormack, M.Ed., Doctoral Student, Queen's University
Assistive technology refers to the devices and services that are used to increase, maintain, or improve the capabilities of a student with a disability (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012). While the phrase assistive technology may make us think of computers and computerized devices, assistive technology can also be very low-tech. For example, pencil-grips (the molded plastic grips that slip over a pencil) are considered assistive technology. Assistive technology that helps students with learning disabilities includes computer programs and tablet applications that provide text-to-speech (e.g., Kurzweil 3000), speech-to-text (e.g., Dragon Naturally Speaking), word prediction capabilities (e.g., WordQ), and graphic organizers (e.g., Inspiration).

In comparison to other interventions, assistive technology may have a significant effect in helping students with disabilities progress towards the goals outlined on their Individual Education Plans (Watson, Ito, Smith, & Andersen, 2010). Assistive technology helps in two ways: it can help the student learn how to complete the task and it can help to bypass an area of difficulty. For example, when a student decides to listen to a digital version of a book, they are bypassing an area of difficulty. However, if the student focuses on the computer screen as highlighted words are read aloud, they can learn unfamiliar words.

Assistive Technology Summary Points

1. Assistive technology ranges from low- to high-tech.

2. Assistive technology can be used in two ways: to support learning and to bypass a challenging task such as handwriting.

3. In order to be effective, assistive technology needs to be embedded within quality instruction.

Laptop Computers and Computerized Devices: Benefits of Assistive Technology

Laptop computers and tablet devices are beneficial for students with learning disabilities because they are portable and lightweight. For students with handwriting difficulties, being able to take notes on a laptop or computerized device (such as an iPad) can improve the quantity and quality of the notes (Vaughn & Bos, 2009). Using a word processor can help students to complete work that is more organized and includes less spelling errors than handwritten work (Hetzroni & Shrieber, 2004). In addition, students may identify and correct more errors when using spell check than when editing by hand (MacArthur, Graham, Haynes, & De La Paz, 1996; McNaughton, Hughes, & Ofiesh, 1997). However, obtaining personal access to laptops and computerized devices does not ensure engagement and increased academic success (Donovan, Green, & Hartley, 2010). For many students, laptop computers and computerized devices can be too distracting. Teachers and students need to be trained in how to meaningfully integrate technology into academic contexts so that the devices don't detract from learning (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012).

Computer-assisted Instruction

Computer-assisted instruction refers to software and applications that have been designed to provide instruction and practice opportunities on a wide range of devices (e.g., computer, laptop, iPad, mobile technology). Computer-assisted instruction provides immediate and dynamic feedback and students with learning disabilities can benefit from this nonjudgmental computerized drill and practice (Stetter & Hughes, 2010). Computer-assisted instruction has been shown to be helpful for students with learning disabilities in spelling and expressive writing skills (Wanzek et al., 2006) as this software can reduce distractibility (Hecker, Burns, Elkind, Elkind, & Katz, 2002), and can help students learn to read (Lee & Vail, 2005) and achieve other academic outcomes (Chiang & Jacobs, 2009). Computer-assisted instruction is also an effective way for students with learning disabilities to practice math drills (Bouck & Flanagan, 2009), as students who used computer-assisted instruction to practice math skills were able to memorize math facts more easily, and developed a more positive attitude towards math than students who did not use computer-assisted instruction (Adcock et al., 2010).
Computer-assisted Instruction Summary Points Figure 1: Helping students through assistive technology

1. Computer-assisted instruction provides students with dynamic feedback.

2. Computer-assisted instruction can help students practice spelling and multiplication drills.

3. In order to prevent the technology from being a distraction, students need to be taught how to use technology to support their learning

Software Functions

Assistive technology can improve the writing skills of students with learning disabilities (Batorowicz, Missiuna, & Pollock, 2012). Assistive technology can help students to bypass the mechanical aspects of writing. Using spell check and grammar features can help students focus on communicating their ideas and students can write with confidence knowing that they can easily make changes. In addition, being able to submit a final assignment that is neater and better organized supports positive self-esteem. Text-to-speech (e.g., Kurzweil 3000), speech-to-text (e.g., Dragon Naturally Speaking), word prediction (e.g., WordQ) and graphic organizers (e.g., Inspiration) are four useful software functions for students who struggle with language-based learning disabilities.

We may not consider the default functions of word processors to be ground breaking, but for students with learning disabilities, functions such as spell check and text-to-speech can be a tremendous help when composing and decoding words.

Text-to-speech - Text-to-speech software, such as Kurzweil 3000, can read aloud digital or printed text. This is beneficial as students are more likely to understand text when unfamiliar words are read to them (MacArthur, Ferreti, Okolo, & Cavalier, 2001). Text-to-speech can have a positive effect on decoding and word recognition (Raskind & Higgins, 1999), as well as reading fluency and reading comprehension (Izzo, Yurick, & McArrell, 2009; Montali & Lewandowski, 1996; Stodden, Roberts, Takahishi, Park, & Stodden, 2012). Text-to-speech software can be especially helpful for students who retain more information through listening than reading. This software can assist students with monitoring and revising their typed work, as hearing the text read aloud may assist students in catching grammatical errors that may have otherwise gone unnoticed (Raskind & Higgins, 1995; Rao, Dowrick, Yuen, & Boisvert, 2009; Zhang, 2000).

After reviewing the literature, Strangman and Dalton (2005) reported that the use of text-to-speech software can improve students' sight reading and decoding abilities. In addition, text-to-speech software can improve the reading comprehension of individuals with specific deficits in phonological processing (difficulty hearing letter-sounds) as students can learn to decode new words when they are highlighted as they are read aloud (Fasting & Halaas Lyster, 2005; Holmes & Silvestri, 2009). Kurzweil 3000 provides reading, writing, studying, and organizational support for students who have difficulty reading or writing (e.g., Elkind, 1998). The use of Kurweil 3000 software also improves students' perception of their work and their ability to write expressively (Chiang & Jacobs, 2009). Programs such as Kurzweil 3000 may decrease the negative emotions students associate with reading and provide students with a more complete comprehension of the text (Young, 2012), and as a result, text-to-speech programs are recommended for use along with research-supported reading intervention practices.

Speech-to-text - Writing involves low-level transcription skills (e.g., handwriting, spelling, punctuation, and grammar), as well as high-level composition skills (e.g., planning, generating content, and revising). Speech-to-text software transcribes spoken word into computer text, allowing the student to bypass the demands of typing or handwriting; freed from these effortful tasks, students may compose stories that are longer, more complex, and contain fewer errors (Graham, 1999). Speech recognition accuracy improves with use; however, new users can become frustrated with the training process, and they may lack the ability to efficiently edit the program's text output. Titles such as XpressLab are licensed by the Ministry of Education and can be used to improve expressive oral language for students in grade 7-12.
Software Summary Point
Voice recognition software can improve word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension skills for students with learning disabilities (Higgins & Raskind, 2000). MacArthur and Cavalier (2004) found that for students with learning disabilities, essays dictated using Dragon Naturally Speaking were better than handwritten essays, but essays dictated to a scribe were even better. These authors found a differential impact on students with and without disabilities, providing evidence that this technology removes a barrier based on disability.
Click here to access a list of Ministry of Education approved software titles.
Word Prediction - Word prediction software was originally designed for students with physical disabilities who experienced difficulty typing. However, word prediction with text-to-speech is also effective for students with learning disabilities because it reduces the need for handwriting, and improves students' spelling accuracy and writing skills (Cullen, Richards, & Frank, 2008; Evmenova, Graff, Jerome & Behrman, 2010; Handley-More, Dietz, Billingsley & Coggins, 2003; Lewis, Graves, Ashton, & Kieley, 1998; Silió & Barbetta, 2010). In addition, students may find it enjoyable to have the words recommended through word prediction and be able to form sentences without having to worry about spelling and word-choice (Evmenova et al., 2010).

An analysis of 25 years of research found that word prediction increases transcription accuracy and may also increase word fluency and compositional quality of writing for students with learning and academic difficulties (Peterson-Karlan, 2011). In one particular study, children and their families generally found WordQ to be helpful, and reported improved vocabulary use and increased independence, productivity, and motivation to write (Tam, Archer, Mays, & Skidmore, 2005). While there are potential benefits to the use of WordQ, a basic foundation of phonological awareness is required as students who are unable to identify the beginning sound of words will not benefit from using word prediction software because the user has to provide the first letters of the word (MacArthur, 1999). In addition, word prediction demands a fairly high level of attention to make use of the suggested words (MacArthur, 1998); and as a result, each child must be considered on an individual basis in order to select the appropriate technology for his or her learning needs.

1. Text-to-speech software helps students to bypass the task of decoding words. Seeing individual words highlighted as the text is read aloud may help to improve students' sight word vocabulary.

2. Speech-to-text software bypasses the tasks of handwriting and spelling, allowing the student to concentrate on developing their ideas and planning their work.

3. Speech-to-text software bypasses the tasks of handwriting and spelling, allowing the student to concentrate on developing their ideas and planning their work.

Mid-tech Devices

Mid-tech devices such as audio recorders, portable note takers, mp3 players, calculators, and pentop computers (such as LiveScribe smartpen) can be useful without the cost associated with high-tech devices. For example, the AlphaSmart is a note-taking device that can provide basic word-processing, without the cost related to the purchase and maintenance of a laptop. AlphaSmart devices were discontinued in 2013, but NEO Direct still provides support for users.

Figure 2: Exploring technology for students with learning disabilities
While assistive technology can be low or high-tech, most of the assistive technology for students with learning disabilities is high-tech (Lewis, 1998). Teachers should become familiar with assistive technology and understand how it can be incorporated within their teaching to support an inclusive learning environment.

Graphic Organizers - Graphic organizers benefit individuals who experience difficulty expressing their thoughts on paper as well as visual learners who need to see their ideas mapped out. While graphic organizers completed without technology can help students with learning disabilities to improve the quality of writing (Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education, 2003), electronic versions, such as Inspiration, allow students to arrange their thoughts on the computer screen without worrying about order, level of importance or categories because the text can be easily manipulated. Graphic organizers provide an organizational framework to help writers generate topics and content for writing projects and can assist with the planning and organizational stages of writing, and using concept mapping software can increase the quality and quantity of writing (Sturm & Rankin-Erickson, 2002). Using a web-based graphic organizer with procedural prompts enabled students to produce better organized and higher quality papers, than they could produce with handwritten organizers (Englert, Wu & Zhao, 2005; Englert, Zhao, Dunsmore, Collings, & Woblers, 2007). Being taught a strategy to plan and organize writing can improve the compositions of students with learning disabilities (MacArthur, 2009).

Pentop computers - Pentop computers, such as LiveScribe smart pens, are cheaper than high-tech devices like iPads but can provide text-to-speech, strategy feedback, and other organizational functions. As cost-effective and self-regulated reading aides, pentop computers may be a useful tool for students with reading disabilities (Schmitt, McCallum, Hennessey, Lovelace, & Hawkins, 2012). Pentop computers are also useful because they utilize instruction strategies such as providing auditory feedback during composition or math work. Handheld computerized devices that provide feedback have shown to be helpful for students with learning disabilities for essay composition (Bouck, Bassette, Taber-Doughty, Flanagan, & Szwed, 2009), and receptive note-taking and multiplication skills (Bouck, Flanagan, Miller, & Bassette, 2009). For example, pentop computers are able to provide reminders such as "don't forget to carry" during multiplication questions (Doughty, Bouck, Bassette, Szwed, & Flanagan, 2013).

Calculators and math software - Students with learning disabilities may have a history of academic failure, which contributed to their development of learned helplessness in math. For some students, a fear of failure and low academic self-concept can lead to math related anxiety. While the use of calculators can level the playing field for students with learning disabilities, some research has shown that calculators may provide unfair advantage (Bouck & Flanagan, 2009). Graphing calculators may be particularly effective because they provide visual conformation of the graph-shape. The added advantage of visual data can be highly motivating for students with learning disabilities (Bethell & Miller, 1998). Math drill programs can be an effective way for students to learn to mentally solve math questions (Adcock et al., 2010), they are also effective in increasing motivation and the addition and subtraction skills of students with dyscalculia (Amiripour, Bijan-zadeh, Pezeshki, & Najafi, 2011). Math Trek 1,2,3 is an example of software licensed by the Ministry of Education for use in classroom. Click here to find the full list of approved software titles.

1. Concept organizers, whether completed electronically or by hand, may contribute to better writing in students with learning disabilities.

2. Pentop computers can be used for reading (text-to-speech), writing (digitizing written words), and math (strategy feedback).

3. Calculators can help students with learning disabilities demonstrate their understanding of mathematical computations. Graphing calculators can provide additional support as they verify graph shapes and help solve algebraic equations.

Considerations

Much needs to be done to improve the quality of special education technology research (Edyburn, 2009). Little research has been conducted on the use of assistive technology in inclusive schools (Watson, Ito, Smith, & Andersen, 2010), and only a few researchers are conducting systematic, well-designed research that can lead to confident conclusions on how the use of assistive technology affects learning (Edyburn & Gersten, 2007; MacArthur, Ferretti, Okolo, & Cavalier, 2001; Wanzek et al., 2006). In addition, research cannot be produced quickly enough to match the rate of technological innovations, and as a result, educators tend to rely on the claims of the producers of the technologies rather than evidence-based research (Blackhurst, 2005).

Despite the enthusiasm that may surround the application of assistive technology in the classroom, assistive technology is not a panacea. Lack of common vision, limited training, access to support services, insufficient funding, and lack of teacher time are commonly cited problems in regards to the implementation of assistive technology (Ault, Bausch, & McLaren, 2013; Flanagan, Bouck, & Richardson, 2013; Morrison, 2007; Okolo & Diedrich, 2014). Researchers have noted that there is still an enormous gap between the potential of assistive technology and how much it actually helps (Burne, Knafelc, Melonis, & Heyn, 2011).

Assistive technology can reduce students' dependence on others to read, write, and organize their work (MacArthur, Ferretti, Okolo, & Cavalier, 2001; Mull & Sitlington, 2003). When provided with effective strategy instruction, outlining programs and concept mapping software can help with planning, and word processing, spell check, word prediction, and speech recognition can offer support for transcription and revision (MacArthur, 2009). While assistive technology can support struggling learners, MacArthur (2009) cautions that technology by itself has little impact on learning. In order for students to benefit from the technology, educators must have an understanding of assistive technology and how to embedded it within quality instruction (Batorowicz, Missiuana, & Pollock, 2012; Lee & Vega, 2005; Marino, Marino, & Shaw, 2006; Michaels & McDermott, 2003).

Staff Training

In a large scale survey study nearly three-quarters of respondents indicated that improved staff training and knowledge were the most important actions that could be taken to promote technology use (Okolo & Diedrich, 2014). Assistive technology devices and services have to be coupled with context-appropriate instruction from trained teachers (Specht, Howell, & Young, 2007), as students' successful implementation of assistive technology is directly related to the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of special education teachers (Michaels & McDermott, 2003). While educators acknowledge the potential of assistive technology, they may feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of understanding and using this technology with their students (Lee & Vega, 2005; Ludlow, 2001). Many teachers feel that they lack the knowledge and support to more fully integrate assistive technology into the curriculum (Okolo & Diedrich, 2014). This is not surprizing given that only a third of special education programs surveyed by Judge and Simms (2009) addressed assistive technology, and few workshops or professional development opportunities exist to continually support teachers' use of assistive technology during instruction (Lee & Vega, 2005; Ludlow, 2001; Michaels & McDermott, 2003). Teachers' use and understanding of assistive technology may increase when provided with effective instruction during pre-service education or professional development opportunities (Flanagan, Bouck, & Richardson, 2013; Lee & Vega, 2005). General educators and special educators need to become familiar with assistive and instructional technology so that they can embed this technology within their instruction to meet the needs of all their students (Chmiliar, 2007; Chmiliar & Cheung, 2007; Flanagan, Bouck, & Richardson, 2013).

When recommending the use of assistive technology, one must consider how training can be provided for students, parents, and teachers to become competent with the technology, as well as environmental factors that will continue to support the child in using technology (Specht, Howell, & Young, 2007). Funding should be allotted for the training of teachers to effectively facilitate assistive technology use (Burne, Knafelc, Melonis, & Heyn, 2011), and all educators who support an individual student should be knowledgeable about that child's assistive technology and be able to embed the use of the technology within instruction (Nelson, 2006; Okolo & Diedrich, 2014). Computers shouldn't be restricted to a specific subject area, and the use of technology should not solely occur within a computer lab; rather, assistive and instructional technology should be an integral part of all subjects and the use of these tools should be built into the curriculum. Schools should encourage teaching staff to assume the role of technology co-ordinators as they understand the demands of the curriculum and may be best equipped to find free or low cost educational solutions to help students meet curricular expectations.

1. Due to the limited evidence-based research, teachers tend to make decision about assistive technology based on claims from the software companies.

2. In order to be effective, assistive technology has to be coupled with quality instruction.

3. Teachers require training to support their implementation of assistive technology.

Examples of Assistive Technology by Domain

Receptive
Notepad - Notepads are an excellent way to record information. Students with learning disabilities (LDs) may appreciate having the information colour-coded based on the purpose, topic, or function of the information.

Audiobooks - Provides a simple way to listen to many of the best classic books and modern titles .

Speaking
Cue cards - Cue cards provide helpful hints for the oral presentation of information, and the process of composing cue cards can help organize the information before-hand.

Prezi - A free 3D graphic organizer which can be used to create presentations. Prezis can be collaborative as students can comment and build upon other Prezis.

ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard -In order to reduce anxiety, students may opt to record presentations on their iPad beforehand. Video recordings can be uploaded on YouTube or a more private domain.

Reading
Highlighter strips - Translucent rectangles of colour can help eliminate extra visual clutter by blocking out the rest of the text. Sticky notes - Students with LDs may find it useful to summarize the main ideas of the text with sticky notes which can be stuck directly on the page.

Kurzweil 3000 - Text-to-speech software, such as Kurzweil 3000, can read aloud digital or printed text.

Storyline Online - A free online streaming video program featuring books read aloud. Each book includes accompanying activities and lesson ideas.

Project Gutenberg - Over 45,000 free e-books.

Wikipedia - The Simple English function on Wikipedia allows content to be "translated" into plain English which is easier to read.

Writing
Pencil grips - For students who struggle with handwriting, pencil grips can provide a surface that is easier to manipulate.

Computerized pens - These pens can automatically transmit handwriting into digital text. Some computerized pens have audio-recording functions that allow the writer to listen to specific sections of the audio file by tapping on the written notes.

Word processing - Functions such as spell check, dictionary options, synonym support, and word-prediction features are helpful for students with learning disabilities.

Reasoning
Graphic organizers - Organizing ideas visually allows students with LDs to see the connections between ideas. Audio recorders - Many students with LD experience difficulty translating oral language into written text. Recording ideas early in the thinking process can provide a record for later recall and clarification.

SimpleMind+ - This app allows you to brainstorm and organize your ideas. Completed concept maps can be automatically converted to an outline.

Math
4-function calculator - Depending on the type of work being done, a 4-function calculator can be a great help without providing disproportionate advantage to students with LDs.

Graphing calculator - Graphing computers can solve complex equations, and the dynamic display screen allows the student to verify the results before solving on paper.

Math Dictionary for Kids - An animated, interactive online math dictionary that explains over 600 common mathematical terms in simple language.

Braiing Camp - Animated lessons and interactive activities to assess student understanding.

IXL Math - IXL's math practice skills are aligned with pre-K through Grade 8 provincial curricula, and students' performance is assessed on each objective.

Sumdog - Sumdog's learning engine adapts its math questions to each student's ability. Covering number operations through to simple algebra, it is designed for students age 6 to 14.

ShowMe and ScreenChomp - These apps provide an interactive whiteboard interface to solve problems. The actions on the screen and audio can be recorded and shared as a video file.

References

Adcock, W., Luna, E., Parkhurst, J., Poncy, B., Skinner, C., & Yaw, J. (2010). Effective class-wide remediation: Using technology to identify idiosyncratic math facts for additional automaticity drills. The International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 6, 111-123.

Amiripour, P., Bijan-zadeh, M. H., Pezeshki, P., & Najafi, M. (2011). Effects of assistive technology instruction on increasing motivation and capacity of mathematical problem solving in dyscalcula student. Educational Research, 2(10), 1611-1618.

Ault, M. J., Bausch, M. E., & McLaren, E. M. (2013). Assistive technology service delivery in rural school districts. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 32(2), 15-22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1420524203?accountid=6180

Batorowicz, B., Missiuna, C. A., & Pollock, N. A. (2012). Technology supporting written productivity in children with learning disabilities: A critical review. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(4), 211-224. doi:10.2182/cjot.2012.79.4.3

Bethell, S. & Miller, N. (1998). From an E to an A in first year algebra with the help of a graphing calculator. Mathematics Teacher, 91, 118-119.

Blackhurst, A. (2005). Perspectives on applications of technology in the field of learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 28, 175-178. doi:10.2307/1593622

Bouck, E. C., Bassette, L., Taber-Doughty, T., Flanagan, S. M., & Szwed, K. (2009). Pentop computers as tools for teaching multiplication to students with mild intellectual disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 44, 367-380.

Bouck, E. & Flanagan, S. (2009). Assistive technology and mathematics: What is there and where can we go in special education. Journal of Special Education Technology, 24, 24-30.

Bouck, E., Flanagan, S., Miller, B., & Bassette, L. (2012). Technology In Action. Journal of Special Education Technology, 27, 47-57.

Burne, B., Knafelc, V., Melonis, M. & Heyn, P. (2011). The use and application of assistive technology to promote literacy in early childhood: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 6, 207-213. doi:10.3109/17483107.2010.522684

Chiang, H., & Jacobs, K. (2009). Effect of computer-based instruction on students' self-perception and functional task performance. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 4(2), 106-118. doi:10.1080/17483100802613693

Chmiliar, L. (2007). Perspectives on assistive technology: What teachers, health professionals and speech language pathologists have to say. Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 35(1), 1-17.

Chmiliar, L., & Cheung, B. (2007). Assistive technology training for teachers - Innovation and accessibility online. Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 35(1), 18-28.

Cullen, J., Richards, S. B., & Frank, C. L. (2008). Using software to enhance the writing skills of students with special needs. Journal of Special Education Technology, 23, 33-44.

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom: Enhancing the school experiences of students with disabilities (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Donovan, L., Green, T., & Hartley, K. (2010). An examination of one-to-one computing in the middle school: Does increased access bring about increased student engagement? Journal of Educational Computing Research, 42, 423-441. doi:10.2190/EC.42.4.d

Doughty, T., Bouck, E., Bassette, L., Szwed, K. & Flanagan, S. (2013). Spelling on the fly: Investigating a pentop computer to improve the spelling skills of three elementary students with disabilities. Assistive Technology, 25, 166-175. doi:10.1080/10400435.2012.743491

Edyburn, D. (2009). Using research to inform practice. Special Education Technology Practice, 11(5), 21-28. doi:10.1080/09362830902805699

Edyburn, D., Gersten, R. (2007). Defining quality indicators in special education technology research. Journal of Special Education Technology, 22(3), 3-18. doi:10.1598/RRQ.42.1.7

Elkind, J. (1998). Computer reading machines for poor readers. Perspectives International Dyslexia Association, 24, 9-13.

Englert, C. S., Wu, X., & Zhao, Y. (2005). Cognitive tools for writing: Scaffolding the performance of students through technology. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 20, 184-198. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2005.00132.x

Englert, C. S., Zhao, Y., Dunsmore, K., Collings, N. Y., & Woblers, K. (2007). Scaffolding the writing of students with disabilities through procedural facilitation: Using an Internet-based technology to improve performance. Learning Disability Quarterly, 30, 9-29. doi:10.2307/30035513

Evmenova, A., Graff, H., Jerome, M., & Behrmann, M. (2010). Word prediction programs with phonetic spelling support: Performance comparisons and impact on journal writing for students with writing difficulties. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 25(4), 170-182. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2010.00315.x

Fasting, R. B., & Halaas Lyster, S. (2005). The effects of computer technology in assisting the development of literacy in young struggling readers and spellers. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 20(1), 21-40. doi:10.1080/0885625042000319061

Flanagan, S., Bouck, E. G., & Richardson, J. (2013). Middle school special education teachers' perceptions and use of assistive technology in literacy instruction. Assistive Technology, 25(1), 24-30. doi:10.1080/10400435.2012.682697

Forgrave, K. (2002). Assistive technology empowering students with learning disabilities. Assistive Technology, 75, 122-126. doi:10.1080/00098650209599250

Graham, S. (1999). The role of text production skills in writing development: A special issue. Learning Disabilities Quarterly, 22, 75-77. doi:10.2307/1511267

Handley-More, D., Dietz, J., Billingsley, F., & Coggins, T. (2003). Facilitating written work using computer word processing and word prediction. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57, 139-151. doi:10.5014/ajot.57.2.139

Hecker, L., Burns, L., Elkind, J., Elkind, K., & Katz, L. (2002). Benefits of assistive reading software for students with attention disorders. Annals of Dyslexia, 52, 243-272. doi:10.1007/s11881-002-0015-8

Hetzroni, O. E., & Shrieber, B. (2004). Word processing as an assistive technology tool for enhancing academic outcomes of students with writing disabilities in the general classroom. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37, 143-154. doi:10.1177/0022221940403

Higgins, E. L., & Raskind, M. H. (2000). Speaking to read: A comparison of continuous vs. discrete speech recognition in the remediation of learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 15, 19-30.

Holmes, A., & Silvestri, R. (2009). Text-to-voice technology in adult aboriginal sample with reading difficulties: Examination of the efficacy. Toronto, ON: Aboriginal Office of the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities.

Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education. (2003). Graphic organizers: A review of scientifically based research. Prepared for Inspiration Software at AEL.

Izzo, M., Yurick, A., & McArrell, B. (2009). Supported eText: Effects of text-to-speech on access and achievement for high school students with disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 24, 9-20.

Judge, S., & Simms, K. A. (2009). Assistive technology at the pre-service level. Teacher Education and Special Education, 32, 33-44.

Langova, Anna. (n.d.) Word help. [Photograph] Retrieved from http://all-free-download.com/free-photos/word_help_185278_download.html

Lee, Y., & Vail, C. O. (2005). Computer-based reading instruction for young children with disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 20, 5-18.

Lee, Y., & Vega, L. A. (2005). Perceived knowledge, attitudes and challenges of AT use in special education. Journal of Special Education Technology, 20, 60-63.

Lewis, R. (1998). Assistive technology and learning disabilities: Today's realities and tomorrow's promises. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31, 16-26.

Lewis, R., Graves, A., Ashton, T., & Kieley, C. (1998). Word processing tools for students with learning disabilities: A comparison of strategies to increase text entry speed. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 13, 95-108.

Ludlow, B. L. (2001). Technology and teacher education in special education. Disaster or deliverance? Teacher Education and Special Education, 24, 143-163. doi:10.1177/088840640102400209

MacArthur, C.A. (1998). Word processing with speech synthesis and word prediction: Effects on the dialogue journal writing of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 21, 1-16. doi:10.2307/1511342

MacArthur, C. A. (1999). Word prediction for students with severe spelling problems. Learning Disability Quarterly, 22, 158-172. doi:10.2307/1511283

MacArthur, C. (2009). Reflections on research on writing and technology for struggling writers. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24(2), 93-103. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2009.00283.x

MacArthur, C., & Cavalier, A. (2004). Dictation and speech recognition technology as test accommodations. Exceptional Children, 71(1), 43-58. doi:10.1177/001440290407100103

MacArthur, C. A., Ferretti, R. P., Okolo, C. M., & Cavalier, A. R. (2001). Technology applications for students with literacy problems: A critical review. The Elementary School Journal, 101(3), 273-301. doi:10.1086/499669

MacArthur, C. A., Graham, S., Haynes, J. B., & De La Paz, S. (1996). Spelling checkers and students with learning disabilities: Performance comparisons and impact on spelling. Journal of Special Education, 21, 22-42. doi:10.1177/002246699603000103

Marino, M. T., Marino, E. C., & Shaw, S. F. (2006). Making informed assistive technology decisions for students with high incidence disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(6), 18-25.

McNaughton, D., Hughes, C., & Ofiesh, N. (1997). Proofreading for students with learning disabilities: Integrating computer and strategy use. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 12, 16-28.

Michaels, C. A., & McDermott, J. (2003). Assistive technology integration in special education teacher preparation: Program coordinators' perceptions of current attainment and importance. Journal of Special Education Technology, 18, 29-41.

Montali, J., & Lewandowski, L. J. (1996). Bimodal reading: Benefits of a talking computer for average and less skilled readers. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29, 271-279. doi:10.1177/002221949602900305

Morrison, K. (2007). Implementation of assistive computer technology: A model for school systems. International Journal of Special Education, 22(1), 83-95.

Mull, C. A., & Sitlington, P. L. (2003). The role of technology in the transition to postsecondary education of students with learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education, 37(1), 26-32. doi:10.1177/00224669030370010301

Nelson, B. (2006). On your mark, get set, wait! Are your teacher candidates prepared to embed assistive technology in teaching and learning? College Student Journal, 40(3), 485 - 494.

Okolo, C. M., & Diedrich, J. (2014). Twenty-five years later: How is technology used in the education of students with disabilities? Results of a statewide study. Journal of Special Education Technology, 29( 1), 1-20.

Peterson-Karlan, G. R. (2011). Technology to support writing by students with learning and academic disabilities: Recent research trends and findings. Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits, 7(1), 39-62.

Raskind, M. & Higgins, E. (1995). Effects of speech synthesis on the proofreading efficiency of postsecondary students with learning disabilities, Learning Disability Quarterly, 18, 141-158. doi:10.2307/1511201

Raskind, M. & Higgins, E. (1999). Speaking to read: The effects of speech recognition technology on the reading and spelling performance of children with learning disabilities. Annals of Dyslexia, 49, 251-281. doi:10.1007/s11881-999-0026-9

Rao, K., Dowrick, P., Yuen, J., & Boisvert, P. (2009). Writing in a multimedia environment: Pilot outcomes for high school students in special education. Journal of Special Education Technology, 24, 27-38.

Schmitt, A., McCallum, E., Hennessey, J., Lovelace, T., & Hawkins, R. (2012). Use of reading pen assistive technology to accommodate post-secondary students with reading disabilities. Assistive Technology, 24, 229-239. doi:10.1080/10400435.2012.659956

Silió, M. C., & Barbetta, P. M. (2010). The effects of word prediction and text-to-speech technologies on the narrative writing skills of Hispanic students with specific learning disabilities. Journal of Special Education Technology, 25, 17-32.

Specht, J., Howell, G., & Young, G. (2007). Students with special education needs and their use of assistive technology during the transition to secondary school. Childhood Education, International Focus Issue, 83, 385-389. doi:10.1080/00094056.2007.10522956

Stetter, M. E., & Hughes, M. T. (2010). Computer-assisted instruction to enhance the reading comprehension of struggling readers: A review of the literature. Journal of Special Education Technology, 25(4), 1-16.

Stodden, R. A., Roberts, K. D., Takahishi, K., Park, H. J., & Stodden, N. J. (2012). The use of text-to-speech software to improve reading skills of high school struggling readers. Procedia Computer Science, 14, 359-362. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2012.10.041

Strangman, N., & Dalton, B. (2005). Using technology to support struggling readers: A review of the research. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 325-334). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design, Inc.

Sturm, J. M., & Rankin-Erickson, J. L. (2002). Effects of hand-drawn and computer-generated concept mapping on the expository writing of students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 17, 124-129. doi:10.1111/1540-5826.00039

Tam, C., Archer, J., Mays, J., & Skidmore, G. (2005). Measuring the outcomes of word cueing technology. The Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(5), 301-308. doi:10.1177/000841740507200507

Wanzek, J., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Swanson, E., Edmonds, M., & Kim, A. (2006). A synthesis of spelling and reading interventions and their effects on the spelling outcomes of students with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 528-543. doi:10.1177/00222194060390060501

Watkins, M. (1989). Computerized drill-and-practice and academic attitudes of learning disabled students. Journal of Special Education Technology, 9, 167-172.

Watson, A. H., Ito, M., Smith, R. O., & Andersen, L. T. (2010). Effect of assistive technology in a public school setting. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 18-29. doi:10.5014/ajot.64.1.18

Vaughn, S. & Bos, C. (2009). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behaviour problems (7thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson.
Dr. Gabrielle Young is an Assistant Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland where she teaches undergraduate courses such as the Nature and Characteristics of Learning Disabilities and Inclusive Practices for Students with Learning Disabilities, as well as graduate courses such as the Nature and Assessment of Learning Disabilities. While completing her doctoral studies at Western University, Gabrielle was also actively involved with the Learning Disabilities Association - London Region, where she was Vice-President of the Board. Gabrielle's research interests include: the use of assistive technology by students with special learning needs; learners' self-beliefs and the self-esteem of individuals with learning disabilities; and the use of universal design for learning and differentiated instruction to support the inclusion of students with exceptionalities in the general education classroom. Jeffrey MacCormack is a PhD student at the Faculty of Education, Queen's University, with a focus on cognition. He is a teacher certified by the Ontario College of Teachers with 9 years of experience teaching elementary school. He worked as an instructor at Queen's University and has taught and authored online courses for educators. He is currently conducting research on several topics including: learning disabilities, autism, emotional well-being, and youth development.
Young, G. (2012). Examining assistive technology use, self-concept, and motivation, as students with learning disabilities transition from a demonstration school into inclusive classrooms. Unpublished Doctoral thesis, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved from http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2316&context=etd

Zhang, Y. (2000). Technology and the writing skills of students with learning disabilities. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32, 467-478.

Zcool.com.cn. (n.d.) Modern science and technology picture 02 hd pictures [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://all-free-download.com/free-photos/modern_science_and_technology_picture_02_hd_pictures_168754_download.html

-

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Prepared by Gabrielle Young, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Jeffrey MacCormack, M.Ed., Doctoral Student, Queen's University Assistive technology refers to the devices and services that are used to increase, maintain, or improve the capabilities of a student with a disability (Dell, Newton, & Petroff, 2012).

# data[].attributes.body
This link shows someone how to get text to speech on a chromebook. This is important because a student may need their computer to read to them but they are unsure of how to get the computer to read aloud. This resource will help teachers and colleagues turn on the read aloud function.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You can hear full pages read aloud with Chromebook's built-in screen reader. You can hear parts of a page, including specific words, read aloud with Select-to-speak.

Listen to all text

To have pages read aloud to you, turn on your Chromebook's built-in screen reader:

1. At the bottom right, select the time.

2. Select Settings A ccessibility.

3. Under "Text-to-Speech," turn on ChromeVox.

Tip: When you press Ctrl + Alt + z, you can turn ChromeVox on or off from any page. Learn how to use the built-in screen reader.

Listen to part of a page

To select specific text on a page to be read to you, turn on Select-to-speak.

Step 1: Turn on Select-to-speak

1. At the bottom right, select the time.
Or press Alt + Shift + s.

2. Select Settings A ccessibility.

3. Under "Text-to-Speech," turn on S elect-to-speak.

Step 2: Select & hear text

Important: Depending on your keyboard, you can press the Search key or the Launcher key for some shortcuts. Both keys work the same.

Option 1

1. Press and hold the Search key .

2. Drag the pointer over an area of text.

Option 2

1. Highlight the text to be read.

2. Press the Search key + s.

Option 3

1. At the bottom right, near the time, select Select-to-Speak .

2. Drag the pointer over an area of text.

Tip: If you're on a touchscreen, tap a line of text or drag your finger over an area of the screen.

Your Chromebook reads the section aloud and each word is highlighted.

To stop Select-to-Speak while it's reading, press Ctrl or the Search key . You can also select Stop .

Tip: With navigation controls, you can pause and play, adjust speed, and skip lines of text.

Highlight or shade background text

If you are using Select-to-speak, each word will be highlighted as it's spoken. You can turn off highlighting, change the color of the highlighted words, or shade the screen behind selected text.

1. At the bottom right, select the time.
Or press Alt + Shift + s.

2. Select Settings A ccessibility.

3. Under "Text-to-Speech," turn on Select-to-speak.

4. Select Open select-to-speak settings.

5. Under "Highlighting," you can:

Turn on Highlight each word as it is spoken.

Next to "Color for word highlights," select a color.
To get the strongest contrast, you may use green or pink, especially if you use high contrast mode.

Turn on Shade background content.
This allows you to shade the whole screen, except for the text being spoken.

Disable Select-to-speak navigation features

Important: When "Enable Navigation Controls" is turned off, quick access to pause and play, adjust speed, and skip lines of text is disabled.

1. At the bottom right, select the time.
Or press Alt + Shift + s.

2. Select Settings Accessibility.

3. Under "Text-to-Speech," select Open select to speech settings.

4. Under "Highlighting," turn off Enable navigation controls.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You can hear full pages read aloud with Chromebook's built-in screen reader. You can hear parts of a page, including specific words, read aloud with Select-to-speak. Listen to all text To have pag

# data[].attributes.body
This link shows someone how to get text to speech on a Apple Macbook. This is important because a student may need their computer to read to them but they are unsure of how to get the computer to read aloud. This resource will help teachers and colleagues turn on the read aloud function.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Have your Mac speak text that's on the screen

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Press a key or set of keys to make your Mac speak text that's on the screen.

# data[].attributes.body
This resource describes assistive technology that can be used in reading and other subjects such as audio books and text-to-speech options among others. It tells someone the benefits and goals the center has for someone who uses assistive technology. It also gives a success story of someone that has greatly benefitted from getting access to assistive technology. It lastly lays out other websites that could be beneficial for someone to check on assistive technology.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Professionals from the disciplines of speech language pathology (SLP) and occupational therapy (OT) collaborate to help patients with a variety of communication, learning, and mobility needs communicate and build independence.

The first step in the clinic is an evaluation of each individual to determine which form of technology will best meet their specific needs. These assessments often address communication, power mobility, computer access, phone access, and environmental control needs.

Communication Challenges:

When an individual has a communication disorder, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies may assist with improving communication. AAC strategies range from low-tech solutions like picture communication boards to high-tech communication systems with speech output and a variety of access methods. Access methods may include use of switch scanning, a head mouse, or eye gaze. The Assistive Technology Clinic has a variety of AAC devices to trial during evaluations. Our skilled SLPs are experts at matching individuals' communicative needs with current technologies and vocabulary options.

Mobility Options:

Occupational therapists with expertise in mobility solutions will complete a seating and power mobility evaluation. Our professionals are experts in finding solutions for individualsof all ages that best fits their needs. We offer a team approach by working with wheelchair vendors to make recommendations. Additionally, we will work to fit the wheelchair and seating system upon delivery to ensure that the equipment provided works as needed. Our staff matches and customizes devices for individual clients' unique abilities, needs, and methods of access.

Computer and Phone Access:

Individuals with motor and visual motor impairments often need help to improve their independence when accessing computers and smartphones. Additionally, individuals with learning disabilities may need computer-based accommodations for reading, writing, organization, and memory. Computer access, phone access, and learning technologies could include:

Adaptive keyboards and mice

Touch screens

Voice commands

Switch scanning

Text to speech

Apps for memory and organization

Environmental Controls:

Our experts identify the best-suited technology so the client can live more independently. Some examples include: controls for lights, televisions and phones.

Primary Goals:

Kennedy Krieger's Assistive Technology Clinic is dedicated to the notion that through the use of technology, individuals with disabilities can greatly improve their independence and ability to communicate, to access computers, and to move through the world. The Assistive Technology Clinic offers the following services:

Augmentative and Alternative Communication evaluations

Power Mobility evaluations

Computer and phone access evaluations

Environmental Control access evaluations

Programming of assistive technology equipment

Training for clients and their caregivers on use of recommended assistive technology equipment

Success Story:

Ryan first came to the Assistive Technology Clinic at age 13. He has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, a bilateral hearing impairment, and severe dysarthria of speech, a condition that left him unable to communicate verbally. After completing an in-depth assistive technology team evaluation with a speech language pathologist and an occupational therapist, the clinic team recommended that Ryan receive a dynamic augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device with alternative access methods that included the use of a keyguard and head-pointer. After trying out several power chair driving components, the occupational therapist recommended a power wheelchair, controllable with a combination of head and foot switches. The clinic assisted in funding this equipment through Ryan's insurance company.

When the equipment arrived, the speech-language pathologist loaded a customized vocabulary on Ryan's new AAC device. Ryan quickly learned the locations of words in order to produce phrases; and attempted to say words out loud that he wanted added to his device. The occupational therapist made a custom head pointer for use with a keyguard, to improve Ryan's accuracy in pointing and adjusted Ryan's power wheelchair control system to ensure that he could drive the chair independently around corners and through tight spaces, using both the head array and foot control switches.

Ryan is now 32-years-old and is using his fourth AAC device with a customized version of WordPower 100. He is a self-described tech geek. He lives in a supported apartment and enjoys watching movies, sending emails, spending time with friends, and participating in social media. Ryan especially enjoys sending text messages and participating in video calls to stay connected to his family and friends through his AAC device. As an adult, Ryan relies even more heavily on use of assistive technology to maximize his independence. He continues to come to the AT clinic at Kennedy Krieger periodically for his power mobility and communication needs. During his follow up visits, clinic specialists assist Ryan with programming his AAC device, provide updates and modifications to his AAC and power mobility equipment, and help him to be more independent when accessing his cell phone, computer, and environmental controls.

Assistive technology has increased Ryan's independence and opened a world of connectivity for him.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Professionals from the disciplines of speech language pathology (SLP) and occupational therapy (OT) collaborate to help patients with a variety of communication, learning, and mobility needs communicate and build independence. The first step in the clinic is an evaluation of each individual to determine which form of technology will best meet their specific needs.

# data[].attributes.body
This article gives many insights on how to use AT in math classrooms. These include talking calculators, working math problems on a computer, and other tools used to help with math. It tells how much students can benefit from AT in math and can complete task they once struggled with. It also talks about the funding and how that can sometimes be a challenge for teachers. The AT is needed for some students to be able to gain a deeper understanding for math.

# data[].attributes.body
This website allows for one to search for apps to assist students. It even allows the teacher to search the exact disability and find the best apps. This I believe is a crucial tool that can change a students learning environment for the best.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Apps for Kids with Special Needs and Learning Disabilities | Common Sense Media

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Find apps, games, and other tools to help kids with special needs and learning disabilities acquire and improve skills from communication and reading to math.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses how to prepare teachers to be culturally responsive. It is important for teachers to know and strive to have cultural knowledge and be aware of their students. It talks about the success students will achieve if they have a teacher who is culturally responsive. So as educators we must strive to become culturally responsive in our classroom and life. This resources is lengthy so I encourage one to take a look at the table of contents and find a section that best address your needs. I encourage all to read the sections titled "Preparing Teachers to Be Culturally Responsive", "Effective Teaching Is Culturally Responsive", and "Teacher Expectations and Student Achievement".

# data[].attributes.body
This guide is published by the Abolitionist Teaching Network and it talks about how a teacher can challenge racial and social injustice. This guide lays out principles that teachers striving to be abolitionist advocate for within their school and community. It also gives advice to challenge colleagues and administrators to have an abolitionist approach to school policy to make change in schooling efforts.

# data[].attributes.body
This resource gives teachers the "What, Why, How" to all 7 of the culturally responsive teaching characteristics listed. This is a resource that teachers can reference to get tips to adjust their teaching practices to become culturally responsive. This is a great resource for all teachers to access to understand what a culturally responsive teacher looks like.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This collection holds materials from the Education Alliance at Brown University. The Education Alliance was a reform support organization committed to advancing equitable educational opportunities that prepare all student populations to succeed in the 21st century. From 1975-2021, the Alliance partnered with schools, districts and state departments of education to apply research findings in developing solutions to educational challenges. Its mission was to enhance learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students and focused on district and school improvement with special attention to underperformance and issues of equity and diversity. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26300/7eez-dz04

The Education Alliance archived website can be found here

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brown Digital Repository | Collection | The Education ...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This collection holds materials from the Education Alliance at Brown University. The Education Alliance was a reform support organization committed to advancing equitable educational opportunities that prepare all student populations to succeed in the 21st century. From 1975-2021, the Alliance partnered with schools, districts and state departments of education to apply research findings in developing solutions to educational challenges.

# data[].attributes.body
This website is jam packed with information it gives lesson plans for teachers to use so students can learn true and accurate information. It also gives online learning modules that students can complete to learn about fighting slavery and racial injustice that was experienced in America. It lastly gives resources that students can reference to gain an understanding of what the laws were and how it was to live during those times.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Thank you for your interest in "The Abolitionist Movement: Fighting Slavery and Racial Injustice from the Revolution to the Civil War." This interactive teaching resource is modeled off the Summer Seminar for School Teachers sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and hosted by the Library Company of Philadelphia.

This is a wonderful moment to re-examine the abolitionist movement. Not only are there more books coming out on the subject than ever before but there are countless educational resources available for teachers. Moreover, slavery and abolitionism continue to make headlines in papers around the country, as museums open brand-new exhibits on the institution of slavery, local communities re-examine their role in the Underground Railroad, and television documentaries focus on the importance of slavery and abolitionist movements in early America. Please join in our online community as we work to provide overviews of this new and exciting work while also discussing the challenges of teaching abolitionism to today's students.

Editors

Ben Wright and Richard S. Newman

Web Development

Joseph Locke and Ben Wright

GIS Director

S. Wright Kennedy

Image Curator

Whitney Stewart

Map Contributors

Nathan Jérémie-Brink
John Garrison Marks
Maria Montalvo
Cara Rogers
William E. Skidmore
Whitney Stewart
Ben Wright

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Abolition Seminar. An educational tool for teachers, students, and all who fight for freedom. Menu. Skip to content. About; Learning Modules. The Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World · African Americans and Abolitionism · The Transformation of American Abolitionism · Civil War and Emancipation · Modern Slavery and ...

# data[].attributes.body
This resource demonstrates methods to becoming a culturally responsive teacher. It list resources such as lesson planning websites and activities to do with students that raises cultural awareness. These can be important for educators to consider when trying to plan a lesson. It gives links to videos that show culturally responsive teaching occurring in a classroom. This is important because it gives a live example of this style of learning occurring.

# data[].attributes.body
This website offers links to multiple other sources so that educators can establish themselves as being culturally responsive. It gives you the "What, Why, How" to become a culturally responsive teacher. This is critical for us to become educators who understand our students and advocate for them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Overview: This article provides on overarching explanation of culturally responsive teaching and 4 classroom conditions necessary to incorporate this teaching practice.

By Raymond J. Wlodkowski and Margery B. Ginsberg via ASCD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Overview: This article provides on overarching explanation of culturally responsive teaching and 4 classroom conditions necessary to incorporate this teaching practice. By Raymond J. Wlodkowski and Margery B. Ginsberg via ASCD

# data[].attributes.body
This resource gives an overview of how to use evidence-based practice in the classroom. It then goes on to give specific resources for math, literacy, and english language development. These specific resources can help an assortment of people make sure they are using evidence-based practice in their classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
This website gives resources to use in order to make sure you are using evidence-based practice. This evidence-based practice is very important to incorporate in our classroom.  It also talks about an opportunity to a course design institute the University offers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Integrate teaching strategies guided by the research on how people learn.

Evidence-based teaching is one of five key synergistic and often interdependent domains-along with innovation, diversity, technology, and assessment & evaluation-that guide the resources, services, and mission of the CTI.

Evidence-based research on teaching and learning is the backbone of CTI services. Empirical research on an array of pedagogies has helped illuminate which strategies are most likely to positively increase learning outcomes. By focusing on the diffusion and implementation of these proven methods, we increasingly create student-centered learning environments. In our programs and services, we guide instructors to such proven approaches.

Evidence-Based Teaching Programming

Teaching Resources

Visit our Teaching Resources pages to see how the Center supports instructors in designing, implementing, and assessing inclusive, student-centered learning environments.

Course Design Institute

The Course Design Institute is a two-day institute of working sessions, guided discussions, and networking events led by Cornell faculty and CTI staff that focus on course design, promoting student engagement and active learning, evaluating student learning, and syllabus design.

New Faculty Institute

The New Faculty Institute (NFI) is a series of workshops over one day in which participants practice and build teaching skills, discuss ways to balance scholarship and teaching, and connect with a strong faculty network.

Cornell Teaching Partnership Program

The Cornell Teaching Partnership Program (CTPP) fosters conversations about teaching and learning by pairing a new faculty member with a tenured faculty member who is widely respected for both teaching and scholarship.

Active Learning Initiative

The Active Learning Initiative supports departments in redesigning their courses to implement research-based active learning strategies and to create sustainable improvements to undergraduate education at Cornell.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Integrate teaching strategies guided by the research on how people learn. Evidence-based teaching is one of five key synergistic and often interdependent domains-along with innovation, diversity, technology, and assessment & evaluation-that guide the resources, services, and mission of the CTI. Evidence-based research on teaching and learning is the backbone of CTI services.

# data[].attributes.body
This website gives an overview of what must be present in evidence-based practice. These include setting clear goals for students, and questioning understanding of students, etc. These are a couple important topics that we must make sure are constantly present in our classroom. This source gives 10 topics that educators need to strive to have in their classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Evidence-Based Teaching Strategies for 2023

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Some teaching strategies have more impact on your students’ results than others. Discover this core list of 10 evidence-based teaching strat…

# data[].attributes.body
The University of Penn website list 6 ways to insure your classroom is more inclusive of diverse learners who have different abilities. This article talks about inclusive classrooms that goes beyond students with disabilities and makes the classroom better for all students. It is key that all students feel welcomed and want to be involved in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Inclusive teaching is teaching that intends to open the classroom to a wide range of different students. Creating a classroom that welcomes students of different genders, races, socio-economic status, political affliation, and sexual orientations (just to name some of the many different identities students bring to class) has concrete benefits in that it provides a learning atmosphere that encourages everyone and students feel comfortable asking their questions and sharing their ideas.

While instructors are often unsure of how to make their classrooms more inclusive, there is a growing body of research into how to best help everyone in your classroom learn.
1. Communicate high expectations and provide students with the support to meet them. Students thrive when challenged, if they understand the expectations, how to meet them and feel the instructor believes in their capabilities (Refs. 1-4).

Communicate expectations and multiple strategies to approach the work.

Indicate that all students can meet the challenge with practice.

Build in low-stakes, well-structured practice on skills required for tests and assignments.

Give students feedback that includes recognition of your high standards and the sense that the student can meet them.

2. Facilitate students' sense of identity within your field. A sense of belonging within a field can bolster all students' performance and persistence in a discipline (Refs. 5-8).

Give students authentic tasks, such as primary research, analysis of authentic data, or other versions of practices in the discipline appropriate for the course level.

Make student work visible to a wider audience than just the instructors and TAs.

Ask students to reflect on how their backgrounds can contribute to their success.

Provide students with diverse role models in your field.

Reach out to talented students in your class to encourage them to continue in your field.

3. Help students see that academic ability develops over time and takes effort. Developing a "growth mindset," the sense that academic ability is something that develops through struggle, can help students overcome tendencies to attribute difficulties in a class or field to a lack of ability (Refs. 4, 9).

Stress that struggle is normal. Students experiencing stereotype threat in particular will be more likely to persist if they see their difficulties as typical ones.

Talk about your own struggles and how you overcome them.

Give students the chance to hear from peers or work together, so they can see that others struggle and learn how they overcome difficulties.

Emphasize to students that taking advantage of help or mentorship is something successful students do. Connect students with support resources at Penn.

4. Use strategies such as active learning and/or group work. Group work and active learning strategies improve learning for all students while increasing student confidence, and have a particularly strong effect on underrepresented students (Refs. 10-13).

Intersperse active learning strategies - such as student polling, brief writing exercises or pairwork - in lecture classes; develop recitations around problem sets or activities; or restructure the use of lecture time more completely.

Structure activities or group work carefully to focus on learning goals and help students work through tasks.

Provide frequent opportunities for practice and low-stakes feedback.

Provide groups with sufficiently difficult tasks that students benefit from working together.

Design groups so that students feel they belong in the class: the groups are small enough to make sure everyone has to participate, various levels of students are grouped to encourage all to contribute, and underrepresented students are not generally alone in groups of all majority students.

5. Get to know your students. Understanding the interests and backgrounds of your students can help you connect students to the field, recognize their diverse strengths and check your assumptions about them (Ref. 14).

Meet individually with students at some point in the semester, perhaps to discuss a class assignment, get their feedback or understand why they are in the class.

Ask students to bring their experiences and interests into class discussions or assignments without singling out students or asking students to be spokespeople for their racial, ethnic, or cultural group.

Reach out to students who appear to be struggling, but do not assume that they are not working hard. Such students may be working quite hard, but not effectively.

6. Understand social psychological phenomena such as stereotype threat and implicit bias. Awareness of these phenomena can help instructors to develop inclusive practices and avoid common pitfalls (Refs. 1, 2, 14-17).

Stereotype threat creates underperformance in some students when they feel that the instructor believes that they cannot do well because of stereotyped qualities assumed to belong to their group (for more, see reducingstereoypethreat.org).

Implicit biases are unconscious assumptions that we make about others, often based on stereotypes (for more, see the Kirwan Institute site and take the Implicit Bias Test to test your own biases).

Microaggressions are small, often subtle and unintentional, comments and actions that marginalize particular groups or individuals, creating an unwelcome classroom environment.

1. J. R. Shapiro, A. M. Williams, The Role of Stereotype Threats in Undermining Girls' and Women's Performance and Interest in STEM Fields. Sex Roles. 66, 175-183 (2011).
2. C. Steele, Whistling Vivaldi : and other clues to how stereotypes affect us (First edition. New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 2010).
3. G. L. Cohen, C. M. Steele, L. D. Ross, The Mentor's Dilemma: Providing Critical Feedback Across the Racial Divide. Personality and Social Physchology Bulletin. 10, 1302-1319 (1999).
4. L. Aguilar, G. Walton, C. Wieman, Psychological insights for improved physics teaching. Phys. Today. 67, 43-49 (2014).
5. S. Freeman et al., Prescribed Active Learning Increases Performance in Introductory Biology. CBE Life Sci Educ. 6, 132-139 (2007).
6. A.B. Hunter, S. L. Laursen, E. Seymour, Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students' cognitive, personal, and professional development. Sci. Ed. 91, 36-74 (2007).
7. G. L. Cohen, J. Garcia, V. Purdie-Vaughns, N. Apfel, P. Brzustoski, Recursive Processes in Self-Affirmation: Intervening to Close the Minority Achievement Gap. Science. 324, 400-403 (2009).
8. G. M. Walton, G. L. Cohen, A brief social-belonging intervention improves academic and health outcomes of minority students. Science. 331, 1447-1451 (2011).
9. J. Aronson, C. B. Fried, C. Good, Reducing the Effects of Stereotype Threat on African American College Students by Shaping Theories of Intelligence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 38, 113-125 (2002).
10. M. Lorenzo, C. H. Crouch, E. Mazur, Reducing the gender gap in the physics classroom. Am. J. Phys. 74, 118-6 (2006).
11. D. C. Haak, J. HilleRisLambers, E. Pitre, S. Freeman, Increased Structure and Active Learning Reduce the Achievement Gap in Introductory Biology. Science. 332, 1213-1216 (2011).
12. S. L. Eddy, K. A. Hogan, Getting under the hood: how and for whom does increasing course structure work? CBE Life Sci Educ. 13, 453-468 (2014).
13. H. Fencl, K. Scheel, Engaging Students: An Examination of the Effects of Teaching Strategies on Self-Efficacy and Course Climate in a Nonmajors Physics Course. Journal of College Science Teaching. September, 20-24 (2005).
14. P. G. Devine, P. S. Forscher, A. J. Austin, W. T. L. Cox, Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 48, 1267-1278 (2012).
15. C. M. Steele, J. Aronson, Stereotype Threat and the Intellectual Test Performance of African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 69, 797-811 (1995).
16. D. Solórzano, M. Ceja, T. Yosso, Critical Race Theory, Racial Microaggressions, and Campus Racial Climate. Journal of Negro Education. 69, 60-73 (2000).
17. Guinier, Lani, Jane Balin & Michelle Fine, Becoming Gentlemen: Women, Law Schools and Institutional Change (Beacon Press, Boston, MA, 1997).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Evidence-Based Inclusive Teaching>inclusive teaching | UPENN CTL

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Inclusive teaching is teaching that intends to open the classroom to a wide range of different students. Creating a classroom that welcomes students of different genders, races, socio-economic status, political affliation, and sexual orientations (just to name some of the many different identities students bring to class) has concrete benefits in that it provides a learning atmosphere that encourages everyone and students feel comfortable asking their questions and sharing their ideas.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ceedar Center “Evidence-Based Practices for Students With Severe Disabilities”

# data[].attributes.subject
Ceedar Center “Evidence-Based Practices for Students With Severe Disabilities”

# data[].attributes.body
This PDF is quite long and it gives the reader a section that describes "How to Teach", this describes ways to teach students with disabilities effectively. This PDF also gives a section "What to Teach", this describes what teaching in certain areas should look like. It also talks about other skills that are vitally important to students with disabilities.

# data[].attributes.body
This website gives resources for teachers, specifically resources for the objectives students with disabilities strive to meet. It is important that teachers are aware of these objectives so students with disabilities can be assisted in the manner they need. It can be used by all educators to make sure they are developing students abilities in different areas in their classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Back

Filter by topic

Postsecondary

Evidence of effectiveness in the topics selected above. A colored icon with a box indicates positive or potentially positive effects on outcomes for that topic. A grey icon with no box indicates a lack of positive effects. By default, results are sorted by this column, based on the amount of evidence. For details on the sort logic please see the FAQs

An educational program, product, practice, or policy aimed at improving student outcomes.

Grades of the students examined in the studies that met WWC design standards, which may not reflect the full range of grades for which the intervention may be used.

The indicator represents the highest level of similarity found between your students and each of the high-quality studies of the intervention. Three filled in ovals indicates that at least one study that met standards was conducted on students very similar to yours.

Select interventions to compare side-by-side to see details on the intervention and its effectiveness across different outcome domains.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back Postsecondary Evidence of effectiveness in the topics selected above. A colored icon with a box indicates positive or potentially positive effects on outcomes for that topic. A grey icon with no box indicates a lack of positive effects. By default, results are sorted by this column, based on the amount of evidence.

# data[].attributes.body
This interactive website gives evidence-based practice summaries in different categories. This website includes valuable information to teachers in every discipline to be used in the classroom.  This website also gives access to credible websites that contain more information on the topic you are looking for. This website can help teachers to effectively teach students with diverse abilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These research summaries covering instructional strategies and interventions offer information that includes level of effectiveness as well as the age groups for which a given strategy or intervention is designed. Links to the original reports are also provided for those who might wish to explore further.

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected]. The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

Copyright 2023 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These research summaries covering instructional strategies and interventions offer information that includes level of effectiveness as well as the age groups for which a given strategy or intervention is designed. Links to the original reports are also provided for those who might wish to explore further.

# data[].attributes.body
This resource talks about the information that goes into developing an IEP. It describes what an IEP is and the types of services offered for an IEP. This resource also tackles some myths and facts about IEPs. It also address some of the frequently asked questions and lastly list some additional resources for people to use.

# data[].attributes.headline
Pacer Center Champions For Children With Disabilities

# data[].attributes.subject
Pacer Center Champions For Children With Disabilities

# data[].attributes.body
The Pacer Center website gives information on the special education process and has videos to help explain this. It also addresses the 504 plan as well as IEPs that students may have. It is important that parents and teachers understand these so students can get the most out of school. This website also list information on the rights that parents of students with disabilities have, it is important to know these rights.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
PACER Center Advocate Pat Anderson looks at ways to effectively communicate with your child's IEP Team and discusses the Due Process options in these videos.

Parents of children with disabilities often ask:

Can the school send my child home before the end of the school day?

Can the school district suspend my child?

Can the school district expel my child?

What happens to my child's educational services if he or she is sent home, suspended, or expelled?

This interactive guide will answer these and many other questions. Whether your child is on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a Section 504 Plan, or if you suspect that your child has a disability that affects his or her behavior at school, this guide will help you understand the complex disciplinary process for Minnesota public school children with disabilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
blind deaf autistic children education programs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today PACER offers more than 30 programs for parents, students, professionals and other parent organizations. PACER is staffed primarily by parents of children with disabilities dedicated to educating other parents and improving the lives of children with disabilities throughout Minnesota.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses the importance of a general education teacher attending an IEP meeting. As a future general education teacher it will be critical for me to know what to do in and IEP meeting and how to best serve the student. This article lays out the before, during, and after implications of IEP meetings. This is a resource for teachers to gain a better understanding of IEPs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Leena Landmark is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Ohio University.

As a family member, former special educator, and current teacher educator, I've participated in a lot of Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Many have been productive and resulted in great plans for children, but other meetings-well, not so much. I've seen teachers and administrators rush in and out, grade papers, text, and scarcely acknowledge the student or parents during IEP meetings. I've also seen parents look discouraged and passively respond only when spoken to.

If the IEP meeting serves only as a cursory time for the involved parties to sign in agreement, I can understand why some educators and parents aren't engaged during the time spent at the actual IEP meeting. In particular, I understand the time constraints educators have. Writing lessons, preparing materials, contacting parents, attending meetings, and doing other duties as assigned take teachers away from their favorite part of the job-actually teaching the kids. Yet, by participating more actively in your students' IEP meetings you have the opportunity to develop relationships with the student and the parents that might not have happened otherwise. A caring educator at an IEP meeting shows the child and parents that you really do have an interest in helping the child be successful. When students and parents feel that an educator cares, they are more supportive of that educator.

Attending IEP meetings can help you learn about what works for the child's other teachers. Even if you are successfully educating the child, you might pick up some tips to use with other students in your classes.

Participating in IEP meetings also allows you to learn more about the levels of functioning of the child. Most students with IEPs undergo comprehensive evaluations every three years to determine eligibility for special education services, and part of this eligibility is the determination of the child's educational needs. This information can help you better understand the child's strengths and needs academically, developmentally, and functionally. Finally, attending IEP meetings can help you learn about what works for the child's other teachers. Even if you are successfully educating the child, you might pick up some tips to use with other students in your classes.

Importance of the IEP

As the general educator, you have an essential role in the IEP team, but to really understand this importance, you need to understand the value of the IEP.

Prior to the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act [IDEA] of 2004), children with disabilities could be excluded from school. With the passing of this legislation, children with disabilities were guaranteed a free appropriate public education (FAPE). There are two criteria typically used to determine if a child is receiving FAPE: compliance with IEP procedures and receipt of meaningful educational benefit (Yell, Katsiyannis, Ennis, Losinski, & Christle, 2016). General educators impact both of these.

For most students with disabilities, FAPE is provided in the general education classroom. For the few children who are not educated in the general education classroom, there's still an expectation the child will be involved and progress in the general curriculum. Because the IEP meeting is the time the IEP team members come to agreement about how to provide the child with FAPE, it's important that the person who knows the most about the general education curriculum (i.e., YOU, the general educator) actively participates in the meeting. Indeed, the input and participation of the general educator in the IEP is an area of compliance that could impact a student's receipt of FAPE.

Another way general educators impact meaningful educational benefit (and thus, FAPE) is by helping the special educator understand how well the child is performing in the general curriculum. Special educators draft annual goals based on the child's Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP). PLAAFPs identify the current levels of performance and the impact the disability has on learning in the general curriculum. There should be a direct relationship between the PLAAFPs and annual goals. PLAAFPs are gleaned from a variety of sources including classroom observations, work samples, and input from the child's teachers (PACER Center, n.d.). A well-written, data-based PLAAFP statement is necessary to write a meaningful, measurable annual goal, and general educators have a vital part in this process.

Before the IEP Meeting

Provide Input

Although special educators are generally charged with drafting the PLAAFPs and annual goals, they need input from the general education teachers to do so. Depending on your school and special education teachers, the data needed from the general education teacher may be gathered in various ways (e.g., pre-IEP meetings between the special and general educators, questionnaires completed by the general educator, or discussions during the IEP meeting). Regardless if the special educator requests this information before the IEP meeting or during the IEP meeting, as the general educator, it is helpful for you to be prepared to provide this feedback and information.

When you receive the notice that an IEP meeting is scheduled, you can begin to compile the information the special educator will need to write the PLFAAP statement and annual goals for your content area. At a minimum, this information should be about how the child is performing in your class (i.e., progressing in the general education curriculum); any recommendations you have regarding annual goals, accommodations, or modifications; and any concerns you have. When preparing this feedback, keep in mind that you need to compare how the child is performing in the general education curriculum for your content area to how the typically developing peer performs so the special educator can write the data-based PLFAAP statements.

During the IEP Meeting

Be Present

If possible, arrive at the IEP meeting on time. By arriving on time you convey your understanding of the importance of the IEP and everyone's time who is attending. If you do arrive late or leave before the end of the meeting, sincerely apologize to the parent and the child. During the meeting, make a point to really focus on being present. Clear your mind. Don't read something else or grade papers, and don't tell the IEP team you are rushed. In other words, do only one thing-participate in the meeting.

Communicate Respectfully

Occasionally, IEP meetings can be tense and uncomfortable. Some parents may become emotional, whereas other parents may appear passive. Hopefully, the parents are active and equal participants in the IEP meeting. No matter their demeanor during the meeting, parents appreciate you telling them the truth about how their child is functioning in your class. Just like any other time you communicate with parents, it's best to start with something positive about the child before discussing areas for improvement. Because of special education's roots in the medical model, IEP meetings tend to focus on children's deficits. Thus, over the years parents have likely experienced many meetings with educators in which their child's deficits are illuminated. Remember, this child is precious to the parents, and they are sending you the very best child they have. A kind and sincere statement about the child's strengths will always be appreciated.

When communicating with the parents and the other members of the IEP team, carefully choose your words because the words you use can either hurt or empower others. For example, instead of saying a child has weaknesses in a particular area, say the child has areas for improvement. Again, IEP meetings can be very draining to parents when all they hear is how behind or difficult their child is.

Because of special education's roots in the medical model, IEP meetings tend to focus on children's deficits. A kind and sincere statement about the child's strengths will always be appreciated.

Another tip is to use People First Language (Snow, 2009), even if the parents do not use it. People First Language focuses on the person instead of the characteristic of the disability. Examples of People First Language include student with a learning disability instead of learning disabled student and child with autism instead of autistic child. Although not every person with a disability prefers People First Language, as an educational professional, we should use People First Language unless someone with a disability directly asks us not to. Finally, don't use the word retard or its derivatives to refer to yourself or someone else who makes a mistake (e.g., I forgot the meeting was today. I'm such a retard!).

Ask Questions

Finally, if you don't understand a term used by another IEP team member during the meeting, it's likely the parent doesn't understand the term either-so ask for clarification. The parent will be relieved that you asked about a confusing term. The other professionals at the meeting will appreciate your willingness to learn.

After the IEP Meeting

Refer to the IEP Document When Planning

If you weren't given a copy of the relevant annual goals, accommodations, and modifications pertinent to your class shortly after the IEP meeting, ask the special educator for them. When a student with an IEP is in your class, you are the teacher of record for that student. Even if you have a paraprofessional in your classroom to assist the child, it is still your responsibility to develop the instruction for the student (the paraprofessional can implement the instruction under your supervision). This means you are responsible for implementing the IEP as it pertains to your class. When writing your lesson plans, refer to the child's goals, accommodations, and modifications so you can incorporate them into your lessons. If there is something you don't understand in the IEP document, ask the special education teacher for assistance.

Track the Child's Progress

Data were used to write the PLFAAP and annual goals, and data must be used to determine if the student is making progress toward meeting those goals. This means the child's teachers need to have a way to keep track of the data needed to determine if progress is being made. For some annual goals and corresponding objectives/benchmarks, the student's grades on assignments may be sufficient data to show progress. For other students, different types of data sources may need to be used. Take the following goal, for example: When interacting with peers, Leslie will maintain at least 2 verbal interactions for 20 seconds each with a peer during recess on 3 of 5 days each week based on direct observation by the teacher. A special educator can help you set up a simple system of tracking the data needed for this goal.

If an accommodation or modification is not working, if the student is not making progress toward their goals, or if an accommodation or modification is no longer needed, contact the special education teacher. It's very important that the accommodations and modifications listed in the child's IEP document be implemented in the classroom. If an accommodation or modification needs to be changed, that can easily be done.

Conclusion

Using the tips provided to actively participate before, during, and after the IEP meeting can help you get the most out of your students' IEPs, thereby helping your students get the most out of their educations. Remember: as the general educator, you are the content expert, and the special educator is the individualization expert. Children who have IEPs need both kinds of teachers. The entire IEP team is available to help you help your students achieve their educational goals. ♦
References
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004, PL 108-446, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2004).

PACER Center. (n.d.). A place to start: Understanding the present level of academic achievement and functional performance statement. Action Information Sheets: PACER. Retrieved from http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c186.pdf

Snow, K. (2009). Examples of People First Language. Retrieved from https://www.disabilityisnatural.com/people-first-language.html

Yell, M. L., Katsiyannis, A., Ennis, R. P., Losinski, M, & Christle, C. A. (2016). Avoiding substantive errors in individualized education program development. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 49(1), 31-40.

There's more where this came from.
Join my mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration-in quick, bite-sized packages-all geared toward making your teaching more effective and fun. To thank you, I'll send you a free copy of my e-booklet, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half. I look forward to getting to know you better!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How General Educators Can Get More Out of IEP Meetings

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Participating more actively in your students' IEP meetings benefits the child, their parents, and you.

# data[].attributes.headline
Advice for Classroom Teachers with Student who have IEPS

# data[].attributes.subject
Advice for Classroom Teachers with Student who have IEPS

# data[].attributes.body
This website gives advice about IEPs by first giving a background on what an IEP is and how one is developed. It talks about the importance of keeping a students goal in mind and assisting the student in achieving those goals. It is important to include families in a child's education because it produces effective learning. This article addresses what family involvement looks like and how to create that partnership with parents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Advice for Classroom Teachers: Your Students with IEPs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively forms the foundation of modern life

# data[].attributes.headline
Resources for Teaching Students with Disabilities Remotely

# data[].attributes.subject
Resources for Teaching Students with Disabilities Remotely

# data[].attributes.body
This resource can be applied to teaching remote learning for students with disabilities. I think this is something many teachers are struggling with this year. This can be useful for teachers to consider as all learning is remote for most students this semester.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is here to support special education professionals and your ongoing efforts to apply good teaching practices remotely due to precautions surrounding COVID-19.

This page is a collection of suggested resources you can use as you determine the best means to provide services to your students and their families. They have been curated for you and will be regularly updated.*

In addition to these resources, please review this issue of Teaching Exceptional Children that focused on telepractice, as well as the live and recorded webinars available through CEC's digital learning offerings.

Do you have a suggested resource? Share it with us.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
CEC is here to support special education professionals and your ongoing efforts to apply good teaching practices remotely due to precautions surrounding the COVID-19 virus. This page is a collection of suggested resources you can use as you determine the best means to provide services to your students and their families.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teacher Evaluation: Guide to Exemplary Performance

# data[].attributes.subject
Teacher Evaluation: Guide to Exemplary Performance

# data[].attributes.body
This resource gives links to information on specific topics that all teachers are going to deal with. These topics include preparation of information, Classroom environment, instruction and professional responsibilities. This grants access to explore areas you may need to improve in your teaching method. It also gives an opportunity to help fellow teachers who maybe struggling in an area get resources for improvement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the high-stakes world of teacher evaluation, we must remind ourselves that the most important aim of observation and evaluation is not rating teachers, but strengthening teaching and learning." - Laurie McCullough

What are the most effective teachers across the nation doing? I am talking about the top 1% of the top 1% of teachers in America! What motivates these teachers? What are they doing that no one else seems to be doing day-to-day when working with students, parents, colleagues, and the community? How can I start to make a difference in my teaching?

Charlotte Danielson is a leading educational researcher in the United States. She developed a framework that is built from experimental and theoretical research that is known to improve student learning. The skills, or components, vividly describe what a teacher should know and be able to do in their job. One of the most powerful pieces she developed are rubrics that describe examples of proficiency. A teacher can self-score their skills on the rubric, set goals, and continue to improve their craft. The rubric language and examples for each performance level make the framework popular and used wide spread across the nation. In fact, Dr. Robert Marzano's and Danielson's models are the prevalent evaluation frameworks in the United States; a majority of schools use these to support their teacher's growth.

Danielson divided her research into four domains. Two domains are "invisible" in the classroom, while the other two domains are visible when you walk into the classroom. While many of the components and skills can be observed in the school, there are many that are value-added measures of student learning that highly correlate to increased student achievement. The descriptions of the components helps teachers and their evaluators use a common language, provides for more confidence when evaluating, as well easier to set evidenced-based goals with the Danielson Framework.

When Common Core State Standards were released, the Danielson Group modified the language in the framework to mirror the goal of creating students that are college and career ready. This has led to significant changes in the way schools plan, teach, and assess, as well as how we communicate with our colleagues, parents, and community members. Many educators like the focus on "engagement" in the Danielson Framework. The language in the framework supports teachers creating classroom environments that empowers and develops agency with students, as well as building a strong collaborative learning community.

The purpose of this guide is to support evaluating teachers through honesty, integrity, and evidence-based practices. Scoring can be done individually by the teacher, with support from an instructional coach, or with an administrator or evaluator. We at Teacher.org want to encourage teachers both seasoned and new to expand their vision and understanding of the teaching profession. A master's in education helps but you will always be learning, adapting, adopting, and understanding.
Here are 128 questions to tackle that can support the transition to this illustrious and pinnacle level of "exemplary."
Domain One: Planning and Preparation (42 Questions)

Domain one discusses planning and preparation. In the framework it is an "invisible" domain, meaning that when you may not understand how much work the teacher put into planning and preparation prior to the observed teaching. The components of this domain are the following:

Domain Two: The Classroom Environment (29 Questions)

Domain two discusses what it looks like and sounds like in the classroom environment. This is considered a visible domain, meaning that you can see the components when observing the teacher. The components of this domain are the following:

Domain Three: Instruction (28 Questions)

Domain three discusses the actual instruction in the classroom environment. This is considered a visible domain, meaning that you can see the components when observing the teacher. The components of this domain are the following:

Domain Four: Professional Responsibilities (29 Questions)

Domain four discusses the actual instruction in the classroom environment. This is considered an invisible domain, meaning when observed you do not necessarily see the professional responsibilities of that specific teacher. The components of this domain are the following:

Meet the Expert
Jon Konen
Jon is in his nineteenth year of education and tenth year as a principal. He has been at his current school for seven years, which is an award-winning Blue Ribbon school in Great Falls, Montana. He has previously taught several grades in the elementary and middle school settings. He was also an instructional coach. Prior to his current position, he was a K-12 principal in a small rural school district in Power, Montana. Jon earned a Master's Degree in K-12 Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix in 2004. He furthered his work garnering his Superintendent Endorsement from the University of Montana in 2016. In 2011, Jon was the recipient of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for his work in elementary science. Jon is married and has two boys.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teacher Evaluation: A Transition Guide to Exemplary | Teacher.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the high-stakes world of teacher evaluation, we must remind ourselves that the most important aim of observation and evaluation is not rating teachers, but strengthening teaching and learning." - Laurie McCullough What are the most effective teachers across the nation doing? I am talking about the top 1% of the top 1% of teachers in America!

# data[].attributes.body
This resource gives teachers an area to learn some of the basics that go into everyday teaching. This resource also get into teaching writing assignments which is important for any discipline. Writing skills are something that students will use for the rest of their life. If we teach them key principles it will help them to become successful in future careers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These guides are the result of a joint effort of the WAC Clearinghouse, the Writing@CSU project, and the Colorado State University Writing Center. Development of these guides began in 1993, when the original Online Writing Center was developed for campus use at Colorado State University. Several guides were developed in Asymmetrix Multimedia Toolbook and then migrated to the Web in 1996. Over the years, additional guides were developed and revised, reflecting the efforts of many writers and writing teachers. We thank them for their generosity. You can learn who developed a particular guide by viewing the citation information at the end of the guide.

In 2012, the guides were moved into a content management system developed for the Writing@CSU site. Members of the staff in the Colorado State University Writing Center were among the group that migrated the guides to the new system. We are particularly grateful to Carrie Lamanna, Patricia Lincoln, Aubrey Johnson, Christina Shane, Jennifer Lawson, Karen Buntinas, and Ellen Palmquist for their efforts in migrating, editing, and updating the guides.

In 2018, these guides were made available on the WAC Clearinghouse as part of its redesign and expansion.

Our teaching guides are designed for writing teachers and for teachers of other subjects who want to use writing and speaking activities in their classrooms. To view our guides, click on the links below.
Planning & Conducting Classes: Working with Writing Assignments: Teaching Specific Writing Skills: Course Guides: Additional Guides:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These guides are the result of a joint effort of the WAC Clearinghouse, the Writing@CSU project, and the Colorado State University Writing Center. Development of these guides began in 1993, when the original Online Writing Center was developed for campus use at Colorado State University.

# data[].attributes.headline
NYT Bringing the World into your Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
NYT Bringing the World into your Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
This resource discusses connecting the classroom to events that are occuring in the World today. This is important because it shows student you care about relevant issues that are affecting them on a regular basis. When discussing these issues we must also give students a voice in the classroom and let them express their feelings.  The article addresses how it is important we make students critical thinkers. Critical thinking is a skill students will use for their entire lives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since 1998, The Learning Network has been helping people teach and learn with The New York Times. Here are tips for how to use our site.

Three students in a New York City classroom shared their own personal narratives, which were inspired by Metropolitan Diary, the long-running New York Times column. Read about how two teachers designed this writing unit. Credit... Kate Louis

Three ways to use The Learning Network:

Welcome to The Learning Network. Here are three quick facts about our site:

The Learning Network publishes about 1,000 teaching resources each school year, all based on using Times content - articles, essays, images, videos, graphics and podcasts - as teaching tools across subject areas.

Most of our resources are free (only our lesson plans are limited to five per month for nonsubscribers).

Our intended audience is middle and high school teachers and students (teenagers 13 and up). That said, we know that our content is used in elementary schools and colleges as well, and much of it is appropriate for both.

We'd love to hear more about you and how you use our site. If you want to join our community of educators and keep up with what's new, bookmark our home page, follow us on Facebook or Twitter or get our free weekly newsletter. Any questions, concerns or suggestions? Please write to us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com or post a comment.

Here are the three ways that teachers tell us they most commonly use our site:

School should be engaging, relevant and meaningful for students. One of our primary missions at The Learning Network is to help teachers bring current events and issues into the classroom to help students see why and how they matter in their own real lives. Here are tools we offer:

Each school day we select one current Times article, on topics ranging from sports and music to politics and world issues. We provide a warm-up, questions for reading and discussion, and an extension activity, all written directly to students. We see these quick lessons as an easy way to bring current events into the classroom; address important news topics; expand students' worldview; address media and news literacy; and offer opportunities for critical thinking about the important issues and ideas of the day.

Our 10-question interactive News Quiz tests what students know about the week's biggest stories, gives additional context about each event and shows how you stack up against other participants.

Our Country of the Week five-question quiz tests students' geography skills (e.g., can you find Peru on a map?) and then uses Times reporting, photos and videos to introduce quiz takers to a different country each week in an interactive way.

Throughout the year we publish new lesson plans that address the news. Whether it's the death of Toni Morrison, the crisis at the United States-Mexico border or the longstanding issue of segregation in schools, we have a library of hundreds of lesson plans related to current events that is growing all the time.

At the beginning of each month, we publish a collection of recent Times articles that feature young people - along with teaching ideas for using the collection.

Chances for students to engage with current events critically and creatively are woven into everything we do on The Learning Network. Via our daily writing prompts and our monthly contests, we hear from thousands of young people around the world every month - and we celebrate the best of those responses every week.

Every school day we post a new question that invites students to read a Times article and respond with their own ideas. Teachers tell us it is a good opportunity to practice writing for an authentic audience. Some of our questions ask students to make an argument, while others invite personal writing. They range in topic from social media and college admissions to gun violence and gender roles.

These short, accessible, image-driven prompts include both photographs and illustrations, and invite a variety of kinds of writing. Each links to a related Times article, but all students need to start writing is the image itself and the short, simple language we use to introduce it.

Each day we define a new vocabulary word, show how it was used in a recent Times article and ask students to take a one-question quiz that tests whether they understand the word.

Each week we call out our favorite student comments. Teachers tell us that students get excited to see their names and writing celebrated in The New York Times!

We're running 10 student contests for the 2019-20 school year. All are open to high school students. Some are open to middle school students. Contests include: personal narratives, reviews, editorial cartoons, vocabulary videos, STEM articles, editorials, podcasts and more.

We have our own free, flexible, seven-unit writing curriculum, based on the real-world writing found in newspapers, from editorials and reviews to personal narratives and analysis essays. The curriculum uses our 1,000-plus prompts, our new mentor-text guided practice series and our many contests to frame a whole school year of writing practice, learning and publishing. Plus we offer many more lesson plans on how to teach writing and explore commonly taught literary works.

Crosswords
Our archive includes over 100 student crosswords on topics across the curriculum.

The Times is much more than just written articles, and we take full advantage of the paper's growing multimedia offerings, from images to video to graphics to podcasts.

Every Sunday night we post an intriguing photograph without its caption and ask students to think critically about what they see. On Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time, we host a live-moderated student discussion with our partner organization, Visual Thinking Strategies. Students continue to comment all week, and then on Thursday afternoons we reveal the "back story" about the photo and what it depicts.

For this related feature, we invite students all week to notice and wonder about a Times graph, map or chart. With our partners at the American Statistical Association, we host a live-moderated discussion on Wednesdays, and publish additional background about these graphs on Thursday afternoons - around the same time we publish a new graph for the coming week.

Each week we feature a short documentary film from The Times - most are under 10 minutes - and ask students to think about themes like race and gender identity; technology and society; civil rights; criminal justice; ethics; and artistic and scientific exploration. We think these films will inspire powerful conversation, and we invite students to begin those conversations on our site.

Professional Development Webinars

Want more ideas for integrating these features into your classroom routines? Check out our free on-demand webinars, where you'll hear from teachers, students and Learning Network editors about even more ways to use this site.
Statistics Across Subjects: Teach With Graphs From The New York Times Teaching Argument Writing With Nicholas Kristof and The New York Times

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching Resources for Bringing the World Into Your Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since 1998, The Learning Network has been helping people teach and learn with The New York Times. Here are tips for how to use our site. Three ways to use The Learning Network: Welcome to The Learning Network.

# data[].attributes.body
This website gives unique lessons on topics teachers at different grade levels will teach. This give access to videos students can view to get information. This is a different way to present information for students to understand. They have lessons on most core subjects so it is friendly to all teachers but is geared toward elementary and middle school aged children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover lesson plans, video tips, printables, and more! Find the BrainPOP products or resources you need to get started.

# data[].attributes.body
This resource gives information on how teachers should create a syllabus. It gives information on what goes into a syllabus such as course description, required materials, schedule, etc. The article addresses how language used in the syllabus can affect students in the classroom. The article finally addresses examples of policies and resources you can use in your syllabus. These are important for all teachers to considered when constructing their syllabus.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Cite this guide: Riviere, J., Picard, D., & Coble, R. (2014). Syllabus Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-design/.

What does a syllabus contain? || How does tone affect learners? || What are examples of policies and resources I can use? || Where can I learn more?

Establishes an early point of contact and connection between student and instructor

Helps set the tone for the course

Describes your beliefs about educational purposes

Acquaints students with the logistics of the course

Contains collected handouts

Defines student responsibilities for successful coursework

Describes active learning

Helps students assess their readiness for your course

Sets the course in a broader context for learning

Provides a conceptual framework

Describes available learning resources

Communicates the role of technology in the course

Can provide difficult-to-obtain reading material

Can improve the effectiveness of student note taking

Can include material that supports learning outside the classroom

Can serve as a learning contract.

Basic Information: Instructor's name, contact information, and office hours; title of the course, location, and times

Course Description: Prerequisites, overview of the course, student learning objectives

Requirements: Exams, quizzes, assignments, problem sets, reports, etc.

Policies: Grading procedure, attendance, class participation, missed exams or assignments, late policies, standards for academic honesty

Ability and Disability

Students of all abilities and backgrounds want classrooms that are inclusive and convey respect. For those students with disabilities, the classroom setting may present certain challenges that need accommodation and consideration. A statement in your syllabus inviting students with disabilities to meet with you privately is a good step in starting a conversation with those students who need accommodations and feel comfortable approaching you about their needs. Please also see our teaching guide on Teaching Students with Disabilities.

You may want to include the following components:

Let students know times they can meet you to discuss the accommodations and how soon they should do so.

Contact information for the Disability Services Office, or your university's equivalent.

How does ability diversity play a role in how the class is conducted or the content discussed?

How might students come talk to you about accommodations or make you aware of situations they want (or need) to disclose? (See our teaching guide on Teaching Students with Disabilities for more information on disclosure and student privacy).

Sample Statements:

This class respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities. If there are circumstances that make our learning environment and activities difficult, if you have medical information that you need to share with me, or if you need specific arrangements in case the building needs to be evacuated, please let me know. I am committed to creating an effective learning environment for all students, but I can only do so if you discuss your needs with me as early as possible. I promise to maintain the confidentiality of these discussions. If appropriate, also contact Student Access Services to get more information about specific accommodations.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is committed to making educational opportunities available to all students. In order for its faculty members to properly address the needs of students who have disabilities, it is necessary that those students approach their instructors as soon as the semester starts, preferably on the first day of class. They should bring an official letter from the Student Access Services explaining their specific needs so that their instructors are aware of them early on and can make the appropriate arrangements.

If you have a learning or physical disability, or if you learn best utilizing a particular method, please discuss with me how I can best accommodate your learning needs. I am committed to creating an effective learning environment for all learning styles. However, I can only do this successfully if you discuss your needs with me in advance of the quizzes, papers, and notebooks. I will maintain the confidentiality of your learning needs. If appropriate, you should contact Vanderbilt's Student Access Services to get more information on accommodating disabilities.

Academic Integrity

As the Center for Teaching Guide on Cheating and Plagiarism states, "Although students can be expected to know about cheating and plagiarism in the abstract, they're not always clear on what they can and can't do in particular courses and on particular assignments. It's a good idea to spell that out for your students in your syllabus." In other words, your students are already subject to the guidelines of the honor code in enrolling in your class. Providing an outline and a reminder of what this means for your course can aid students in fulfilling these obligations.

You may want to include the following components:

1. A link or url to the university's honor code along with a summary or quotation from it.

2. An outline or description of what constitutes plagiarism or a violation of the honor code, as well as a brief description of the penalty for violating it.

3. Descriptions of the writing center, library resources, and the honor system for students to access campus resources that will help them avoid violating the honor code.

Sample Statements:

Vanderbilt University provides the following Faculty Checklist of Recommended Practices:

Put a statement of the application of the Honor Code on your syllabus.

Sample syllabus statements:

"Vanderbilt's Honor Code governs all work in this course (e.g., tests, papers, and homework assignments)."

"All academic work at Vanderbilt is done under the Honor System."

Also provide helpful details for your course, such as permissible and impermissible behaviors:

Students may collaborate on homework, but not . . .

Rough drafts must include proper citations . . .

You are permitted and encouraged to discuss the answers to the suggested problems with other students, TAs, and faculty

Providing a more descriptive example, Derek Bruff, Director of the Center for Teaching and Senior Lecturer in Mathematics, cites the honor policy and outlines resources to avoid plagiarism in a concise statement on academic integrity in his syllabus on cryptography:
Academic Integrity
Please familiarize yourself with Vanderbilt's undergraduate honor policy. I'm encouraging a lot of sharing and collaboration in this course, but your work on your essay assignments should be your own. Please be careful not to plagiarize. The Undergraduate Honor Council has a very helpful guide to understanding plagiarism, and the Writing Studio has a great set of resources on working with sources in academic writing. We'll spend some class time exploring plagiarism and academic integrity more generally.

If your life is falling apart and you are tempted to plagiarize to save time or get a good grade, please see me instead. I would rather grant you an extension than send you before the Honor Council for plagiarism-but I will send you to the Honor Council if it comes to that.

Andy Van Schaack, assistant professor in Vanderbilt's Department of Human Organization and Development, provides a much more detailed example in his syllabus on " Systemic Inquiry." The statement covers a full page of single-spaced type and can be found on the fourth page of the syllabus, immediately following the class's assignments. In addition, he closes a list of student expectations immediately preceding the class schedule with this concise statement:

Honesty and Integrity
This is absolutely the wrong class to cheat in. I work very hard to ensure that all students are provided the same opportunity to succeed. The penalty at Vanderbilt for cheating is severe-it is not worth it.

Copyright Infringement

The readings, handouts, and other materials we provide students in our courses are typically meant for our students' personal educational use. You might give students access to a journal article through a Vanderbilt library subscription, provide students with a PowerPoint slide deck you created for a lecture, or hand back to students a graded test that you designed for your course. Students are encouraged to use these learning resources while they are taking the course, but, depending on the resource involved, you may not want them to share the resource with people outside the course or access the resource after the course is over.

For instance, students might have access to that journal article only during the duration of the course, depending on the licensing arrangement the library has worked out for the article. Or you might have used some images in your PowerPoint slides that are licensed for educational use, but not for general use, so you wouldn't want a student to post your slide deck on the open Web. And that test you wrote is likely your intellectual property, and students shouldn't post it to an online test back without your permission.

Students aren't often savvy about intellectual property rules, copyright laws, and related matters. You can help them make informed choices about how they use and reuse course materials through discussions with your students and through statements you make on your syllabus.

Sample Statement:

Many of the materials and readings for this class have copyright protections. They are for your sole educational use and should not be shared, copied or distributed without permission of the instructor or the copyright holder. Please refer to the Student Handbook for details on your responsibilities regarding copyright and penalties for copyright infringement. If you have questions about sharing specific materials outside the course, either with colleagues at Vanderbilt or on the internet, please ask me.

Acknowledgements

As Katherine Harris writes in a helpful blog post on syllabuses, "[Acknowledgement sections] act as a citation and is a marker of the intellectual rigor and scholarly communication that's inherent to the construction of any syllabus, assignment, or rubric." In other words, the acknowledgements section allows you to give credit for the contributions of other instructors, classes, or programs from which you are drawing in designing your course. With this section, an instructor will not only mirror the proper academic integrity that we hope to teach our students, she can also provide links, urls, or other citations to the work of other scholars, allowing students who are interested to know more about the origins of the class and the work of its sources.

You may want to include the following components:

1. Either an acknowledgements section at the end of your syllabus naming the instructors or classes you are drawing on in constructing your syllabus or footnotes under specific items, like a midterm assignment, that names where it originates.

2. Links on a digital syllabus, urls on a paper syllabus, or traditional citations so that students can follow your sources.

Sample Statements:

For an example of an acknowledgements section on an online syllabus citing the course design of another instructor, see this section from Rob MacDougall 's syllabus "Digital History" for the University of Western Ontario:

[Notes: Students can then click on these links embedded in the names MacDougall cites in order to view the work and contributions of these figures.]

For an example of an acknowledgement on a paper syllabus for language taken from another source in various statements on a syllabus, see this section from Jeremy Price's syllabus " Learning Communities in the Digital Age " for Fairmont State University:

Acknowledgements: I have adapted the ideas and language from the work of several educators for this syllabus, and I appreciate their contributions to this syllabus. The language concerning Universal Learning is courtesy of the "Accessibility Statements on Syllabuses" on the ProfHacker blog (http://bit.ly/1bAXeDN). The language concerning the respective responsibilities of professor and students is courtesy of Dr. Terry Murray of the State University of New York at New Paltz. Language concerning definitions of Teaching for Understanding terms is from the Harvard Graduate School of Education website. The Unit Maps are based on the graphic organizer in the Teaching for Understanding Guide by Tina Blythe and Associates. All comics panels are from Rhymes with Orange by Hilary Price (http://rhymeswithorange.com).

[Notes: Though students will not be able to click on these links directly if the syllabus is in paper form, they can still access the contributions named in the section when they are provided with urls or other citations.]

If you would like to make a quick acknowledgement that you are re-using an assignment designed by another instructor, you can simply add a footnote after the title of the assignment on the syllabus:

Midterm: Pastoral Listening Exercise ¹

___________________

This midterm assignment is adapted from Prof. Bonnie Miller-McLemore's course "Introduction to Pastoral Theology and Care," taught at Vanderbilt University in the Fall Semester of 2014.

Though students will not be able to access the work of this professor, she is still properly given credit for her contribution to the syllabus.

Focusing on Assessment for Learning

In their 2011 article in the Journal of College Science Teaching, Ludwig, Bentz, and Fynewever emphasize the role of the syllabus in preparing students: "Your Syllabus Should Set the Stage for Assessment for Learning." They describe three levels of information for students to use to assess learning as it happens:

Specific learning objectives. Their example for the first chapter of a General Chemistry includes

The student will be able to

given written or graphic descriptions, distinguish between pure substances, heterogeneous mixtures, and solutions.

given a temperature in one scale, convert between temperature scales (°C, °F, K)

given conversion factors, perform dimensional conversions of any kind.

Feedback mechanisms to students, posed as questions to help students learn to reflect on their learning. This reflection can be immediate, or it can take place over the course of the semester. Here are a few excerpts:

Online Homework: Have you submitted and resubmitted the homework until it is mastered (a perfect score)? These problems were chosen because they match the course objectives.

Clicker Questions and think-pair-share discussions: During a given class period, we will have about three clicker questions. Often these questions will be followed by a discussion with your nearest neighbor. Are you doing well on these questions? Can you explain your thinking clearly to your neighbor?

Self-reflection: Look over the list of learning objectives for the chapter that we are studying. Are you confident that you are proficient at these objectives? Your confidence is a good (but not perfect) predictor of your achievement.

Feedback mechanisms to instructor, which are sometimes the same as those for the student, such as clicker questions, think-pair-share activities, and minute papers, in addition to homework and written work. Contextualizing these activities as feedback opportunities for the instructor on the effectiveness of their teaching adds another dimension to student perception of them. Here is some of the language Fynewever uses in his syllabus:

How will I know if my teaching is helping you read the learning objectives?

Clicker questions: After you answer the clicker questions, we will see a histogram displaying what percentage of students made each choice. If there's clearly disagreement, then I'll know that we need to spend more time on this topic.

Think-pair-share and small group discussions: While you are talking with your neighbor or in small groups I will circulate amongst the class and "spy" on you. If it sounds like there's a lot of divergent ideas or uncertainty, then we will discuss your thoughts together as a class.

Civility

We all hope for students in our classes to grant one another respect and dignity, even when discussing challenging subjects regarding, for example, sexual/gendered inequality. To help support this approach, below is sample text focused on gender and sexuality drafted by Vanderbilt's Project Safe for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response. You may choose to incorporate other subject matter into your syllabus statement or encourage broad values of civility and mutual respect. If you would like to discuss with a consultant, please contact the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching.

Sample Statement:

In this course we may discuss a variety of sexually explicit and/or violent behaviors, practices, and viewpoints on those behaviors and practices, some of which are controversial. Our readings and discussions will provide you the opportunity to develop a language for and comfort level with discussing a full range of topics related to gendered and sexual violence in the classroom in a respectful and articulate way. In this course, the aim of our inquiry is critical understanding. No student will be expected to reveal or discuss their own sexual experiences, preferences, or desires. You will be expected to participate in our class discussions in a way that is respectful of others. If you do not feel comfortable hearing about, viewing, and discussing gender-based violence, sex and sexualities in a frank and respectful way, you may wish to reconsider your intention to take the course.

Including Language about Emergency Preparedness in a Course Syllabus

You may be interested in including information in your course syllabus regarding emergency preparedness on campus. Here are several potential approaches:

Vanderbilt University offers several web-based guides to emergency preparedness, including a guidebook available for download. Consider providing students with a link to Vanderbilt's comprehensive downloadable pdf guide in the electronic version of the syllabus. The guide includes information about what to do in a range of situations, from thunderstorms to active shooter situations.

Create a one-page document with safety and emergency essentials relevant to your campus location and discipline, and include it in your syllabus. To do so, cut and paste desired sections from the downloadable pdf guide. You may want to include information on what to do in case of a chemical spill if your class will be interacting with chemicals, for example, or evacuation guidelines specific to your location. Here is an example of a one-page emergency preparedness pdf offered to instructors at George Washington University as a syllabus insert.

You may wish to simply use this brief blurb with essential emergency information:

"The safety of students, faculty, and staff at Vanderbilt University is of the utmost importance. As a Vanderbilt student, you are automatically enrolled in AlertVU, which is used in emergencies which pose an imminent threat to the community. If you need to contact the Vanderbilt Police in an emergency, call 911 from any campus phone or (615) 421-1911 from any other phone. Additional information about emergency preparedness is available online.

Explicit Content (with the trigger warning)

If your course involves discussion of gender-based violence or abuse, you might want to provide a trigger warning to your students on your syllabus. The following sample text was drafted by Vanderbilt's Project Safe for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response. Contact Project Safe for more information.

Sample statement:

This course and course materials may involve the use of explicit language, including descriptions and examples of sexual situations, violent and abusive behaviors, to discuss gender-based violence and forms of abuse. The situations and behaviors examined will include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect.

Participating in class discussions, reading course materials, and completing course assignments may remind you of experiences that you, a friend, or family member may have gone through. If you need support and/or would like to talk to someone about questions or concerns relating to power-based personal violence, please contact the Project Safe 24-hour hotline at (615) 322-SAFE (7233) or visit the Project Safe website in order to learn more about on and off-campus resources. Project Safe is a confidential (limited) resource; other confidential resources on campus include the Psychological and Counseling Center, Student Health, and the University chaplains.

Reports may be made to and assistance is also available through Vanderbilt's Title IX Coordinator (615-343-9004) and VUPolice Department. A non-campus local resource, the Nashville Sexual Assault Center also offers a 24-hour hotline: 1-800-879-1999. Many resources are available; please see instructor for further assistance.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for Digital Learning

Instructors are increasingly including online, web-based, and public digital assignments including Web publishing, blogging, and social media participation. The reasons for doing so are many: Intellectual interaction among fellow students or even the general public; building digital literacy and responsible digital citizenship; and creating electronic portfolios of academic work; among others. All course assignments must protect student's privacy rights under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA also known as the Buckley Amendment; see here for Vanderbilt's FERPA guidelines). Under FERPA regulations, instructors cannot, without permission, disclose student's personal information, grades, or course enrollments. It is the issue of course enrollment that is particularly tricky with publicly available online assignments.

FERPA may be violated if students are forced to publicly contribute to online websites like blogs or discussion boards, if grades are left where others (including their classmates) can see them, or if student grades are sent via email. You may choose to consider having a FERPA statement in your syllabus if you intend to have an online component to your course (beyond Blackboard/Canvas/D2L - at Vanderbilt, course management systems like Blackboard, Canvas, and D2L are considered secure for posting grades. See the Vanderbilt Registrar's website for more Vanderbilt specific information).

There are some easy measures you can put into place to protect your students rights when it comes to digital projects.

Recommendations:

1. Make participation requirements in online assignments very clear in the syllabus at the start of term. Not only will this set participation policies, it allows students to choose to enroll or unenroll in course with full knowledge of course requirements. You may take their continued enrollment as consent regarding your policies.

2. Encourage students to manage their own privacy settings. Giving students the choice of when to use an "alias" and when to publish under their given name not only gives them control of their personal information, it provides an exercise in digital citizenship and literacy.

3. If full participation under a given name is a necessary component of the assignment, have students sign this consent form. Using this consent form isn't required (see point 1 above), but it's a good practice.

Sample Statements:

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law designated to protect the privacy of a student's education records and academic work. All files, records, and academic work completed within this course are considered educational records and are protected under FERPA. In this course, we will be working with third party applications online (i.e. wikis, blogs, and social media applications like Twitter). It will be your responsibility to read the privacy documentation at each site. You will be allowed to use a pseudonym/alias in order to maintain your privacy as long as you notify me of that username. The online component is required as part of this course. I will take your continued enrollment in this course as consent regarding this policy. If you still have concerns, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options.

As part of this course, you will be required to post to a course blog weekly in order to engage in current political discourse. This blog is publically available on the internet and may be viewed by persons around the world who are not enrolled in this course. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), you may choose to limit what information you share, including your real name and other personally identifying characteristics. Please sign the attached consent form acknowledging that you have read and consent to this policy.

Title IX Statement

Title IX prohibits all forms of gender-based discrimination, including sexual assault and harassment, in federally funded education programs. Title IX reads: "[N]o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Title IX applies to academic programs and extends to sponsored off-campus programs. Though a private institution, Vanderbilt receives federal monies to support financial aid packages.

If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can call the Project Safe 24-hour crisis/support hotline at 615-322-7233 and you can find a list of resources at Project Safe. You may also contact the University's Title IX Coordinator (615-343-9004).

Inclusivity and Diversity in the Classroom

Classroom inclusivity is an umbrella term denoting that the classroom environment will be respectful of differences in background and identity between students and the instructor, including differences in race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and class. An inclusive classroom does not mean that differences are ignored, but rather that students can expect that they will not be excluded, stereotyped, or judged based on their differences. In addition, an inclusive classroom will mean that students have space to bring their various identities into conversation with class material as they find helpful, but are not expected to represent or speak for an entire group of people who share aspects of an identity. The following statements are meant to convey expectations for a classroom environment as well as student and teacher expectations that help to create an inclusive classroom.

You may want to include the following components:

A statement declaring that the class will respect differences in background and identity as well as an exact description of what that respect will look like from day to day.

A link to the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion or other official campus offices and statements outlining the institution's commitment to inclusivity.

Links to Student Access Services , the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Life , the Black Cultural Center , the Women's Center , and other services that may offer support for students from historical minority groups on campus.

Examples:

The Feminist Pedagogy CFT Guide provides links to the following helpful examples:

California State University's provides the following three statements ( Office of Diversity and Inclusion along with s tatements on inclusion/diversity particular to academic disciplines ). Taken together, they provide the most detailed and thorough syllabus statement on inclusion of the three examples offered here.

Diversity Statement

Respect: Students in this class are encouraged to speak up and participate during class meetings. Because the class will represent a diversity of individual beliefs, backgrounds, and experiences, every member of this class must show respect for every other member of this class.

Safe Zone Statement

I am part of the Safe Zone Ally community network of trained Chico State faculty/staff/students who are available to listen and support you in a safe and confidential manner. As a Safe Zone Ally, I can help you connect with resources on campus to address problems you may face that interfere with your academic and social success on campus as it relates to issues surrounding sexual orientation/gender identity. My goal is to help you be successful and to maintain a safe and equitable campus.

LGBTQ Equality Statement

I am firmly committed to diversity and equality in all areas of campus life, including specifically members of the LGBTQ community. In this class I will work to promote an anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels safe and welcome. I recognize that discrimination can be direct or indirect and take place at both institutional and personal levels. I believe that such discrimination is unacceptable and I am committed to providing equality of opportunity for all by eliminating any and all discrimination, harassment, bullying, or victimization. The success of this policy relies on the support and understanding of everyone in this class. We all have a responsibility not to be offensive to each other, or to participate in, or condone harassment or discrimination of any kind.

The University of Northern Colorado's Diversity and Equality Committee offers a more concise but descriptive statement of the inclusive learning environment:

Inclusivity Statement: The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (CEBS) supports an inclusive learning environment where diversity and individual differences are understood, respected, appreciated, and recognized as a source of strength. We expect that students, faculty, administrators and staff within CEBS will respect differences and demonstrate diligence in understanding how other peoples' perspectives, behaviors, and worldviews may be different from their own.

Please visit the CEBS Diversity and Equity Committee website for more information on our commitment to diversity .

West Virginia University's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion provides a statement that links classroom inclusion to its accommodations statement. It is the most concise and therefore least descriptive of these examples.

The West Virginia University community is committed to creating and fostering a positive learning and working environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and inclusion.

If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise me and make appropriate arrangements with the Office of Accessibility Services... For more information on West Virginia University's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, please see http://diversity.wvu.edu/ ."

Mental Health & Wellness

Example statement:

If you are experiencing undue personal and/or academic stress during the semester that may be interfering with your ability to perform academically, Vanderbilt's Student Care Network offers a range of services to assist and support you. I am available to speak with you about stresses related to your work in my course, and I can assist you in connecting with the Student Care Network. The Office of Student Care Coordination (OSCC) is the central and first point of contact to help students navigate and connect to appropriate resources on and off-campus, develop a plan of action, and provide ongoing support. You can schedule an appointment with the OSCC at https://www.vanderbilt.edu/carecoordination/ or call 615-343-WELL.

The Student Care Network also offers drop-in services on campus on a regular basis. You can find a calendar of services https://www.vanderbilt.edu/studentcarenetwork/satellite-services/.

If you or someone you know needs to speak with a professional counselor immediately, the University Counseling Center offers Crisis Care Counseling during the summer and academic year. Students may come directly to the UCC and be seen by the clinician on call, or may call the UCC at (615) 322-2571 to speak with a clinician. You can find additional information at https://www.vanderbilt.edu//ucc/.

Layout and Graphic Presentation

"It is easy to dismiss design - to relegate it to mere ornament, the prettifying of places and objects to disguise their banality. But that is a serious misunderstanding of what design is and why it matters." - Daniel Pink

Linda Nilson's 2007 book The Graphic Syllabus and the Outcomes Map: Communicating your course is a detailed resource for thinking about the visual impact of the layout of your syllabus. How the syllabus looks affects our students' perceptions of the class and of us as instructors. It also helps students learn to organize their knowledge in meaningful ways. "Visuals communicate the structure and interrelationship among the topics to be covered and the abilities students will acquire. [...] They can also be designed to communicate an instructor's approachability, sense of humor, and caring for the students." (13) With more and more syllabuses being available online, there are fewer restrictions on using images due to the cost of printing in color. We could even include links to relevant videos to explain our expectations. Something as simple as separating the calendar of readings into visually distinct and meaningful thematic groups can help students organize their learning over the course of the semester.

Other professors have shared their attempts to apply Nilson's principles. For example, in 2010 Billie Hara shared visuals from her syllabuses, which categorize visually the kinds of learning objectives her students will achieve.

Here is one example from a philosophy course by Mark Smillie at Carroll College (Helena, MT) which illustrates Nilson's suggestion that the layout of the syllabus can suggest "competition and complementarity" among elements of the course:

The weeks are numbered to the left, and the readings are organized visually into meaningful groups. This helps students construct a model for schools of philosophy which all answer the same question ("Philosophy: What is it, why do it?") but have distinguishing characteristics from one another.

Ultimately, it is important to remember that visuals in a syllabus serve as a model and guide for the students as they navigate the content and requirements of the course.

Learning Environment

The learning environment in the classroom or laboratory is guided by norms and rules of discussion, whether or not these are clearly articulated and set by the syllabus. A statement on learning environment expectations will help students understand how to engage the class, instructor, and one another in a way that best promotes respect, critical thought, and learning. An instructor may want to include statements on how to participate in open discussions, how to articulate and substantiate an argument, and how to handle disagreements.

You may want to include the following components:

Concise statements of what the students should expect from the instructor and from one another as they each contribute to the classroom's learning environment.

A description or list of norms and behaviors that best facilitate an open and respectful classroom environment (e.g. critique ideas, not people; do not interrupt, etc.).

An explicit connection between classroom inclusivity and learning environment expectations.

Sample Statements:

The " Classroom Climate Guidelines " at Carleton College in Northfield, MN gives a bulleted list of classroom expectations across the university.

The Carleton Classroom, Studio, and Laboratory are therefore:

Spaces in which faculty, staff, and students strive to create positive atmospheres that value the diversity, backgrounds, and perspectives of all members of our communities.

Spaces for discussion and experimentation with ideas and opinions where students, staff, and faculty interact in a variety of ways. Together, we present information, work in groups on problems or projects, build and criticize arguments and opinions, and develop creativity and critical thinking.

Spaces in which individuals should feel at liberty to express their considered views on relevant materials and issues, to challenge their fellow students and instructors to explain or refine views, and to ask questions when they need clarification or further explanation. At the same time, these are spaces where they should be prepared to be challenged by others in the service of the learning process.

Spaces in which generalities, labels, assumptions, and stereotypes may be identified, interrogated, and challenged, and ideas, interpretations, and hypotheses will be proposed, refined, and criticized. Challenging ideas and opinions respectfully does not constitute a form of disrespect but is an aspect of the learning process.

Spaces in which individuals treat themselves, their classmates, and their instructors with respect and consideration in what they say and the manner in which they say it so as to foster a productive learning environment.

See also " Sample Civility Statements" from the Teaching and Learning Initiatives at Mount Holyoke College.

These " Guidelines for Class Participation" by the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan provide another list, but it is more succinct than the first one above:

1. Respect others' rights to hold opinions and beliefs that differ from your own. Challenge or criticize the idea, not the person.

2. Listen carefully to what others are saying even when you disagree with what is being said. Comments that you make (asking for clarification, sharing critiques, expanding on a point, etc.) should reflect that you have paid attention to the speaker's comments.

3. Be courteous. Don't interrupt or engage in private conversations while others are speaking.

4. Support your statements. Use evidence and provide a rationale for your points.

5. Allow everyone the chance to talk. If you have much to say, try to hold back a bit; if you are hesitant to speak, look for opportunities to contribute to the discussion.

6. If you are offended by something or think someone else might be, speak up and don't leave it for someone else to have to respond to it.

Finally, for an example that mixes pointed lists of expectations with more descriptive paragraphs about how the classroom environment contributes to the goals of the class, see Nancy Chick's syllabus statement in the link below, also found in the Feminist Pedagogy CFT Guide:

Mandatory Reporting

All faculty, many staff, and some students are "mandatory reporters" who are legally obligated to report any allegations of sexual misconduct (assault, harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and child abuse) and any suspected discrimination (about age, race, color, cree, religion, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military status, familial status or other protected categories under local, state or federal law) to Vanderbilt's Title IX Coordinator (615-343-9004).

This means that students who discuss such things with their peers and faculty do not have confidentiality. Students should be aware of that fact so they, both have choice about reporting, and options for other, confidential resources on campus. Title IX calls on the University to address the "impact" of sexual harassment and violence, so there are no time or geographical exclusions to what must be reported. Your reporting obligation extends to incidents that occur or occurred off-campus and to those that occurred prior to a person's affiliation with the University. Also, your reporting obligation applies in all situations, not just the classroom or in connection with a course. The only exclusion is a confidential support group setting, such as at the University Counseling Center or the Center for Student Wellbeing.

If you have any questions about the scope of your obligation, please contact the University Title IX Coordinator or the Director of the Project Safe Center.

The following is sample text to help explain this to students, as drafted by Vanderbilt's Project Safe for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response.

Sample Statement:

University faculty, many staff member, and some student leaders are required to report incidents of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, and child abuse, as well as any suspected discrimination (about age, race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national or ethnic origin, sex/gender, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, military status, familial status or other protected categories under local, state or federal law) to the University's Title IX Coordinator (615-343-9004), as required by University policy and state and federal law.

If you disclose an experience of interpersonal violence and/or child abuse to classmates with mandatory reporting obligations or to the instructor, whether in class discussion or through a course assignment, your disclosure will be kept as private as possible but may not be able to be kept confidential.

Please consult with your instructor with any questions before sharing a personal experience of intimate partner violence or that of another Vanderbilt-affiliated person. Note that this includes incidents that occur on or off campus, as well as incidents that occurred prior to your affiliation with Vanderbilt. If you disclose thoughts of harm to self or others, that information will also be disclosed to relevant parties charged with ensuring the health and safety of our campus community.

Personal Electronic Devices

Computers, tablets, cell phones and other electronic devices can be useful tools in the classroom when used properly, but they can also be a source of distraction. Some instructors

See our teaching guide on Wireless in the Classroom for more information.

You may want to include the following components:

A description of how laptops will be integrated into your classroom activities. Laptops may make sense in some classes more than others. If your class is largely discussion-based, then it may be appropriate to adopt a policy that limits the use of laptops in class. If your class varies in format from one meeting to the next, you may want to define 'laptop' vs 'non-laptop' days.

Information on the types of content, resources, and tools students can use during glass. For instance, if readings and other course content are made available through Blackboard or Box, you may want your students to be able to bring them up during class. The same might be said for courses that require students to use particular software like SPSS or Excel.

Sample Statements:

As part of this course, you will be asked to vote on "clicker questions" using your laptop, tablet, or cell phone at least twice per class. I expect that you use these technologies only for course-related purposes while in the classroom. If you find your cellphone distracting, you can put it away between questions. If you have an emergency where you need to answer your phone, please exit the classroom to do so.

This course requires you to be a mindful and courteous participant during in-class discussions. Therefore, laptops and cellphones are not allowed except in the following situations: fact-checking, referencing required readings, and finding relevant resources to aid in our understanding of the course content (such as YouTube clips or recent newspaper articles). If I find that you are abusing this policy, I will ask you to turn off the device. Repeated infractions will lower your participation grade.

Personal Pronoun Preference

Students in your classroom may prefer to be referred to with pronouns that are different from the ones that accord with their biological sex assigned at birth. The Center for Teaching's Teaching Beyond the Gender Binary in the University Classroom Guide provides a comprehensive introduction as well as a range of resources for classroom practices inclusive of gender nonconforming and transgender students. You should not assume that your classroom does not have gender nonconforming students in it. A good way to ensure that your class will be inclusive of all gender identities is to include a statement on pronoun preferences in your syllabus.

You may want to include the following components:

A statement explaining that the instructor and the class will respect the pronoun choices of each individual class member

A list of your own pronoun preferences following your name on the syllabus: "Dr. Richard Coble (he, him, his)"

A supplemental pronoun etiquette sheet or pronoun guide explaining how to use pronouns respectfully and to correct for mistakes

Sample Statements:

The University of Colorado Boulder's Gender and Sexuality Center provides a concise statement on inclusivity, ending with a request to make pronoun preferences known to the instructor:

Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.

Austin College's Johnson Center for Faculty Development and Excellence in Teaching gives the following example statement in a PowerPoint presentation on Safe Space for LGBTQ Students. It is more descriptive about name and pronoun preferences, providing some rationale and examples:

All humans have the right to be addressed in accordance with their personal identity. Sometimes this means you'd prefer me to call you "Jim" rather than "James." Sometimes this means that though your given name might be "Helen," you identify as male and would prefer to go by a different name and a masculine pronoun. In all cases, students' preferences of address will be honored. If you have reason to believe that I may refer to you by the incorrect pronoun ("s/he"), please let me know how you would prefer to be addressed (she, he, they, ze, etc.) right away.

Finally, the University of Pittsburgh's Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program provides the following suggested syllabus statement. This statement is more abstract but also comprehensive in its presentation of how gender pronouns and preferences function in classroom inclusivity and exclusivity:

Language is gender-inclusive and non-sexist when we use words that affirm and respect how people describe, express, and experience their gender. Just as sexist language excludes women's experiences, non-gender-inclusive language excludes the experiences of individuals whose identities may not fit the gender binary, and/or who may not identify with the sex they were assigned at birth. Identities including trans, intersex, and genderqueer reflect personal descriptions, expressions, and experiences. Gender-inclusive/non-sexist language acknowledges people of any gender (for example, first year student versus freshman, chair versus chairman, humankind versus mankind, etc.). It also affirms non-binary gender identifications, and recognizes the difference between biological sex and gender expression. Students, faculty, and staff may share their preferred pronouns and names, and these gender identities and gender expressions should be honored.

Promising Syllabus

Ken Bain describes the commonalities across syllabuses from college teachers across the country who consistently inspired their students to learn deeply.

Trust, rejection of power, and setting standards that represented authentic goals rather than schoolwork are apparent in the kind of syllabus the best teachers tended to use. This "promising syllabus," as we dubbed it, had three major parts. First, the instructor would lay out the promises or opportunities that the course offered to students. What kinds of questions would it help students answer? What kind of intellectual, physical, emotional, or social abilities would it help them develop? That section represented an invitation to a feast, giving students a strong sense of control over whether they accepted. Second, the teacher would explain what the students would be doing to realize those promises (formerly known as requirements), avoiding the language of demands, and again giving the students a sense of control over their own education. The would decide to pursue the goals on their own, without taking the course, but if they decided to stay in the class, they needed to do certain things to achieve. Third, the syllabus summarized how the instructor and the students would understand the nature and progress of their learning. This was far more than an exposition of grading policies; it was the beginning of a dialogue in which both students and instructors explored how they would understand learning, so they could both make adjustments as they went and evaluate the nature of learning by the end of the term.

- Ken Bain, What the Best College Teachers Do, 74-75. [Emphasis Added]

Christine Courtade Hirsch, Assistant Professor of Communication at SUNY Oswego, changed her syllabus after attending a workshop with Ken Bain. Overall she had a very positive experience. Importantly, she reminds her readers in her written reflections on the experience that the course has to be in line with the promises articulated in the syllabus. She recommends six strategies for implementing the values of the promising syllabus into the communications classroom over the course of the semester:

1. Emphasize the different focus of the course;

2. Offer a foundational vocabulary,

3. Facilitate learning through careful listening in discussion and developing grading rubrics with students,

4. Be prepared to let students make decisions,

5. Ask a question for which you do not have answers,

6. Require a major project that allows students to illustrate what they know. (Hirsch 2010).

To read more about it, and see part of Hirsch's syllabus, you can read her article in Communication Teacher vol. 24 (2010) 78-90.

Sexual Misconduct

Faculty may wish to include statements on their syllabi that provide links and resources to campus services. For any course, but especially those that may touch on issues of sexual and gender, you might want to include a statement on sexual misconduct. The following is sample text to help guide students, as drafted by Vanderbilt's Project Safe for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response. Contact Project Safe for more information.

Sample Statement:

Vanderbilt is committed to providing a community built on trust and mutual respect, where all can feel secure and free from harassment. Sexual misconduct including sexual violence, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, and stalking, violates a person's rights, dignity and integrity and is contrary to our community principles and the mission of the college. The University is committed to fostering a community that promotes prompt reporting of sexual misconduct and timely and fair resolution of sexual misconduct reports. Creating a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment is the responsibility of everyone at Vanderbilt.

We encourage all members of our campus community to seek support from the Project Safe Center; 615-322-7233. We encourage community members to report all incidents of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct directly to the Title IX Coordinator (615-322-4705). Staff in these departments will assist in eliminating the misconduct, preventing its recurrence, and addressing its effects.

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by Jessica Riviere, Danielle Picard, and Richard Coble1 Print Version Cite this guide: Riviere, J., Picard, D., & Coble, R. (2014). Syllabus Design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/syllabus-design/. What does a syllabus contain? || How does tone affect learners? || What are examples of policies and resources I can use?

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses the key elements needed for classroom management. These aspects include organizing the classroom in a manner that produces an inviting learning environment. The article addresses how to have management of the classroom during planning and instruction. This is something all teachers must have in their classroom. The article also gives many more sections on classroom management.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Critical Role of Classroom Management

Teachers play various roles in a typical classroom, but surely one of the most important is that of classroom manager. Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom. Effective teachers appear to be effective with students of all achievement levels regardless of the levels of heterogeneity in their classes. If the teacher is ineffective, students under that teacher's tutelage, will achieve inadequate progress academically, regardless of how similar or different they are regarding their academic achievement. Current research indicates that students in classes of teachers classified as most effective can be expected to gain about 52 percentile points in their achievement over a year's time. Students in classes of teachers classified as least effective can be expected to gain only about 14 percentile points over a year's time. This comparison is even more dramatic when one realizes that some researchers have estimated that students will exhibit a gain in learning of about 6 percentile points simply from maturation-from growing one year older and gleaning new knowledge and information through everyday life (see Hattie, 1992; Cahen & Davis, 1987).

The effective teacher performs many functions that can be organized into three major roles: (1) making wise choices about the most effective instruction strategies to employ, (2) designing classroom curriculum to facilitate student learning, and (3) making effective use of classroom management techniques (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). Therefore, effective teachers have a wide array of instructional strategies at their disposal, are skilled at identifying and articulating the proper sequence and pacing of their content, are skilled in classroom management techniques.

In summary, the research over the past 30 years indicates that classroom management is one of the critical ingredients of effective teaching. The research resulted in two books on classroom management; one elementary level and one for the secondary level. The books, Classroom Management for the Elementary Teachers and Classroom Management for the Secondary Teacher by Carolyn Evertson, Edmund Emmer and Murray Worsham are considered the primary resources for the application of the research on classroom management to K-12 education (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock).

The following information was taken directly from the book, Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers by Carolyn Evertson, Edmund Emmer and Murray Worsham (2006), considered by many as the to be the primary resource for the application of the research on classroom management.

Taken from Classroom Management for Elementary Teachers, Seventh Edition, Carolyn M. Evertson, Edmund T. Emmer, and Murray E. Worsham, Pearson Education, Boston, 2006.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The critical role of classroom management

# data[].attributes.body
This website shows the UDL guidelines in the classroom. These guidelines include engagement, representation, Action & Expression. Within these it gives different topics and hyperlinks for the teacher to click on. These hyperlinks include self regulation, and comprehension to name a couple, although there are many more. This is something all teachers should review and strive to incorporate in their classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST. The UDL Guidelines can be used by educators, curriculum developers, researchers, parents, and anyone else who wants to implement the UDL framework in a learning environment. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Coming soon! UDL Guidelines 3.0

The UDL Guidelines are a living, dynamic tool that is continuously developed based on new research and feedback from practitioners. In 2020, CAST launched our most recent effort to update the UDL Guidelines, with a specific focus on equity. There has been a strong call from the field-both practitioners and researchers alike-to more fully develop the Guidelines to address critical barriers rooted in biases and systems of oppression. The current update aims to respond to this call and to work toward fulfilling the promise of the Guidelines as a tool to guide the design of learning environments that more fully honor and value every learner.

Since our launch in 2020, we have been committed to a community-driven, inclusive, and transparent updating process. As part of this effort, we are:

Collaborating with an Advisory Board, a UDL Guidelines Collaborative, and a Young Adult Advisory Board to guide our work

Conducting focus groups with a diversity of participants to learn from their perspectives, lived experiences, and feedback

Reviewing the research on the UDL Guidelines research pages to understand the balance of different research fields, methodological approaches, epistemological approaches, and author positionalities

Conducting literature reviews of equity-oriented research that connect to and extend the Guidelines, such as disability studies and critical pedagogy studies

We are excited to share this next iteration of the UDL Guidelines in 2024. If you are interested in receiving our UDL Guidelines 3.0 newsletter to stay updated on our progress and to share your ideas and perspectives, please complete this brief form.

Review the Summary

Explore the Full Draft

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The UDL Guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning, a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. Learn more about the Universal Design for Learning framework from CAST.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses that students will come to the classroom from different backgrounds with different knowledge. It goes on to address providing multiple means of representation,  action and expression, and engagement. This article addresses how UDL will be applied in your classroom by asking critical questions about course design.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To teach effectively, you have to reach your students, students who come to the classroom with varied backgrounds, expectations, abilities, and learning styles. This understanding is at the heart of the philosophy of practice known as universal design for learning (UDL). UDL is part of a larger movement of universal design, which works to increase access for all through designs that-from the beginning-consider needs of diverse people, not just adapting when a situation requires it. For instructors, UDL means designing your course with accessibility in mind-regardless of whether you've been approached by a student who may "require" such adjustments.

Why Consider UDL?

According to the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability Winter 2011 edition, eleven percent of undergraduates report some type of disability - and the proportions have swapped such that the majority of disabilities are now non-apparent (e.g., mental, emotional, psychiatric condition/depression, ADHD, specific learning disabilities/dyslexia), compared to more apparent disabilities (e.g. mobility impairment). Meanwhile, between sixty and eighty percent of students with disabilities don't actually contact campus university services for "official" accommodation requests/reporting - which means many students in your classrooms may fall in this category without your knowledge.

This is also an issue of social justice. By putting disability and access considerations at the center of our teaching, we join efforts to make higher education accessible to all of our students.

Key Principles of UDL UDL in Your Course Additional Resources

Key Principles of UDL

Many of you have heard about the increase in classroom technologies, but in their publication Universal Design for Learning in Postsecondary Education (PDF) Rose, et al. remind us that it's important to distinguish UDL from use of "assistive technologies" that are available (from "low-tech" wheelchairs, eyeglasses, or ASL interpreters to more "high tech" computerized support-spell-check, text-to-speech). UDL is about making material that is physically accessible to all, but also about accessible pedagogies.

Based in neuroscientific research and primary brain networks, UDL is grounded in three key principles that are core to learning:

Provide Multiple Means of Representation

Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Principle #1: Provide multiple means of representation

Principle #2: Provide multiple means of action and expression

Principle #3: Provide multiple means of engagement

Brain Networks Activated: Recognition

Brain Networks Activated: Strategic

Brain Networks Activated: Affective

Key word: what. The what of learning

Key word: how. The how of learning

Key word: why. The why of learning

Description: How we gather facts and categorize what we see, hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author's style are recognition tasks.

Description: Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are strategic tasks.

Description: How learners get engaged and stay motivated. How they are challenged, excited, or interested. These are affective dimensions.

The principle put another way: Principle #1: Present information and content in different ways.

The principle put another way: Principle #2: Differentiate the ways that students can express what they know.

The principle put another way: Principle #3: Stimulate interest and motivation for learning.

Adapted from the National UDL Center
Back to the top
UDL In Your Course

While several starters and tips for incorporating UDL into your course(s) are listed below, an especially helpful resource for checklists and recommendations on UDL is the Access Project, a project of Colorado State University's Department of Occupational Therapy. On their website, the Project hosts many UDL materials, including A Concise Introduction to UDL, How Do You Teach? (a UDL Checklist for professors), and a more in-depth UDL Quick Tips chart.

Your Syllabus-Consider how you address principles of UDL and access in your syllabus:

Do you include a disability or accessibility statement (your approach to disability and accommodations in the classroom)? Do you point this out to students in your in-class syllabus review?

Consider what tone you are setting with including such a statement. Since it is your classroom, perhaps create your own, tailored statement. Even if it's an addition to your institution's existing statement, this can help you to set the tone of your course.
For Georgetown's recommended statement and other examples, see the Teaching Commons Georgetown Policies page, and select "Disabilities Accommodations." Consider the placement of such statement(s) on the syllabus, and how you might highlight these during class.

Additional suggested practices for UDL & syllabus design

Assessment - Consider how UDL might impact your class assessment approach(es):

How can you best assess students' mastery? Have you considered combinations of assessments that are balanced to provide opportunities for students to use their different strengths (e.g., written assignments, creative submissions, electronic portfolios, real-time data)?

Within each assignment, are instructions clear? Are the layout and format of the assignment easy to navigate?

Check out our Designing Assessment page for more ideas and suggestions.

And if you'd like help with some self-assessment of how well you're doing with these ideas and issues, feel free to email CNDLS to set up a conversation or a Mid-Semester Teaching Feedback session.

Course Materials-Consider the accessibility of your course content and information:

Providing "multiple means of representation" involves preparing your course materials (whether print, digital, etc.) to be accessible to all students.

Creation of accessible materials:
The Access Project (also referenced earlier) has many guides that provide information on how to design materials that are in line with universal design principles for Microsoft products (Word, PowerPoint) and other applications (e.g., Adobe).

Class Time-Consider how you vary your approaches within the classroom, from methods of content delivery to student participation:

Present information in multiple formats, including text, graphics, audio, and video.

Try having your lectures supported by handouts or a few PowerPoint slides.

Davies et al. of Colorado State University, in Measuring the Effectiveness of Universal Design for Learning Intervention in Postsecondary Education, recommend the use of video clips, as long as you are sure to both introduce the video and summarize/debrief main points with the class.

Group discussions: There are many ways to use and tailor discussion activities to increase student engagement:

Providing time for individual reflection and writing prior to the group discussion may allow more students to be involved and gather their thoughts.

Using small groups: a "Think-Pair-Share" exercise with many pairs or small groups discussing ideas can also encourage more low-stakes participation.

Offering online formats: a forum for online discussion or blogging provides another space for students to participate and demonstrate comprehension.

Use classroom technologies such as clickers (Clickers - CNDLS technology page) and Poll Everywhere (Poll Everywhere - CNDLS technology page) for engagement and/or real-time interaction and feedback.

Use classroom technologies such as clickers and Poll Everywhere for engagement and/or real-time interaction and feedback.

Provide a bit of structure at the beginning of each class: outline key points, connect them to course objectives, and give a preview of the material to be covered in that day.

Check out our Planning and Leading Class, Teaching with Technologies, and Active Learning pages for more ideas.

Remember, key principles of UDL include providing multiple means of expression and of engagement-offer students a variety of ways to express themselves and to interact with course material.
Back to the top
Additional Resources

SoTL Note: These resources are helpful for learning more about UDL, but much of the current literature focuses on K-12 education, so there's a need for additional empirical, peer-reviewed research. If you're considering Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), learn more at our SoTL Teaching Commons page.
Back to the top
Please reach out to us at cndls@georgetown.edu if you'd like to have a conversation with someone at CNDLS about these or other teaching issues.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To teach effectively, you have to reach your students, students who come to the classroom with varied backgrounds, expectations, abilities, and learning styles. This understanding is at the heart of the philosophy of practice known as universal design for learning (UDL).

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses UDL granting students different ways to interact with material. This article addresses different ways to present information for students. It also talks about other areas we can give multiple ways to complete said task in. This is important so students can be successful in all classrooms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a recent movement to develop a world that is accessible and usable to a greater proportion of the population, including those with disabilities. Likewise, UDL deals with removing physical barriers to educational materials; for example, providing alternative accessible textbooks to students with disabilities. However, UDL also works to remove intellectual barriers.

UDL is a framework for designing classroom lessons so that they are advantageous to all learners. Its aim is to allow for a wide range of students to be supported and encouraged in developing enthusiasm for their studies. In order to accomplish this goal, the UDL program advocates that flexible materials, techniques, and strategies be used in the classroom, so that these items can be individualized for the specific student. For example, UDL includes both the need for instructors to present information in multiple ways, and the allowance that students be able to show their knowledge in multiple ways.

For more information on UDL in education, you may refer to Universal Design in Education: Teaching Non-Traditional Students. We have included some of the key points below.

To make sure that different learning styles are accommodated, offer class information both visually (on the blackboard, for example) and aloud. Also, offer materials in redundant media. Because many classroom materials are prepared using computers, make curricula and hand outs available to students on request or on a course web page. This allows each student to customize these materials for his/her own use (for example, making a large print version). It may also be useful to make these same materials accessible on a course website so that students can use their personal adaptive equipment. For example, eReader from the Center for Applied Special Technology pronounces the documents and highlights the text to provide student assistance.

In addition to making the material available in different media, allow the students to interact with the course materials in different ways. For example, students can respond to prompts by speaking the answer, or by writing or typing it. Students should also be able to modify the appearance of the materials (e.g., size, font, background colors, and the speed of their learning).

Allow students to comprehend and learn the material in different settings. This may include giving the option of independent or group work, or allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge by applying concepts to other, more practical situations (like calculating batting averages to demonstrate knowledge of adding and dividing). Listservs are also a good learning tool-some students may prefer a listserv with instructor participation where they can post questions and comments to be answered by the instructor, while others may benefit from a peer-sponsored listserv, dependent on student-only interaction and help.

Educators should become aware of possible cultural differences with their students, and how these differences might affect the students' education. For example, educators should look at the relative importance of academic work vs. family needs, and individual vs. group achievements. Every educator has biases based on his/her own culture and upbringing, but students from other cultural traditions with different values may need occasional flexibility and understanding.

Evaluations of students should also be multifaceted, with many options for students to demonstrate mastery of the material. For example, traditional tests and term papers should be mixed with group activities, community activities, and portfolios. This provides opportunities for success for a variety of learning styles.

Educators should take advantage of technology that makes distance learning an option. For some, attending class in person is inconvenient or impossible. Broadband communications, e-mail, and the web make distance learning a more viable possibility; therefore, instruction should be offered and student work should be accepted from a distance if necessary.

Make sure that students are aware of the availability of digitized e-books. These books are valuable for certain distance learning students, as well as students who are blind or have dyslexia.

Recognize that students may have improved speed and accuracy with dictation, for example, instead of traditional writing or typing. Computer speech recognition can be used to convert dictation into text with accuracy.

Materials should be translated into other languages if needed by students. To accomplish this, computer software can be used to obtain a "draft quality" translation, which can then be polished by a colleague fluent in the language.

Flexibility in physical accommodation is important. Make sure that the classroom is accessible, and select desks and chairs that are movable rather than fixed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a recent movement to develop a world that is accessible and usable to a greater proportion of the population, including those with disabilities. Likewise, UDL deals with removing physical barriers to educational materials; for example, providing alternative accessible textbooks to students with disabilities.

# data[].attributes.body
Digital Accessibility and UDL have similar goals. And can help students from different areas succeed on task. Although sometimes these can work against each other because they cause issues in have access to the other. Such as technology not allowing for use of UDL principles. The article also gives recommendations on how to use both digital media and UDL together. It lastly gives information on what it takes to get a institution to have UDL principles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
UDL and digital accessibility's perceived tensions can be reduced when institutions create and follow an implementation plan.

Credit: garagestock / EDUCAUSE © 2018

Universal design for learning (UDL) and digital accessibility both seek to increase learning access and reduce barriers for students. As such, their primary goals are compatible and are widely acknowledged as crucial to ensuring equity in education. Indeed, the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) recognized their importance, ranking UDL and accessibility together as the No. 2 Key Issue in Teaching and Learning for 2018. However, while the intent of the two frameworks is the same, their scope and methods often vary considerably, which-when coupled with external influences-creates challenges and conflicts in their otherwise compatible aims.

UDL is a teaching and course-development framework that gives all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL emphasizes flexible approaches to instruction and content presentation, which make it easier for students to customize and adjust content to suit their individual learning needs. While UDL aims at a broad range of learners, digital accessibility focuses on learners who have particular needs related to sensory, physical, and/or cognitive impairments. This often involves coupling content presentations with accommodations to make them accessible to all users-for example, providing text versions of image-based content, which allows a screen reader to interpret that content for students with visual impairments.

Conflicts arise, however, because accessibility accommodations can sometimes complicate efforts to quickly disseminate flexible learning options to a broad student population. In some cases, institutions are responding to such conflicts in extreme ways. For example, one institution simply took down large volumes of online content that had been provided in the spirit of UDL but that did not meet accessibility standards; in other instances, colleges and universities that feel overwhelmed by a conflict have done nothing at all to address it.

To further the aims of both UDL and accessibility, we provide specific recommendations for institutions and faculty to help them follow accessibility guidelines while continuing to ensure that UDL content is available to the broadest possible student population. To succeed in these efforts, it is essential to first gauge your institution's cultural climate, deliberate all options, encourage whole campus involvement, and use the accessibility effort as an opportunity to improve-rather than reduce-UDL practices.

The Union of UDL and Digital Accessibility

Although UDL practices promote accessibility standards, a lack of resources for and knowledge about how to make UDL practices accessible can create conflict in these practices-such as prohibiting the UDL practice of lecture capture recordings when they do not include the accessibility practice of accurate captions. To find our way forward, it is crucial to understand the regulatory context as well as the compatibilities and conflicts in the UDL and accessibility relationship.

The Context: Accessibility Regulation and Response

Section 508, added in 1998 to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, mandates digital accessibility-that is, federal agencies, contractors, and fund recipients must make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Higher education institutions have increased their attention to Section 508 compliance in light of a recent wave of complaints filed with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). While a few institutions have been required to dedicate staff and services to completely overhaul their websites and instructional content, most have come to an agreement with OCR to comply with Section 508.

Compatible Partners?

UDL and digital accessibility standards have similar goals. Some proponents view UDL as a social justice model that enhances student success opportunities for all learners. While UDL practices may not eliminate the need for individual accessibility accommodations, they may reduce that need. UDL also shows promise for increasing persistence and retention for a broad range of students, including underrepresented minorities, non-proficient readers, English language learners, nontraditional students, working students, parents, and commuters. UDL achieves this by encouraging proactive and intentional course design that focuses on providing multiple ways to motivate students (engagement), present concepts (representation), and allow students to demonstrate their learning (action and expression).

Further, an accessibility mindset often leads to a universal design, resulting in benefits for people beyond those in need of a specific accommodation. For example, the ramps and wheelchair access installed to comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were created for individuals with limited mobility, yet anyone who has pulled luggage, pushed a stroller, or juggled an armful of books has benefited from this advancement. The same universal benefits are possible in the digital world with UDL and accessibility acting as partners, proactively designing learning environments that meet the needs of diverse learners.

Conflicted Marriage?

While similar goals make UDL and accessibility efforts compatible, technological limitations can pit them against one another in the short term. Technology tools-such as presentation software that lets you add graphics, video, and audio to text files-are often integral to UDL practices but may fail to meet accessibility standards.

For now, one of the main sources of conflict for UDL and digital accessibility is the relationship between image- and text-based instructional content. Digital accessibility standards require a text alternative to image-based media: captions and transcripts for videos, and "alt text" (that is, text descriptions) for images in slides and documents. This conflict can become particularly intense for institutions that are short on the time, resources, and knowledge required to meet accessibility standards or for those that simply react hastily to impose the standards and abandon UDL in the process.

Further, many of the faculty members who readily embrace UDL-friendly tools and technologies are concerned about web accessibility issues in relation to the materials they have already created. These issues include concern over the time and resources involved in updating their existing content, as well as the learning curve required to execute those updates. Also, given the continuing lack of compliance for many tools, this conflict can act as a strong deterrent for instructors considering UDL before they ever create any UDL content and see its value for students.

Key Compatibility Challenges and Recommendations

Instructional videos and image-based media, such as photos and graphs, are two UDL practices that can meet digital accessibility challenges.

Instructional Video

Lecture-capture recordings are a staple UDL strategy. These video and audio recordings of instructors and what they display on the screen (such as slides and demonstrations) let students review instructional content at their own time and pace; this helps students who

are English language learners,

have difficulty taking notes while listening to lectures,

cannot attend class due to illness or work demands, or

are having difficulty understanding an instructor's accent.

It also helps all students prepare for tests and assignments, particularly those involving complex terminology and concepts.

Research shows that students who review lecture recordings better retain and understand the material; such reviews might be especially beneficial for low-achieving students. Using videos, including short instructional videos, is an effective pedagogical approach for online or hybrid teaching that not only improves the lecture experience but also allows more class time for active learning and engagement.

While many students benefit from video instruction, videos that do not include captions and transcripts can be a significant barrier for students with disabilities. For example, blind students cannot see the math equation being explained and deaf students cannot hear the lecture content. For these students to participate in the course, prerecorded video content must at least include captions and transcripts-and, ideally, audio descriptions of any visual elements not described.

UDL supports the use of captions and transcripts, as all students reap benefits from their use, including the benefits of

language reinforcement,

concept review, and

improved understanding when watching videos in loud or otherwise chaotic environments.

Practically, however, creating captions and transcripts entails significant resource challenges, especially for existing video content. For short, simple instructional videos, resource needs might be manageable, but in any case, faculty must contend with the "triple constraint"-that is, good, cheap, fast-pick two. YouTube, for example, offers a cheap and fast option for captions, but the transcriptions are far from perfect. In particular, difficult terminology and words from speakers with accents are often incorrectly transcribed. The need for captions and transcripts is also particularly challenging for recordings of long lecture sessions. Although many vendors offer captioning and transcription services, using them can be expensive (that is, good and fast, but not cheap), and many institutions simply cannot afford them.

Further, many vendors have yet to update their products with accessibility features that meet the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and other standards. Vendors of these tools often offer Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs), along with plans to increase accessibility, although some have yet to offer solutions to their product's accessibility shortcomings. This situation is similar to what the auto industry faced when fuel-efficiency laws were passed that outpaced industry capability. Such conflicts between accessibility standards and tech-based UDL strategies can render otherwise compatible educational practices temporarily incongruent.

There is also the challenge of deciding who is responsible for implementing accessibility standards:

Who will create accurate closed-captioning and transcripts for all recorded lectures and videos?

Can faculty be expected to do this? If so, do they have the time, skills, and resources required?

Do we have funding available to outsource this responsibility?

How do we prioritize our time and resources to comply with these standards?

If institutions are required to caption all video content, such videos-which benefit the majority of students-could be eliminated if they are not updated immediately to meet the needs of the approximately 10 percent of the US population with disabling impairments. While most colleges and universities are in a position to avoid such drastic measures, even a few such stories, if widely publicized, could intensify the conflict between UDL and accessibility rather than focusing on how UDL and accessibility should work together.

Instructional Images

Another key UDL practice is "representing" instructional content through image-based media, such as photographs, graphs, and charts. As with video, accessibility standards require that images include a text-based equivalent. For students, pictures truly can be "worth a thousand words," as many people learn better when viewing information visually in charts, graphs, or pictures than they do from reading text alone, particularly when that text is complicated or overly detailed.

Accessibility standards do not discourage image use in educational content, but they rightly point out that, lacking a text alternative, such content is rendered invisible to students with severe visual impairments. However, instructors might find themselves paralyzed when attempting to create text alternatives for complex or abstract images: What is the text equivalent of a color-coded, multidirectional diagram of the human body? A line of music notes? A painting for texture analysis?

Accessibility proponents oppose the idea that standards will render educational content void of color, image, and creativity, but this perception persists when faculty members feel they must immediately compose a text description for every image they use. Accessibility champions are developing helpful resources and creative solutions for making image-based content accessible for all, including free tools for building accessible tables and guides for inclusive art instruction. However, such developments do not necessarily soothe the tension of faculty members who rely on visual-based instruction, as these resources require time to learn and implement.

The risk here is that, faced with the need to describe each chart or other image they use, instructors might move away from image-based instruction and rely more heavily on traditional narrative text. In some cases, such a move would disadvantage students with "limited cognitive, language, and learning abilities," who were included in the Section 508 updates in January 2018. Research has found, for example, that students with learning disabilities do better using graphic organizers and that images can help students who struggle with complicated vocabulary and language variations.

UDL best practices address this dilemma of visual versus narrative format in the principle of providing multiple means of representation -that is, offering instructional content in text and image form. Guided by this principle, instructors offer materials in multiple formats-one highlighting charts, graphs, and other visuals and another using text descriptions of these visuals. Accessibility proponents champion this approach as well. In reality, however, faculty and staff do not yet have the tools to consistently provide multiple formats. Compliance by both vendors and institutions will require time, skills, and resources.

This issue raises several questions:

How can we ensure that faculty use images and provide useful accompanying text descriptions?

How can institutional leaders support faculty members so that they accept, rather than resist, these necessary changes?

Will recommended accessibility practices be revised to prioritize the use of visuals to address the learning needs of individuals with cognitive impairments?

Table 1 offers an overview of these challenges, which we now describe in more detail.
Table 1. UDL and Digital Accessibility Practices, Conflicts, and Recommendations

Lecture-capture recordings

Encourage faculty to record lectures so that diverse learners can review lecture content.

Create closed captions and transcripts for all lecture recordings.

Post only those recordings that meet the accessibility standard, removing recordings that do not comply.

Use appropriate closed captioning/transcript vendors when possible.

Prioritize resources to pay for these vendors.

Consult Disability Support Services for resources and recommendations.

Use free or low-cost services such as YouTube and then review and correct.

Work toward compliance for future recordings and develop a plan to address older ones.

Encourage the use of video to give diverse learners multiple ways to access content.

Create closed captions and transcripts for all lecture recordings.

Post only videos that meet the accessibility standard, removing recordings that do not comply.

Use free or low-cost services such as YouTube and then review and correct.

Work toward compliance for future recordings and develop a plan to address older ones.

Image-based instructional content

Encourage the use of visuals, images, and charts.

Include text equivalents for visual media.

Include only visuals, images, or charts that have alternative text.

When possible, provide a range of formats-including ones with narrative text as well as visuals.

Use alt text and an accessibility checker when possible.

Slide presentations and documents

Use slides and handouts to display instructional and house multimodal content, as well as to guide class activities.

Use legible font (size, type), sufficient color contrast, heading styles to organize sections, and an accessibility checker to flag problematic features.

Use only material that meets all accessibility standards.

When creating new materials and resources, use formats that pass an accessibility check.

Over time, update older versions of materials to comply with accessibility.

Recommendations: Waiting Out the Waves

Initiatives launched under legal pressure can make educators feel like they must address all issues immediately, but this is often not the case. It's important to ask-particularly during moments of buzzing frenzy-when final decisions on accessibility standard implementation are needed, as well as the circumstances under which such decisions might change.

As accessibility law changes and evolves, the urgency could change from semester to semester. For now, we recommend waiting out the waves of accessibility standards implementation. Discuss implementation options with university stakeholders, but resist locking onto an approach until your institution's leadership has solidified a definite plan and enacted accountability measures. Throughout the often lengthy process of determining an accessibility action plan, your university may consider everything from requiring accurate captions for every video within the next year to encouraging best practices and collecting data on gradual standard adoption. Although it is important to hold discussions, we recommend waiting as long as necessary before locking into a specific plan; doing so avoids having to change training material and messages to faculty, such as whether accessibility implementation is "required" or "recommended." As the following recommendations show, we suggest that institutions focus not on letting legal compliance drive change but rather on implementing best practices grounded in success for all students.

Institutional Recommendations

To help ensure that your institution makes progress on both UDL and accessibility compliance, we offer the following recommendations.

1. Secure institutional leaders' support and commitment. Some institutions have an Office of Accessibility that oversees and supports the institution's transformation as it moves toward compliance; others have invested significant resources in a robust cadre of instructional designers or accessibility coaches to help faculty implement accessibility standards. Both models demonstrate a commitment to change, but even institutions that lack resources can demonstrate this commitment through support and communication from the executive leadership. For UDL and accessibility-related change initiatives to succeed, institutional leadership is critical-especially in terms of aligning initiatives with the values of inclusion.

2. Avoid the "fool's choice." Accessibility measures should have some sense of urgency, but they also need a feasible action plan. Avoid letting the fool's choice-that is, believing you have only two unfavorable approaches to a problem-creep into accessibility discussions and instead ferret out a favorable third, fourth, or fifth option. Typically, good options avoid extremes, such as sticking one's head in the sand or locking down any web content less than 100 percent compliant with standards.

3. Identify and recruit key institutional players. Regardless of the resources available, institutions that endorse UDL and accessibility must identify key players who can promote accessibility as a UDL ally. Teaching and learning centers (TLCs) and e-learning and instructional support offices can play important roles in assessing institutional climate and promoting a happy marriage between UDL and digital accessibility. Bring together distributed leaders who can make an action plan for accessibility that identifies small wins, translates accessibility for faculty needs, redirects conversation toward diversity and inclusion, and facilitates campus-wide communication and learning opportunities.

4. Include training in your initiative. With collaboration and leadership in place, TLCs and e-learning offices can work together to create an initiative to support faculty in implementing UDL and accessibility. For such initiatives to succeed, training, workshops, consultations, and resources on both UDL and accessibility should be made available for all.

5. Adopt a social justice model uniting UDL and accessibility with other student success initiatives. Create a culture that supports students with diverse learning and life needs. A social justice model supports equal opportunity for all students, especially historically disadvantaged groups. Although institutions must comply with ADA and Section 508, accessibility can go beyond the law to embrace critical values and beliefs about diversity and social justice.

6. Cultivate a supportive rather than punitive approach to accessibility improvement. Avoid threats to police or take down digital content that does not yet meet all accessibility standards. Using legal pressures may be an incentive to secure funding and resources for accessibility, but it does not enhance faculty buy-in, morale, or commitment. Rather than using the terminology of compliance, promote ongoing progress that demonstrates a commitment to continual improvement.

7. Acknowledge that conflicts stem in part from growing pains in law and industry. Legislation, interpretation of the law, and practices continue to emerge and change. Over time, vendors will develop products that comply with the laws and are more effective and efficient. Educational technology will likely improve its ability to interpret image-based media to screen readers without faculty involvement. In the meantime, effective implementation typically takes longer than passing a law. Accepting this reality can help prioritize institutional efforts and determine how vendors might help with accessibility efforts.

8. Accept that change takes time. Transformation of a culture and practice takes time. Institutions and leaders must not only learn about these issues but also find resources, train faculty and staff, and implement the practices.

9. Be mindful of limits on faculty time, knowledge, skills, and resources. Make training and resources easily available for faculty and staff, including resources offered through CAST, the UDL Center, and EDUCAUSE. Also, it's important to simplify guidelines and resources, as the actual standards themselves can be overwhelming. To support progress, provide training, consultations, learning communities, practice, and ongoing conversations.

10. Identify champions and resistors. Listen to and engage with both supporters and detractors of these changes. The champions, much like early technology adopters, can serve as mentors and role models for others. It is equally important to listen to resistors and develop a plan to address their concerns and offer support for their challenges.

Faculty Recommendations

1. Seek out training and resources to learn about UDL and accessibility. Reviewing web standards can be overwhelming, but if your own institution does not have UDL and accessibility resources, focus on those from other colleges and universities. First, focus on simple yet essential accessibility features such as text formatting, the use of color, descriptive web links, and heading styles. Next, gain an understanding of standards for text alternatives to image- and audio-based material, including video captions and image and table descriptions.

2. Focus on a social justice model to enhance student success for diverse learners. Is your course inclusive for students of varying abilities and different learning and life needs? Remove any barriers to your content so that your students can focus on learning.

3. Join a learning community. Get involved in a cohort or learning community that lets you share ideas and resources.

4. Start slowly. Rather than updating all of your old course materials, begin by setting a goal to embed accessibility and UDL into newer versions of digital work.

5. Prioritize-and know your limitations. Begin with simple changes that you feel comfortable with and build from there.

6. Collaborate to support students who need individual accommodations. If you have a student who is blind, deaf, or has limited mobility, work with Disability Support Services to translate course materials, design alternative and equivalent assessments, and ensure that the environment is conducive to the student's learning. Even simple, proactive measures-such as offering early syllabus access and textbook orders-can have a significant positive impact on this accommodation process.

7. Use available accessibility tools. Find creative and resourceful solutions, such as using free and low-cost programs or applications and providing course materials in alternative formats (a UDL approach).

8. Identify your current UDL and accessibility practices. Focus on what you are already doing, as some effective teaching practices may already embrace UDL principles. Also, it can be helpful to reflect on how accessibility standards could improve your UDL strategies.

9. Provide content in multiple formats. Rather than remove visual forms of representation from your course content, add additional formats or alt text when possible.

10. Use free captioning options. If you do not have access to lecture captioning services, try using YouTube or another free service, and then review the recording to correct mistakes.

Creating a Cultural Shift

To make an initiative last beyond any one societal movement, political era, or legal decision, a cultural shift is required. To get there in this case, institutions must focus on student success initiatives that promote both UDL and accessibility-such as a commitment to captioning most instructional videos, which helps all students. Such initiatives can guide our institutions toward making accessibility "the way we do business" rather than simply being a set of policies that we try to keep up with.

Further, because change initiatives require broad involvement, it is crucial to consider how our institutional recommendations might work in your own corner of academia and then use the second set of recommendations to bring faculty into the accessibility effort.

Every meaningful relationship requires communication, time, and effort to ensure that it stays strong and vital, and every partnership faces challenges and conflicts. However, if it is something of value and importance-such as the commitment to support inclusivity and social justice through UDL and digital accessibility-working through these challenges and conflicts is worth the effort.

Notes

1. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2018; Susan Joan Courey, Phyllis Tappe, Jody Siker, and Pam LePage, "Improved Lesson Planning with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)," Teacher Education and Special Education 36, no. 1 (2012), 7-27; Heather W. Hackman, "Broadening the Pathway to Academic Success: The Critical Intersections of Social Justice Education, Critical Multicultural Education, and Universal Instructional Design," in Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation: Implementing Universal Design in Higher Education, Jeanne L. Higbee and Emily Goff, eds. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008); and Kavita Venkatesh, "Universal Design for Learning as a Framework for Social Justice: A Multicase Analysis of Undergraduate Preservice Teachers" (PhD diss., Boston College, 2015). ↩

2. Because some UDL and digital accessibility standards are the same, implementing UDL guidelines could reduce the need for separate accessibility-related accommodations. The WCAG success criteria often require "alternative formats" in order for people with impairments to have multiple ways to consume content if one format doesn't work for them (an example is text alternatives, such as captions or transcripts, for video content). Similarly, Checkpoint 1 for the UDL guideline of "multiple means of representation" calls for providing "options for perception." ↩

3. Dave Edyburn, "Harnessing the Potential of Technology to Support the Academic Success of Diverse Students," New Horizons for Higher Education 2011, no. 154 (Summer 2011), 37-44; and Thomas J. Tobin, "Increase Online Student Retention with Universal Design for Learning," Quarterly Review of Distance Education 15, no. 3 (2014), 13-24. ↩

4. Philip Guo, "Optimal Video Length for Student Engagement," edX Blog, November 13, 2013. ↩

5. A.W. (Tony) Bates, "Pedagogical Roles for Video in Online Learning," blog, March 10, 2012; and Elisabeth Leonard, Great Expectations: Students and Video in Higher Education (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2015). ↩

6. The World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 offer standard guidelines used to interpret compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. For guidelines specific to video, see "Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)," Level AA, World Wide Web Consortium. ↩

7. Edyburn, "Harnessing the Potential of Technology"; Anne Meyer, David Rose, and David Gordon, Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice (Boston: CAST Professional Publishing, 2014); and Tobin, "Increase Online Student Retention." ↩

8. The number of people who have disabling visual, hearing, or mobility impairments is difficult to calculate because definitions of "disabling" vary. However, the National Federation of the Blind estimates that 2.5 percent of people have a profound visual impairment, while the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimates that, of US adults, 2.5-8.5 percent have "disabling hearing loss." ↩

9. Eliza Bobek and Barbara Tversky. "Creating Visual Explanations Improves Learning," Cognitive Research 1, no. 1, (2016), 27; and Ghulam Shabiralyani, Khuram Shahzad Hasan, Naqvi Hamad, and Nadeem Iqbal, "Impact of Visual Aids in Enhancing the Learning Process Case Research: District Dera Ghazi Khan," Journal of Education and Practice 6, no. 19 (2015), 226-233. ↩

10. Among these tools are Accessify's Table Builder and Art Beyond Sight. ↩

Judith Ableser is Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) at Oakland University.
Christina Moore is Virtual Faculty Developer in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Oakland University.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Universal Design for Learning and Digital Accessibility: Compatible Partners or a Conflicted Marriage?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UDL and digital accessibility's perceived tensions can be reduced when institutions create and follow an implementation plan. Universal design for learning (UDL) and digital accessibility both seek to increase learning access and reduce barriers for students. As such, their primary goals are compatible and are widely acknowledged as crucial to ensuring equity in education.

# data[].attributes.headline
Universal Design in Education: Principles and Applications

# data[].attributes.subject
Universal Design in Education: Principles and Applications

# data[].attributes.body
This article first addresses the seven principles of universal design. These include flexibility in use, and tolerance for error. These are both very important in education. The WCAG principles are also addressed in this article which include perceivable, and understandable. All the UDL principles are highlighted in this article and examples of implementing them for new teachers. Lastly, the article address universal design for instruction and list examples such as class climate, and delivery methods to name a couple.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
An approach to ensure that educational programs serve all students

While physical spaces, courses, technology, and student services are often designed for the average student, the practice of universal design in education (UDE) considers people diverse characteristics in the design of all formal and informal educational products and environments. UDE goes beyond accessible design for people with disabilities to make all aspects of the educational experience more inclusive for students, staff, instructors, administrators, and visitors with a great variety of characteristics, including those related to gender, race and ethnicity, age, stature, disability, and learning preference.

Though universal design has its roots in the design field of architecture and commercial products and information technology (IT) , UDE applications are relatively new. UDE provides a philosophical framework for the design of all products and environments at all educational levels. These include

computers, educational software, and websites;

computer and science labs;

curriculum and instruction;

libraries; and

counseling and other student services.

Definition of UD

The term universal design (UD) was coined by the architect Ronald Mace, who challenged the conventional approach of designing for the average user and provided a design foundation for more accessible and usable products and environments. Mace and other visionaries developed the definition of UD used by the Center for Universal Design (CUD) at North Carolina State University: "the design of products and environments to be usable to the greatest extent possible by people of all ages and abilities". All universally designed products and environments are accessible, usable, and inclusive.

Principles and Guidelines for UDE

UD has been applied to many educational products (e.g., websites, textbooks, lab equipment) and environments (e.g., classrooms, libraries). Unlike an accommodation for a specific person with a disability, the practice of UDE is proactive and benefits all students, including those who are not receiving disability-related accommodations and other services from the school. The following sections present examples of UDE applications-physical spaces, IT, instruction, and student services. They are underpinned by three sets of principles for UDE: UD, WCAG and UDL.

UD Principles

Architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers at the CUD established seven principles for the universal design of any product or environment (The Center for Universal Design, 1997). These principles of UD are listed below, along with examples of application to physical spaces in formal and informal educational settings.

1. Equitable use. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. Example: A makerspace that has equipment and furniture to make it usable by students with a wide range of characteristics, including disabilities.

2. Flexibility in use. The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Example: A design that allows a museum visitor to choose to read or listen to the description of the contents of display cases.

3. Simple and intuitive use. Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Example: Choosing a 3-D printer that is easy to use and includes clear instructions.

4. Perceptible information. The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. Dormitory example: An emergency alarm system with visual, aural, and kinesthetic characteristics.

5. Tolerance for error. The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. Example: Software controls that provide guidance when the student makes an inappropriate selection.

6. Low physical effort. The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. Example: Doors with sensors that automatically open for everyone.

7. Size and space for approach and use. Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility. Example: work area in a science lab that is usable by students who are right- or left-handed and have a wide range of physical characteristics.

WCAG Principles

IT has the potential either to level the playing field or to widen the gaps in educational and career attainment between individuals who have disabilities-or are from other minority groups-and members of the majority. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which develops and maintains protocols used on the web to ensure interoperability, is committed to UD. As expressed by its director, "The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect" (Web Accessibility Initiative, n.d.). W3C's Web Accessible Initiative (WAI) developed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and checkpoints for the accessible design of websites and other IT; the Guidelines rest on four principles: that IT be

Applications of these principles to the procurement, development and use of all types of IT have demonstrated that it is possible to create products that are simultaneously accessible to people with a wide range of abilities, disabilities, and other characteristics. Many IT companies do not take the full spectrum of user diversity into account when they develop products, unintentionally erecting barriers for people with disabilities and others.

Nevertheless, during their procurement process, institutions can express the desire to purchase accessible IT and inquire about the accessibility features of specific products.

For examples of accessible IT, consult Accessible Technology.

UDL Principles

A Universally Designed for Learning (UDL) curriculum in formal and informal settings "reflects an awareness of the unique nature of each learner and the need to address differences" by offering

1. Multiple means of representation,

2. Multiple means of action and expression, and

3. Multiple means of action and engagement (The Center for Applied Special Technology).

CAST focuses its efforts on UDL, especially as it applies to technology-based curriculum. It defines UDL as "a research-based set of principles that together form a practical framework for using technology to maximize learning opportunities for every student."

UDE Principles

UDE combines UD, UDL and WCAG principles and applies them to all education products and environments, including technology, teaching as learning, services, and physical spaces. UDE ensures access for all and minimizes the need for accommodations.

Unfortunately, IT developer instructors and service providers do not routinely apply comprehensive sets of UDE principles in their design. The following two sections of this document explain how UDE principles can be applied to instruction and services.

UD of Instruction (UDI)

UD, UDL, and WCAG principles form the foundation for universal design of instruction (UDI)-teaching techniques, curricula, assessment IT, and physical spaces. Following guidelines for UDI along with specific applications of UD, UDL and WCAG principles they apply,

Class climate. Adopt practices that reflect high values with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Example: Put a statement on your syllabus inviting students to meet with you to discuss disability-related accommodations and other special learning needs. [UD 1, UDL 2]

Interaction. Encourage regular and effective interactions between students, employ multiple communication, and ensure that communication methods are accessible to all participants. Example: Assign group work for which learners must engage using a variety of skills and roles. [UD 1, 2, 4; UDL 3; WCAG]

Physical environments and products. For outside instruction, ensure that facilities, activities, materials, and equipment are physically accessible to and usable by all students and that diverse potential student characteristics are addressed in safety considerations. Example: Develop safety procedures for all students, including those who are blind, deaf, or wheelchair users. [UD 3, 4, 6, 7]

Delivery methods. Use multiple instructional methods that are accessible to all learners. Example: Use multiple modes to deliver content; when possible allow students to choose from multiple options for learning; and motivate and engage students-consider lectures, collaborative learning options, hands-on activities, Internet-based communications, educational software, field work, and so forth. [UD 2-4; UDL 1-3; WCAG]

Information resources and technology. Ensure that course materials, notes, and other information resources are engaging, flexible, and accessible for all students. Example: Choose printed materials and prepare a syllabus early to allow students the option of beginning to read materials and work on assignments before the course begins. Allow adequate time to arrange for alternate formats, such as books in audio format. [UDL 1; WCAG]

Feedback and assessment. Regularly assess students' progress, provide specific feedback on a regular basis using multiple accessible methods and tools, and adjust instruction accordingly. Example: Allow students to turn in parts of large projects for feedback before the final project is due. [UD 5; UDL 2, 3]

Accommodations. Plan for accommodations for students whose needs are not fully met by the instructional content and practices. Example: Know campus protocols for getting materials in alternate formats, rescheduling classroom locations, and arranging for other accommodations for students with disabilities. [UD 1, 2, 4, 6]

​For examples of UDI practices consult the video and publication Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction.

UD of Student Services

UD can be applied to student services to make them accessible to, usable by, and inclusive of all students. These services include computer labs, libraries, admissions offices, registration, advising, career services, tutoring and learning centers, and student organizations. When UD is applied, everyone feels welcome, is able to get to the facility and maneuver within it, access materials and electronic resources, and participate in events and other activities. Efforts should be made to apply UD, UDL and WCAG principles in all of the following areas.

Planning, Policies, and Evaluation. Consider diversity issues as you plan and evaluate services.

Physical Environments and Products. Ensure physical access, comfort, and safety within an environment that is welcoming to visitors with a variety of abilities, racial and ethnic backgrounds, genders, and ages.

Staff. Make sure staff are prepared to work with all students.

Information Resources and Technology. Ensure that publications and websites welcome a diverse group and content is accessible to everyone.

Events. Ensure that everyone can participate in events sponsored by the organization.

For details about the UD of student services consult Equal Access: Universal Design of Student Services.

Further Information About UDE

Burgstahler, S. (Ed.) (2020) Creating an Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Resources

Adaptive Environments Center. (1995). ADA Checklist for Readily Achievable Barrier Removal. Boston: Author.

Equal access: Universal design of instruction. Seattle: University of Washington.

Equal access: Universal design of physical spaces. Seattle: University of Washington.

Equal access: Universal design of student services. Seattle: University of Washington.

Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST).

The Center for Universal Design (1997). North Carolina State University.
The Center for Universal Design in Education.
Web Accessibility Initiative (n.d.). Cambridge, MA: World Wide Web Consortium.

About DO‑IT

DO‑IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers such as those in science, engineering, mathematics, and technology. Primary funding for DO‑IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education.

For further information, to be placed on the DO‑IT mailing list, request materials in an alternate format, or to make comments or suggestions about DO-IT publications or web pages, contact:

DO‑IT
University of Washington, Box 354842
Seattle, WA 98195-4842
doit@uw.edu
www.uw.edu/doit/
206-685-DOIT (3648) (voice/TTY)
888-972-DOIT (3648) (toll free voice/TTY)
509-328-9331 (voice/TTY) Spokane
Founder and Director: Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

Acknowledgment

This publication was developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #P333A020044 and the National Science Foundation AccessCyberlearning 2.0: NSF #1824540. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Copyright © 2021, 2020, 2019, 2012, 2009, 2007, 2005, University of Washington. Permission is granted to copy these materials for educational, noncommercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Universal Design in Education: Principles and Applications

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An approach to ensure that educational programs serve all students [scald=5736:sdl_editor_representation {"link":"","linkTarget":""}] While physical spaces, courses, technology, and student services are often designed for the average student, the practice of universal design in education (UDE) considers people diverse characteristics in the design of all formal and informal

# data[].attributes.body
This article is the first of a three part series on UDL. This gives a really good practice of the UDL Lens of Access which grants students the opportunity to share about their learning. This creates an understanding for teachers and helps to create an inclusive environment. The article addresses a very important piece about making equity the center of an inclusive environment. I encourage you to check out the other sections in this module to learn more about UDL implications.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In working with educators from around the country and in Europe the last 3 years, I have had the pleasure in showing them how to use the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™ to help empower learners to understand the what, why and how of their learning. The 3-step "Discover the Learner" process is intentionally designed for each learner to develop the skills to support their own learning so they can become independent, self-directed learners, learners with agency.

A question came up about why the UDL Lens begins with Access, the "what" of learning. They pointed to the definition of UDL in How to Personalize Learning (Bray and McClaskey, 2016), Chapter 2 that...

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that provides equity for all individuals so they have opportunities to learn. UDL provides a framework for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone-not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs."

You see the UDL Guidelines where changed in 2014 to begin with the "why of learning" for curriculum development and that is the point; it is a framework for creating universally designed lessons. The UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™ was designed to empower the learner to understand the what, why and how of their learning.

These educators also shared a blog post where the author emphasized that learners needed to be engaged before they are given access to the content. The author used herself as a learner to describe "engagement" and why it should come first. This added to the confusion among educators so the intention of this post will hopefully "clear the air" in why Access comes first for the learner and how using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™ can lead to learner agency. But before we do that, let's take a look at a brief history of UDL.

A Bit of History Behind UDL - A Framework for Curriculum and Instruction

The originators of UDL (Dr. David Rose and Anne Meyer) from CAST reintroduced the UDL principles and guidelines (2014) in its publication Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice (Meyer, Rose, & Gordon, 2014) and changed the sequence of the UDL principles to begin with "why of learning". The original UDL principles began with the "what of learning" (multiple means of representation) for almost 20 years. In it's revision in 2014, CAST wanted to point out the importance of engagement in curriculum development and instruction in how teachers should first provide options for engagement, the "why of learning". This made sense in that the focus in how to engage learners in the lesson should be considered first when universally designing instruction.

For the Learner, the UDL Lens begins with "Access"

Giving access to the content for all learners is by far the most important step when designing instruction or introducing new content or concepts. Understanding what your learners' strengths and challenges in accessing information is key in designing lesson materials that will accessible to all the learners in your classroom from the start. Access as described in this chart below comes directly from the UDL principle of multiple means of representation, the "what of learning". Access takes different forms of representation so that the learner can transform and process information into useable knowledge and become an active participant in their learning.

Consider the variability of the learners you may have so that each has Access to the content, anytime and anywhere.

For all learners, accessing and understanding the vocabulary as it relates to the content in a lesson is critical before engaging the learner.

For the learner who has difficulty reading, lesson materials would need to be in a digital format so they can use a text-to-speech tool to access the information or in an audio format or combination thereof.

For the learner who has visual impairments or blindness, audio and/or Braille files of the lesson materials would be needed at a minimum to provide access.

Learn more about the ways that educators provide access to the curriculum at the National Center for Accessible Educational Materials (AEM).

The Progression in Developing Expert Learners (Learners with Agency)

The purpose in using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™ is to empower each learner to understand the strengths and challenges they have in accessing information, engaging with content and expressing what they know and understand. This chart below shows the progression from left to right where you begin thinking about how you can provide accessibility for the variability that your learners have in their learning. In the next progression, you want learners to develop specific skills and learning strategies to support their learning through guided practice. With daily independent and self-directed practice over time, the learner becomes resourceful and knowledgeable, purposeful and motivated, strategic and goal-directed-an expert learner, a learner with agency.

[From How to Personalize Learning, Chapter 2. Table content adapted from CAST, Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice, 2014]

It is an important distinction for educators to know that they are not creating experts. They are creating learners who are capable of being self-directed and self-reflective." - Steve Nordmark @snordmark

Learn more about the 3-Step "Discover the Learner" process in these posts on the Learner Profile, Personal Learning Backpack and Personal Learning Plan.

The UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express, Personal Learning Backpack and Personal Learning Plan. are trademarks of Kathleen McClaskey.

It is the start of the school year and you have been preparing to have your assigned children enter your classroom. You have so many questions about them but one you may have not thought about is: Are they students or learners? Think about that... do you want students or learners in your classroom this year? What is the difference anyway? Well let's take a look at the difference and have you decide for yourself.
Learner vs. Student
We are at a crossroads in education where we understand that traditional school systems are not preparing our children for a world where they will need to learn, unlearn and relearn in an ever-changing economy. As we try to create more personalized, learner-centered environments, it is important to understand that we need to change the language so we can change the culture in the classroom and school. Using the term "Learner" is a critical first step so that we see every child and every person as a learner. So what is the difference between a learner and a student? Let's look at the definitions:

From Wikipedia, "A student is primarily a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution who attends classes in a course to attain the appropriate level of mastery of a subject under the guidance of an instructor and who devotes time outside class to do whatever activities the instructor assigns that are necessary either for class preparation or to submit evidence of progress towards that mastery."

From Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, a learner is "a person who is finding out about a subject or how to do something."

From The Glossary of Education Reform, when comparing learner and student, they point out that "While this preference may seem arbitrary on the surface, it does appear to serve a semantic purpose: learning can occur in the absence of teaching, but teaching doesn't occur without some form of learning taking place. i.e.,

learners can learn without teachers, but students are only students when they have teachers."

Now take a look at the comparisons in the chart and decide on the qualities you would like for the children in your classroom to have. This is not a comprehensive comparison of Learners vs Students but it does offer an initial comparison on what the distinct differences are and what qualities would be found in a traditional vs personalized learning system. If you have decided you want learners in your classroom, then the question you need to consider exploring is....

How can I create a classroom culture in which being a learner is more valuable than being a student?

The simple answer is to empower your learners to share their story of who they are and how they learn! Have your learners use the UDL Lens to develop a Learner Profile, based on the learning sciences, to discover their strengths and challenges, preferences and needs in the what, how and why of their learning. Value every learner by building a strong relationship with each of them. Help them develop learning goals in a Personal Learning Plan so that they can gain the skills to be agents of their own learning. Reflect with each learner so they can realize the progress they are making with their goals. When you do this, your classroom culture will be filled with learners who are future ready!

We are embarking on an era of transformational change in education where we have a vision of creating learner-centered environments where learners pursue their passions and interests and develop agency with the knowledge, skills and dispositions so they are future ready for careers yet to be imagined. The question is:

Why are we still using the traditional approach of learning styles to develop learner profiles?

Let's take at the research and what it says about learning styles.

Why Stop Using Learning Styles?

As we are transforming education from the traditional teacher-centered environments to a personalized, learner-centered environment we need to reconsider the learning styles approach that has no basis in research. Classroom teachers and academics have been using learning styles for over four decades to understand learners. During this time the notion that teaching methods should match a learner's particular learning style has had a powerful influence in education, however, a study published in the Psychological Science in the Public Interest challenged the concept of learning styles and their affect on performance.

Despite the preponderance of the learning styles concept "from kindergarten to graduate school," and a "thriving industry" devoted to such guidebooks for teachers, Pashler found there wasn't rigorous evidence for the concept. He wrote:

Although the literature on learning styles is enormous, very few studies have even used an experimental methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles applied to education. Moreover, of those that did use an appropriate method, several found results that flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis. We conclude therefore, that at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning styles assessments into general educational practice.

The four prominent cognitive psychologists in this study found no evidence for validating educational applications of learning styles into general education practice. This was their conclusion:

Research conducted over 40 years has failed to show that individual attributes can be used to guide effective teaching practice. Rather than being a harmless fad, learning styles often perpetuates stereotyping and harmful teaching practices it is suppose to fight." (Pashler et al, 2009).

So as schools move from a traditional system to a personalized, competency-based system, we need to evaluate the traditional tools we have used around learners and learning and teachers and teaching, and understand how a learning science can be used to nurture and build a culture of learning.

Start Using the Learning Sciences and the UDL Lens

We need to stop using learning styles and start using Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-based set of principles based on the learning sciences to guide the design of learning environments and innovative sustainable systems that are accessible and effective for all learners. UDL tells us that there is variability in the way each learner learns: their strengths, challenges, aptitudes, talents, and aspirations.

The UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ is designed so that we see the learner in every child. It offers key information about the learner's strengths and challenges in how they access and process information, how they engage with content and how they express what they know and understand. The terms Access, Engage and Express also serves as the "common language" between teacher and learner where daily conversations can take place about learning with a process to identify the tools and skills that could support a challenge or enhance a strength in their Personal Learning Backpack™. This leads to a Personal Learning Plan™ (PLP) where each learner can set goals to acquire the necessary skills to become an independent and self-directed learner, a learner with agency that has ownership to their learning.

Ownership to learning requires the learner to understand how they learn.

Empower Learners with the UDL Lens

Start the next school year with having every learner create a Learner Profile. From the learner's perspective, the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ in a Learner Profile would give him or her an opportunity tell their story of who they are and how they learn by:

sharing their strengths, challenges, preference and needs in how they access and process information, engage with content and concepts, and express what they know and understand;

express their interests, talents, aspirations and passions;

set learning goals and actionable plans with teachers to support a challenge or enhance a strength; and

have regular conversations about their learning with teachers, peers, and parents.

Let's take a closer look at the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ and how a learner can share how they learn by using a Learner Profile (LP) that also includes their interests, talents, passions, aspirations and the words that would describe them.

The information in the Learner Profile (LP) helps each learner tell their story and how they learn with their teacher. This is the foundation from which conversations, relationships and partnerships in learning are built. What are the possible messages and outcomes from a learner using the Learner Profile?

It helps validate the learner and how they learn.

It tells the learner that you care about who they are.

It creates a community of learners based on trust and respect.

"No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship." - Dr. James Comer
To learn more about how to personalize learning and the three-step process of the Learner Profile, Personal Learning Backpack™ and Personal Learning Plan™, refer to How to Personalize Learning: A Practical Guide for Getting Started and Going Deeper by Bray and McClaskey (2016) or the blog posts on the Learner Profile, Personal Learning Backpack and Personal Learning Plan.

Access, Engage and Express, Personal Learning Backpack and Personal Learning Plan are trademarks of Kathleen McClaskey.

Reference: Paschler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., and Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9, 105-119. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/journals/pspi/PSPI_9_3.pdf

Part 3 of the 3 Part Series on Using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage, and Express™ to empower learners to be Future Ready.

Just imagine learners turning challenges they have into strengths! Consider those same learners enhancing their strengths so they are self-confident in what and how they learn. Wouldn't it be great if your learners were able to set their own goals to explore careers and determine what experiences they need to be college and career ready?

This post is the last part of the three-part process for all learners of any age to build agency so they become independent and self-directed learners.

Your learners shared with you how they learn best using the Learner Profile (LP). Your conversations with your learners when using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens of Access, Engage and Express™ describing their strengths, challenges, preferences and needs in how they learn helped them decide what to include in their Personal Learning Backpack (PLB). You collaborated with your learners to choose the skills, tools and apps that can enhance their strengths and support their challenges they have in accessing and processing information, engaging with content and expressing what they know and understand.

The next step in the process is to help each learner develop the skills to be an independent, self-directed learner with agency. The Personal Learning Plan is where the learner defines goals, describes actions steps, and indicates a way to measure progress and achievement.

Introducing the Personal Learning Plan™

The purpose of a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is to assist learners to develop goals with a set of action steps to achieve those goals, ways to monitor their own progress, show evidence in reaching the goal and a reflection on achieving it. The PLP has four specific focuses:

Learning Goals (Access, Engage and Express) to develop independent skills to support their own learning;

Personal Goals to explore their interests, talents, or passions;

College and Career Goals to gain first-hand experiences in career areas where they have strong interests; and

Citizenship Goals to become an active citizen in the local or global community.

Learning Goals for Skill Development

In Part 1 (LP) and Part 2 (PLB) of this series, the learner shared one of her Express challenges was that she found it difficult to put her thoughts on paper, and that she needed a speech-to-text (STT) tool to help her write her thoughts down. She has seen that tool being used by other learners but would like to learn how to use it on her own. She works with her teacher to describe the Express Learning Goal along with a set of action steps to learn the speech-to-text tool, ways to measure progress and showing evidence in reaching her goal and finally a reflection on achieving the goal.

On reflection, she has taken a challenge she has had for a while and has now learned new skills so she can independently write her assignments. What a great feeling she has in achieving a goal she set for herself! Her next focus is on a personal goal. Let's take a look back at how she described her interests, talents and passions to illustrate what a personal goal would be.

Personal Goals to Explore Interests, Talents, and Passions

For this learner, having a personal goal that she can focus on gives her an opportunity to explore what she has only dreamed about doing.

Interests, talents, and passions: I love drawing and want to take more art classes in different mediums. I am interested in helping others and maybe can see myself as a teacher or a business leader when I grow up. I am starting to learn about social media and may even look at starting to create a logo and website to showcase my artwork.

Setting a personal goal and taking actions to meet that goal ignites engagement and encourages ownership to learning. Her personal goal is to create a logo and website to feature her artwork. The action steps to help meet this goal can include:

Consult with art/design teacher on personal goal.

Create several logo designs.

Invite art/design teacher to help her choose the best design.

Prepare artwork to display on the website.

Locate low or no cost websites and review features and specs to display artwork.

She decided with her teacher that her evidence in reaching this goal would be featuring her artwork with written and audio narratives on a website with her self-designed logo. Next, she wants to focus on her college and career goals.

College and Career Goals to Pursue Opportunities

The high school where this learner attends offers Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs). She is excited to have an opportunity to teach art with younger learners in her town. She meets with her ELO Coordinator and begins outlining the action steps that include:

Discover who are the elementary art teachers in the local and adjacent schools.

Develop a proposal outlining her goals for an art teacher mentorship.

Decide on two art teachers and set up a time for an interview to share goals of the mentorship.

Begin mentorship with art teacher and coordinate a schedule.

This experience of being mentored by two art teachers helps this learner make college and career decisions about going into this profession. During the mentorships, she created a visual portfolio of her experiences in the classrooms on her website with audio to show evidence of reaching her goal for college and career.

Realizing that she enjoys working with younger children and learning from her mentors, she was inspired to look at ways to give back to the community since she received so much help from others.

Citizenship Goals to Contribute to our Democracy

A Citizenship Goal contributes to a learner's understanding that a democracy thrives when you are an active citizen in the community. This learner meets with her teacher/advisor to discuss how she would like to give back to the community by being actively involved with the local food pantry. Now that she has decided on the goal, she discusses what her action steps could be.

Meet with the food pantry coordinator to discuss how she could contribute and the time she could commit.

Make up signs to post at local businesses and schools.

Collect non-perishable food for the food pantry.

Organize food at the pantry for distribution.

She decides that one of the best ways to show that she has reached her goal is to share her experiences on her website and invite her peers to join her in working with her at the food pantry.

Learner Agency and Future Ready

Learner Agency means that someone has developed the skills to become an independent, self-directed learner. This learner has created her Learner Profile (LP) using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express to identify her strengths, challenges, interests, talents, and passions. The Personal Learning Backpack (PLB) defines the skills. strategies, tools, and apps that will help her become an independent learner.

Future Ready means that the learner knows how to set her own goals, develop action steps and show evidence in achieving these goals. The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) guides the learner in gaining the skills and experiences she needs to support her learning and make choices for college and career. This post provided one example using an older learner who turned her challenges into strengths and enhanced her strengths so she developed the self-confidence to follow her passion for art and in helping others.

We want you to know that you can build a learner with agency at any age by using this three-step process. We provide an example of an older child only as a model for you. Consider building a relationship right away with young children by starting with a Learner Profile. Get to know your kids and how they learn using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™. Have them share with you their preferences and needs and build a Personal Learning Backpack with them. Then encourage them to choose and set goals with your guidance. Just imagine what your kids can do when they have the confidence in how they learn and that they know how to set goals for themselves. This is the Wow! of learning that we all want for our kids.

*****
Empowering Learners, Personal Learning Backpack, Personal Learning Plan, UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express are trademarks of Kathleen McClaskey. This post was revised and updated from http://www.personalizelearning.com/2016/09/the-personal-learner-profile-goal.html

Part 2 of the 3 Part Series on Using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage, and Express™ to empower learners.

Once a learner has indicated their strengths, challenges, and interests along with their preferences and needs in the Learner Profile (LP), then the teacher can work with the learner to develop a Personal Learning Backpack™(PLB).
This infographic will be available for purchase in early January 2019!
The UDL Lens: Access, Engage, and Express™

The PLB using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens is for ALL learners. It is about teachers understanding how learners access information, engage with content, and express what they know and understand. This lens is also for the learner to understand how they learn best. It validates the learner and prompts conversations about their learning between the teacher and learner. To understand this process and how tools, resources, strategies and skills can support learning, this table was created as prompts for the learner to effectively use Access, Engage, and Express™.

When you identify how you learn best using the Learner Profile (LP), the next step is to determine what you prefer or need to do or use to support your learning using the PLB.

The PLB Process using Preferences and Needs

This process is all about the conversations that you have with your learners. The PLB is the place to include what you both discover to support learning. If a learner has indicated in the LP that he or she would like to learn how to use a tool or app to support a challenge or a strength, then this can be included in the PLB. Let's first review the learner and her preferences and needs for Access, Engage, and Express that we described in Part 1 on the Learner Profile.

When the teacher and the learner sit down together to review the preferences and needs, they build a story around how her strengths, challenges and interests impact how she learns from their conversations. This is where they can design the PLB based on her talents as an artist and her passion for drawing along with her aspirations to become a teacher or business leader when she grows up. She also mentioned that she would like to learn about social media and create a logo to showcase her artwork. These types of conversations validate her as a learner and confirm that the teacher really listened to about her strengths and challenges and her love for art.

Empowering Learners™ to Build their PLB with the
UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™

The PLB is where the teacher and learner pull together ideas for resources, tools, apps, and learning strategies and skills to support learning. Below is a chart with examples for tools, apps, learning strategies and skills that could support Access, Engage, and Express for this learner.

To determine what skills or strategies the learner needs to acquire, she had to really think about both her strengths and challenges. She loves to draw but needs help with taking notes. So the teacher helped her decide to use her strength (drawing) to help her visualize what she was capturing using different note taking tools. As soon as the learner started sharing what she wanted or needed to learn, she opened up about needing a speech to text tool to help her with writing. Dragon Dictation can help her write down her thoughts. This process guides the learner to determine what she wants and needs to build her skills to become successful as a learner.

Every conversation the teacher has with learners can open a new door or bring up new ideas that may reduce any barriers they may have and can maximize learning for them so they can become independent, self-directed learners with agency.

This post is one example describing a process for the LP and PLB for an older child with higher executive functioning. This same process can be adapted by changing the language for a younger child or any learner who is at-risk or been identified with learning challenges. It is all about the conversations between the teacher and learner. If there is a language barrier or confusion about the process, this is an issue that the teacher can address by revising the LP and PLB with audio options, graphics, simpler language, or even translations. A young child may need help in understanding what he or she is being asked. A teacher can invite a parent to join in the discussions.

Developing Learning Goals

The PLB is the first step in identifying learning goals. Each of the learning strategies and skills the learner wants or needs to learn can be developed into learning goals in a Personal Learning Plan ™(PLP). In the PLP, learning goals with action steps to develop independent learning skills will be illustrated along with college, career, personal and citizenship goals. These steps and the PLP will be explained in more detail in Part Three of this series.

UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express, Empowering Learners and Personal Learning Backpack and Personal Learning Plan are trademarks of Kathleen McClaskey.

****

Part One describes the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™and introduces the Learner Profile (LP) and how it can be used by both teacher and learner to discover the learner.

Part Two explains how to take the Learner Profile and develop a Personal Learning Backpack ™ (PLB) that includes tools, apps, resources and the skills the learner needs to become an independent, self-directed learner.

In Part Three, I will take the LP and PLB and demonstrate how to help every learner develop agency with an effective Personal Learning Plan ™ (PLP).

All of this along with similar templates are in Chapter 4 of our new publication, How to Personalize Learning: A Practical Guide for Getting Started and Going Deeper.

Part 1 of the 3 Part Series on Using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage, and Express to empower learners.

The excitement in starting a new school year is happening across the country. Educators have spent the summer preparing for the beginning of the school year, attending workshops on new curriculum, understanding how to use data with their new learners or getting acquainted with competency-based report cards. But stop there! What about the information that tells you how to engage and motivate your learners? How do you discover the learner in each child from the beginning of the school year so this is the best year yet? What about how each learner learns best and how to develop agency with each of them?

The Process to Develop Learner Agency

This post is part one of a three-part process that uses the UDL Lens to Make Learning Personal for all learners. If we want to create learner-centered environments where the learner takes ownership to their learning, then we need to empower each learner to understand how they learn.

Part One: The Learner Profile (LP) helps learners discover how they learn best.

Part Two: The Personal Learning Backpack (PLB) identifies tools, apps, resources, skills, and strategies for learners to support their own learning.

Part Three: The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) guides learners to achieve the goals and skills they need to be self-directed and independent along with pursuing their passions and aspirations as they plan for college or career.

The UDL Lens: Access, Engage and Express™

Universal Design for Learning® (UDL) is a researched-based set of principles developed by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) in the 1990's to help guide the design of instruction and learning environments. The idea behind UDL is to reduce barriers to learning and optimize the level of support and challenges to meet the needs and interests of all learners in the classroom. In December 2015, UDL was included in ESSA where it was it indicated that it was the scientifically-based approach to personalize learning.

UDL is the lens to understand how learners learn as it is based on the research in the neurosciences in how we actually learn. The three principles of UDL are:

Multiple Means of Representation

Multiple Means of Engagement

Multiple Means of Expression and Action

Educators wanted to understand these terms so that they could apply these three principles in daily teaching and learning practices.

In 2013 the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ was created to do just that; to empower the learner with the UDL Lens so they could understand how they learn. All learners are unique and have variability in how they access and process information, engage with content, and express what they know and understand. Access, Engage, and Express™ is the UDL Lens to help learners how they learn and to guide teachers in universally designing their instruction.

Discover the Learner Using The Learner Profile

Each learner comes to school with strengths and challenges along with a set of interests, talents and aspirations. We often discover some of these qualities through the course of the year by having conversations, by how each learner responds in class or through a set of data that has been collected from standardized testing. But what if you could discover the learner in every child at the beginning of the school year using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™?

Every learner can benefit from creating a Learner Profile. It tells us about a learner that learning styles or an Individual Education Plan (IEP) does not tell us. Here is an example of a learner that may have similar challenges as some of your learners, but we want you to look closely at this learner's strengths along with his interests, talents, passions and aspirations.

Now think about the learners in your class and in your life. What are their strengths and challenges in how they Access, Engage and Express™? How do they need or prefer or need to access information, engage with content and express what they know and understand? What are their talents, interests, passions, and aspirations? Who are you as a learner?

Using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ to understand learners can not only help a teacher to better design instruction and learner materials, but first we need to empower the learner to tell their story and how they learn best.

Your Learner's Story Leads to a Partnership in Learning

This learner has reading, writing and organizational challenges. Children with this profile often do not see themselves as learners. In this case, when this learner uses the Learner Profile, he can now tell his story and have a conversation with his teacher about who he is and what he may prefer or need to support his challenges and enhance his strengths. He can also share what his interest and talents are, what he is passionate about and what he aspires to be. It is really clear from his LP, that art and drawing means a lot to him.

Let's take a closer look at his strengths where he visualizes what he hears, likes to teach his peers and present in class. Now we understand this learner's strengths and challenges, preferences and needs including what engages him about being an artist. With this first conversation, the relationship between teacher and learner begins.

When learners use the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ to share how they learns, it helps them tell their story of who they are as learners. Above all, it validates them as learners and listening to them says how much you care. Telling their story helps them develop self advocates of their learning and ultimately it builds a strong partnership in learning between the teacher and learners.
What a great way to start of the school year! It is going to be the best year yet! This post was adapted from a previous post published at http://www.personalizelearning.com/2016/08/the-learner-profile-get-up-close-and.html
******
This is Part One of a three part on using the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express™ to develop a learner with agency. We have introduced you to the Learner Profile (LP) and how it can be used by both teacher and learner to discover the learner.
In Part Two, we will take the Learner Profile and develop a Personal Learning Backpack (PLB) that includes tools, apps, resources and the skills the learner needs to become an independent, self-directed learner; a learner with agency

In Part Three, we will take the PL and PLB and demonstrate how to help learners develop agency with an effective Personal Learning Plan (PLP). In the PLP, learning goals with action steps to develop independent learning skills will be illustrated along with college, career, personal and citizenship goals.

All of this along with templates can be located in Chapter 4 of How to Personalize Learning: A Practical Guide for Getting Started and Going Deeper.

Universal Design for Learning is a registered trademark of CAST, Inc. Access, Engage and Express is a trademark of Kathleen McClaskey. Empowering Learners is a trademark of Kathleen McClaskey.

Access, Engage and Express is a trademark of Kathleen McClaskey.

Cross posted and revised from http://www.personalizelearning.com/2015/05/the-story-behind-my-passion-to.html

To

Make Learning Personal, we need...

to empower each learner with the skills to be Future Ready,

to transform teaching and learning practice, and

to embrace and value each learner!

This puzzle logo with it's multi-shades of blue represents that each learner is unique and multi-faceted in that they learn in different ways. We see the importance for each learner to understand how they learn so that they can develop agency with the skills, knowledge and dispositions to have choices in college, career and life.

MLP Vision

Each learner...

is valued, supported and embraced.

understands how they learn.

is unique and develops the skills to support their learning.

advocates for their learning.

works at their own pace in a competency-based system.

follows their passions to discover their purpose.

takes ownership to their learning.

achieves agency.

MLP Mission

MLP Core Beliefs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In working with educators from around the country and in Europe the last 3 years, I have had the pleasure in showing them how to use the UDL Lens of Access, Engage and Express ™ to help empower learners to understand the what, why and how of their learning.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses what effective vocabulary learning looks like. It talks about word learning strategies and the benefits of using those. When presenting vocabulary it is important to give multiple exposures to the word in different context. It also references some methods to help students who are learning the English language. This is important to all educators because we will probably experience this in our classroom at sometime or another.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Consider some excellent lesson models for teaching vocabulary, explaining idioms, fostering word consciousness, instruction for English Language Learners, and mnemonic strategies.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses that words are not often learned in the first encounter but are often learned through multiple encounters with the word. The article addresses the best practices for vocabulary instruction. It gives 4 main practices, rich and varied language experiences, direct teaching of individual words, independent word-learning strategies, and fostering word consciousness. The article talks about all these in more detail and also gives some strategies for English Language Learners.

# data[].attributes.body
The article talks about the different tiers of vocabulary words and as teachers we need to be aware of those. Teaching vocabulary involves the 5Ms, Motivate,  Model, Master, Magnify, Maintain. The article addresses each of these in detail and shows how to display them in your class. The challenges that are often faced when teaching vocabulary is also addressed towards the end of this article.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Vocabulary development by age

Students' communication abilities, including their vocabulary, can vary immensely. However, there are certain milestones we can expect children to reach before starting formal schooling:

12 months: 2 words plus mummy/mommy and daddy (or equivalent in languages other than English)

18 months: 10-50 words

2 years: 300 words

5 years: 450 words

3 years: 1000 words

4 years: 2000 words

5 years: 5000 plus words

This early language acquisition is an essential platform for future learning. There is a huge body of evidence suggesting that deficient early vocabulary development is a strong marker for a continued difficulty in all aspects of schooling.

During the school years, vocabulary size must grow at a rapid pace in order to equip students for everyday, as well as academic, communication. By the age of 17, students are expected to know between 36 000 to 136 000 words.

So just what is it that allows some students to learn a staggering 100 000 more words than their peers?

Teaching vocabulary

Effective vocabulary instruction within the 6M Learning Framework includes opportunities to motivate, model, master, magnify and maintain vocabulary knowledge with meaningful feedback guiding the sequence of learning.

Motivate

Students need to understand the benefits of a rich vocabulary knowledge. As with all teaching, some students may be naturally curious, while others will need to be coaxed into the journey. Some tips and tools for enhancing motivation are:

Take the time to demonstrate the value of a rich vocabulary knowledge

Make word exploration an integral part of classroom culture

Create a word-rich environment

Find puns, jokes and other comedic devices to add engagement to word studies, especially those that humoursly interchange multiple meanings

Designate a word of the week with a challenge to use it creatively in that week's work

Model

In an explicit approach to vocabulary instruction, teachers should model the skills and understanding required to develop a rich vocabulary knowledge.

Say the word carefully. Pronunciation is critical to allow students to make strong connections between written and spoken language. Use syllabification to assist in articulating each part of the word.

Write the word. There is a strong correlation between spelling and vocabulary. To allow students to access their vocabulary in both passive and active contexts, they must be equipped to spell new vocabulary.

Give a student-friendly definition. The concise nature of dictionaries means they require significant vocabulary knowledge to interpret. Simply providing students access to dictionaries and thesauruses will not necessarily give them the information they need to understand the meaning of the word. Provide a definition that is meaningful for students, their experiences and their existing vocabulary knowledge.

Give multiple meaningful examples. Use the word in sentences and contexts that are meaningful to students. But don't stop at one! Provide a wide range of examples to allow everyone to connect and relate to the word.

Ask for student examples. It may be valuable to have students attempt to articulate their own examples of the word in context. By including this in the explicit teaching phase, there are opportunities to clarify understanding when words have multiple meanings and deal with any misconceptions.

Master

Provide opportunities for students to master an understanding of new vocabulary in context through hearing, saying, reading and writing.

Using words is the best way to remember them. The following methods can help learners to consolidate their vocabulary knowledge:
Show students how to recognise new words
The best way to help students to remember and retain the new words they're introduced to is to connect it with an object in the real world. Pictures and flashcards are good, but real-world items are even better. This can get difficult with more abstract words, but by dedicating more time and thought, the image or object used, and your explanation of it, will help build students understanding.
Reinforce their remember new words
After a word has been introduced, we want students to see it at least 10 more times so it sticks. Activities like 'fill in the blank' and 'word bingo' help students make strong connections between the introduced words.
Have them use their new words
After new words have been introduced, students are ready to find the ways they can use these words to make meaning. Activities like using the word in a sentence, mind maps, fill in the blanks (with no options) develop students' use of words as tools for meaning and communication.
Graphics organisers
A simple graphic organiser can be an effective method to help students master their knowledge of new words.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Everything Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Vocabulary Effectively

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Vocabulary size is a convenient proxy for a whole range of educational attainments and abilities - not just skill in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but also general knowledge of science, history, and the arts." A wealth of words, by E. D.

# data[].attributes.body
This resource gives information on Science education and how it helps satisfy students natural curiosity. It is our job as science teachers to make students interested in the natural world. This article also gives ways to help students understand science better such as making content explicit, helping them reflect, and giving it context for the students. This article also gives other resources teachers can use to help develop students knowledge in science.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Teaching resources

Science is an inspiring process of discovery that helps satisfy the natural curiosity with which we are all born. Unfortunately, traditional instruction that misrepresents science as a body of facts to be memorized and the process of science as a rigid 5-step procedure can deaden students' spirit of inquiry.

Students should come away from our classrooms with an appreciation of the natural world — fascinated by its intricacies and excited to learn more. They should view and value science as a multi-faceted, flexible process for better understanding that world. Such views encourage life-long learning and foster critical thinking about everyday problems students face in their lives. You can cultivate these ways of thinking in your students through science instruction that accurately and enthusiastically communicates the true nature of science and that encourages students to question how we know what we know.

Fortunately, fostering such understandings needn't require reorganizing your entire curriculum. Simple shifts in how content and activities are approached can make a big difference in overcoming student misconceptions and building more accurate views of the process of science. Educational research supports the following strategies for teaching about the scientific endeavor:

Make it explicit: Key concepts regarding the nature and process of science should be explicitly and independently emphasized. Engaging in inquiry and studying the history of science are most helpful when the nature-of-science concepts they exemplify are explicitly drawn out in discussion and interactions.

Help them reflect: Throughout instruction, students should be encouraged to examine, test, and revise their ideas about what science is and how it works.

Give it context, again and again: Key concepts about the nature and process of science should be revisited in multiple contexts throughout the school year, allowing students to see how they apply to real-world situations.

We've assembled a variety of resources to help you increase student understanding of nature and process of science. To improve your own content knowledge, explore Understanding Science 101 and our resource library. To prepare yourself with lesson plans, teaching tips, and pedagogical strategies, visit a Teacher's Lounge or explore the all-level resources listed below and to the right.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching resources Science is an inspiring process of discovery that helps satisfy the natural curiosity with which we are all born. Unfortunately, traditional instruction that misrepresents science as a body of facts to be memorized and the process of science as a rigid 5-step procedure can deaden students' spirit of inquiry.

# data[].attributes.body
This article gives miscellaneous activities a teacher can use to further student learning. These activities include role plays that allow students to play a role in order to get a better understanding of the concept at hand. It also addresses fill-in-the-blank activity which challenges students to use key vocabulary. It lastly addresses flash cards which can be key to helping students learn important vocabulary words for your class.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These activities generally require more preparation than warm-ups and games, but they will also take more class time and can be used to practice whatever material you're teaching. As always, be creative and adapt them to your needs.

Role Plays (intermediate-advanced, pairs)Role plays are far more communicative than pre-written dialogs, but they are often challenging for beginners or shy students because they must come up with their own language to fit a particular situation. They may be too difficult for beginners or shy learners. In its most difficult form, groups of 2-3 learners are given a scenario and asked to act it out on the spot. To make a role-play less intimidating, learners may be allowed 5-10 minutes to think it through first. You may allow them to write down their scripts, which is often necessary at lower levels. Writing also gives learners a chance to ask questions about the language before they use it in front of their peers.

Sequencing (any level, pair or group)In sequencing activities, students must put jumbled pieces of information into a logical order. Unlike jigsaw activities, all students in the group are allowed to see all the pieces of information. They work together to understand each piece and decide where it fits among the rest. Examples include months of the year, strip stories where a story is cut into separate sentences or paragraphs (use pictures for non-literate students), or instructions (recipe, craft, etc.) cut up by lines. It's fine to have more information pieces than group members.

Q & A Matching (literate beginner-intermediate, large group)You need to have an even number of participants, so you may need to join in yourself. Get enough 3x5 cards so that you have one per person. On half of the cards write questions, and on the other half write appropriate responses. Use language your learners know and avoid new vocabulary. Examples could be, "What month is it? / It's July." or "Where did you go yesterday? / I went to City Park." Mix up the cards and hand one to each student. Let everyone stand up and mingle. The students with questions should read their questions aloud and those with answers should read their responses. Make sure they don't show each other their cards. When students think they have a matching pair, they can sit down. The activity will go faster if the question cards are a different color than the answer cards. Watch out for questions that could use more than one of your answers, or answers that could be given for more than one of your questions. This will result in an odd pair left over if students don't match your original question and answer correctly. For multilevel groups, make some questions/answers harder and give these to the higher level students. At the end, have all pairs read their questions and answers to check them.

Fill-In-The-Blank (any literate level, individual or group)
Prepare a worksheet containing a text or song lyrics with key words blanked out. For beginners you can blank out alphabet letters and not whole words, choosing distinct sounds rather than silent letters. Then read the text or play the song and let the learners fill in the blanks. You may need to repeat it 2-3 times. Then go through the text (have learners take turns reading their answers) to check it. Ask learners to spell the difficult words. You can focus this activity by choosing a certain type of word to blank out (such as articles or "be" verbs) or just choose random words. Be aware, though, that if you choose a lot of long words close to each other the learners may have trouble keeping up with listening as they write. This is also called acloze exercise.

Problem-Solving (intermediate-advanced, group)
This works best with small groups. Present a problem (a scenario, possibly) and give groups some time to discuss the best approaches or solutions and come to agreement on a course of action. The problem should require a decision with pros and cons and necessitate creative collaborative effort. It can be something like deciding upon seven items to take along for a week in the wilderness, or choosing between living in a 5-bedroom house in the city or a 1-bedroom cottage by a mountain stream. Press learners to explainwhy they chose their answers.

More activity ideas are available on the following sites.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These activities generally require more preparation than warm-ups and games, but they will also take more class time and can be used to practice whatever material you're teaching. As always, be creative and adapt them to your needs.

# data[].attributes.body
This website is made for science teachers. This is the Daily Do which shows lesson plans science teachers have used in the past. This is a resource teachers in any grade level can access to get information they need on a science topic. It is also a great way to get ideas for future lessons for all teachers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Daily Dos are sensemaking tasks teachers and parents can use to engage their students in authentic, relevant science learning.

Students actively try to figure out how the world works (science) or how to design solutions to problems (engineering) using the science and engineering practices. Engaging in these practices requires that students be part of a learning community, of classmates or family, to be able to share and evaluate ideas, give and receive critique, and reach consensus.

Check out how to connect these lessons to support students' in developing the targeted science ideas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Daily Dos are sensemaking tasks teachers and parents can use to engage their students in authentic, relevant science learning. Students actively try to figure out how the world works (science) or how to design solutions to problems (engineering) using the science and engineering practices.

# data[].attributes.body
This article talks about modeling first which is telling students exactly what they need to do and the expectation of the assignment. It addresses the importance of letting students know that mistakes are going to happen in learning. And it is important for students to know that even the teachers make mistakes. It is important that we have a student led classroom so the students can control what they are learning. The article addresses other points but these are most important.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A teaching strategy is the method you use to convey information to your students. There may be a particular strategy that works well with yourgroup of studentsone year that won't work with your students the next year. Because of this, it's important to have lots of teaching strategies in your toolbox. Here are some of the top ideas for you to use.

1. Modeling

After telling students what to do, it's important to show them exactly how to do it. Model how you expect them to complete an assignment, so they understand what they're supposed to do. This will help your students who are visual learners, too.

2. Mistakes

If you've ever accidentally spelled a word wrong on the board, you know that students love to identify mistakes. When you're teaching a new skill, make an example riddled with mistakes. Let students practice the skill by identifying and fixing the mistakes for you.

3. Feedback

Students don't always know if they're doing a good job without you telling them so. Regularly provide written or verbal feedback for individual or group assignments.

Also, it can be beneficial to turn the tables sometimes. Let the students provide you feedback to tell you how you're doing, too.

4. Cooperative Learning

Students learn effectively when they're working together. Plan activities that require students to work together and learn from one another. In the process, they'll also learn critical thinking skills, communication skills, problem solving skills, and more.

5. Experiential Learning

Students learn by doing, so create experiences for them to see the concepts in action. Let them practice the concepts in a safe environment. Then, they should reflect on the experience and discuss what they learned from it. Classroom activities that you could do for experiential learning include fun games, experiments, or simulations.

6. Student-Led Classroom

When students get to be the teacher for the day, they learn things that they wouldn't have learned otherwise. You could have students team teach or work in groups to teach a new topic. You'll find that other students will learn from their peers' unique take on the subjects, too.

7. Class Discussion

Another way for students to teach each other is throughclass discussions. As students take turns discussing the subject, you can assess their knowledge and discover which students grasp the concepts and to what extent.

8. Inquiry-Guided Instruction

By asking questions and working together to solve the problems, students get to be involved in the learning process. The class can work together to determine the answer and report it. As students do the work to discover the answers on their own, they remember the concepts better and more fully.

9. Lesson Objective Transparency

Rather than letting your students figure out what they should be learning on their own, just tell them. Clearly state yourlesson goals or objectives. You could announce it in class or write it on the board. Just make it simple and clear for all of your students to understand. Then, they know what they're working towards and what they should know by the end of the class. This also really helps to reduce student anxiety come test time.

10. Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers summarize the information in a concise manner. Using a flow chart, Venn diagram, or web, students get to see the information in a new light. This helps them organize the information in their minds, so they can better grasp the new concepts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Top 10 Teaching Strategies to Use in Your Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A teaching strategy is the method you use to convey information to your students. There may be a particular strategy that works well with yourgroup of studentsone year that won't work with your students the next year. Because of this, it's important to have lots of teaching strategies in your toolbox.

# data[].attributes.body
This article addresses the different style of a teacher one can be. The article gives 5 different styles of teaching. It is important for teachers to be aware of their style. It gives advice about being reflective of the teaching style you are and constantly monitoring. I will encourage my colleagues to read this article and reflect on their teaching style.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Every teacher has her or his own style of teaching. And as traditional teaching styles evolve with the advent of differentiated instruction, more and more teachers are adjusting their approach depending on their students' learning needs.

But there are a few fundamental teaching styles most educators tend to use. Which one is yours?

You've Got Style

These teaching styles highlight the five main strategies teachers use in the classroom, as well as the benefits and potential pitfalls of each.

The Authority, or lecture style

The authority model is teacher-centered and frequently entails lengthy lecture sessions or one-way presentations. Students are expected to take notes or absorb information.

Pros: This style is acceptable for certain higher-education disciplines and auditorium settings with large groups of students. The pure lecture style is most suitable for subjects like history, which necessitate memorization of key facts, dates, names, etc.

Cons: It's a questionable model for teaching children because there is little or no interaction with the teacher. Plus it can get a little snooze-y. That's why it's a better approach for older, more mature students.

The Demonstrator, or coach style

The demonstrator retains the formal authority role by showing students what they need to know. The demonstrator is a lot like the lecturer, but their lessons include multimedia presentations, activities, and demonstrations. (Think: Math. Science. Music.)

Pros: This style gives teachers opportunities to incorporate a variety of formats including lectures and multimedia presentations.

Cons: Although it's well-suited for teaching mathematics, music, physical education, or arts and crafts, it is difficult to accommodate students' individual needs in larger classrooms.

The Facilitator, or activity style

Facilitators promote self-learning and help students develop critical thinking skills and retain knowledge that leads to self-actualization.

Pros: This style trains students to ask questions and helps develop skills to find answers and solutions through exploration; it is ideal for teaching science and similar subjects.

Cons: Challenges teacher to interact with students and prompt them toward discovery rather than lecturing facts and testing knowledge through memorization. So it's a bit harder to measure success in tangible terms.

The Delegator, or group style

The delegator style is best suited for curricula that require lab activities, such as chemistry and biology, or subjects that warrant peer feedback, like debate and creative writing.

Pros: Guided discovery and inquiry-based learning place the teacher in an observer role that inspires students by working in tandem toward common goals.

Cons: Considered a modern style of teaching, it is sometimes criticized as eroding teacher authority. As a delegator, the teacher acts more as a consultant rather than the traditional authority figure.

The Hybrid, or blended style

Hybrid, or blended style, follows an integrated approach to teaching that blends the teacher's personality and interests with students' needs and curriculum-appropriate methods.

Pros: Inclusive! And it enables teachers to tailor their styles to student needs and appropriate subject matter.

Cons: Hybrid style runs the risk of trying to be too many things to all students, prompting teachers to spread themselves too thin and dilute learning.

Because teachers have styles that reflect their distinct personalities and curriculum-from math and science to English and history-it's crucial that they remain focused on their teaching objectives and avoid trying to be all things to all students.

What you need to know about your teaching style

Although it is not the teacher's job to entertain students, it is vital to engage them in the learning process. Selecting a style that addresses the needs of diverse students at different learning levels begins with a personal inventory-a self-evaluation-of the teacher's strengths and weaknesses. As they develop their teaching styles and integrate them with effective classroom management skills, teachers will learn what works best for their personalities and curriculum.

Our guide encapsulates today's different teaching styles and helps teachers identify the style that's right for them and their students. Browse through the article or use these links to jump to your desired destination.

Emergence of the teaching style inventory

How have teaching styles evolved? This is a question teachers are asked, and frequently ask themselves, as they embark on their careers, and occasionally pause along the way to reflect on job performance. To understand the differences in teaching styles, it's helpful to know where the modern concept of classifying teaching methods originated.

The late Anthony F. Grasha, a noted professor of psychology at the University of Cincinnati, is credited with developing the classic five teaching styles. A follower of psychiatrist Carl Jung, Grasha began studying the dynamics of the relationship between teachers and learning in college classrooms. His groundbreaking book, Teaching with Style, was written both as a guide for teachers and as a tool to help colleagues, administrators and students systematically evaluate an instructor's effectiveness in the classroom.

Grasha understood that schools must use a consistent, formal approach in evaluating a teacher's classroom performance. He recognized that any system designed to help teachers improve their instructional skills requires a simple classification system. He developed a teaching style inventory that has since been adopted and modified by followers.

Expert: Similar to a coach, experts share knowledge, demonstrate their expertise, advise students, and provide feedback to improve understanding and promote learning.

Formal authority: Authoritative teachers incorporate the traditional lecture format and share many of the same characteristics as experts, but with less student interaction.

Personal model: Incorporates blended teaching styles that match the best techniques with the appropriate learning scenarios and students in an adaptive format.

Facilitator: Designs participatory learning activities and manages classroom projects while providing information and offering feedback to facilitate critical thinking.

Delegator: Organizes group learning, observes students, provides consultation, and promotes interaction between groups and among individuals to achieve learning objectives.

Although he developed specific teaching styles, Grasha warned against boxing teachers into a single category. Instead, he advocated that teachers play multiple roles in the classroom. He believed most teachers possess some combination of all or most of the classic teaching styles.

How does differentiated instruction affect teaching styles?

Carol Ann Tomlinson, a professor at the University of Virginia, is an early advocate of differentiated instruction and a pioneer in the development of learning-based teaching styles. If Grasha laid the groundwork for 20th-century teachers to adopt styles tailored to match their personalities and strengths, Tomlinson has advanced this theme into the 21st century by focusing on differentiated instruction.

In the simplest terms, differentiated instruction means keeping all students in mind when developing lesson plans and workbook exercises, lectures, and interactive learning. These student-focused differences necessitate instructional styles that embrace diverse classrooms for students at all learning levels and from various backgrounds without compromising the teacher's strengths.

What teaching style is best for today's students?

Whether you're a first-year teacher eager to put into practice all of the pedagogical techniques you learned in college, or a classroom veteran examining differentiated instruction and new learning methodologies, consider that not all students respond well to one particular style. Although teaching styles have been categorized into five groups, today's ideal teaching style is not an either/or proposition but more of a hybrid approach that blends the best of everything a teacher has to offer.

The traditional advice that teachers not overreach with a cluster of all-encompassing teaching styles might seem to conflict with today's emphasis on student-centered classrooms. Theoretically, the more teachers emphasize student-centric learning, the harder it is to develop a well-focused style based on their personal attributes, strengths, and goals.

In short, modern methods of teaching require different types of teachers-from the analyst/organizer to the negotiator/consultant. Here are some other factors to consider as teachers determine the best teaching method for their students.

Empty vessel: Critics of the "sage on the stage" lecture style point to the "empty vessel" theory, which assumes a student's mind is essentially empty and needs to be filled by the "expert" teacher. Critics of this traditional approach to teaching insist this teaching style is outmoded and needs to be updated for the diverse 21st-century classroom.

Active vs. passive: Proponents of the traditional lecture approach believe that an overemphasis on group-oriented participatory teaching styles, like facilitator and delegator, favor gifted and competitive students over passive children with varied learning abilities, thereby exacerbating the challenges of meeting the needs of all learners.

Knowledge vs. information: Knowledge implies a complete understanding, or full comprehension, of a particular subject. A blend of teaching styles that incorporate facilitator, delegator, demonstrator, and lecturer techniques helps the broadest range of students acquire in-depth knowledge and mastery of a given subject. This stands in contrast to passive learning, which typically entails memorizing facts, or information, with the short-term objective of scoring well on tests.

Interactive classrooms: Laptops and tablets, video conferencing, and podcasts in classrooms play a vital role in today's teaching styles. With technology in mind, it is imperative that teachers assess their students' knowledge while they are learning. The alternative is to wait for test results, only to discover knowledge gaps that should have been detected during the active learning phase.

Constructivist teaching methods: Contemporary teaching styles tend to be group-focused and inquiry-driven. Constructivist teaching methods embrace subsets of alternative teaching styles, including modeling, coaching, and test preparation through rubrics scaffolding. All of these are designed to promote student participation and necessitate a hybrid approach to teaching. One criticism of the constructivist approach is that it caters to extroverted, group-oriented students, who tend to dominate and benefit from these teaching methods more than introverts; however, this assumes introverts aren't learning by observing.

Student-centric learning does not have to come at the expense of an instructor's preferred teaching method. However, differentiated instruction demands that teachers finesse their style to accommodate the diverse needs of 21st-century classrooms.

The 'sage on the stage' meets the 'tiger mom'

The objective of blending teaching styles to leverage the teacher's strengths while meeting the demands of diverse students has become increasingly difficult, as parents take a decidedly proactive role in child-learning techniques.

The traditional authoritative/expert, or "sage on the stage" lecture style, has come under attack by some parents-and contemporary educational leaders-who emphasize that a more diverse approach to teaching is necessary to engage students. This is compounded by the rise of "tiger moms," a term made popular by parents devoted to improving the quality of education with laser-precision focus on A-list schools and a highly competitive job market.

Age of the proactive parent

Regardless of what style a teacher adopts, it's important for teachers to develop positive attitudes, set goals, and establish high expectations for students.

"Assume students can excel!" education authors Harry and Rosemary Wong declare. As former teachers with a combined 80-plus years of educational experience, the Wongs emphasize in their best-selling book, The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher and their more recent, The Classroom Management Book that successful teachers share three common characteristics:

effective classroom management skills

lesson mastery

positive expectations

All instructors, when developing their teaching styles, should keep in mind these three goals, as well as the primary objective of education: student learning.

How does classroom diversity influence teachers?

It is abundantly clear that today's teachers are responsible for students with a diverse range of learning abilities. The 21st-century teacher does not have the luxury of "picking the low-hanging fruit" and then leaving the rest of the tree for experts who specialize in children with behavioral issues or learning disorders.

Today's teachers must develop instructional styles that work well in diverse classrooms. Effective teaching methods engage gifted students, as well as slow-learning children and those with attention deficit tendencies. This is where differentiated instruction and a balanced mix of teaching styles can help reach all students in a given classroom-not just the few who respond well to one particular style of teaching.

The wonderment of teaching, what author/educator Dr. Harry Wong refers to as "that a-ha moment" when a child "gets it," is one of the most rewarding and seemingly elusive benefits of becoming a teacher. This transfer of knowledge from expert to student is an art form and a skill. Fortunately, both can be learned and perfected.

Knowing how to engage students begins with selecting the teaching style that's right for you. And remember, even though you may prefer one teaching style over another, you must find the style that works best for your students! Try different styles to meet different objectives, and always challenge yourself to find ways to reach each student.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching Styles: Different Teaching Methods & Strategies | Resilient Educator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
List of effective teaching styles: Authority, Demonstrator, Facilitator, Developer, Hybrid - examples of the best teaching methods for diverse learners.

# data[].attributes.body
This article shows all the rights that students are granted in school. These rights are protected under the Constitution and should be honored in schools. It addressed issues such as free speech, religion in school, and privacy policies. The article also gives a section of what questions are frequently asked and what students rights are in those. This article is important for both teachers and students to know to make sure they are aware of their constitutional rights in school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to the "Student Rights" section of FindLaw's Education Law Center. As the U.S. Supreme Court once declared, students do not "shed their constitutional rights when they enter the schoolhouse door." Still, school administrators may sometimes legally restrict the rights of those within their schools, universities, and educational institutions. This section provides information and resources for students, parents, teachers and school administrators involving the right to student speech, religion, and school privacy. This section also provides an in-depth look at laws protecting student rights, drug testing, and school prayer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the "Student Rights" section of FindLaw's Education Law Center. As the U.S. Supreme Court once declared, students do not "shed their constitutional rights when they enter the schoolhouse door." Still, school administrators may sometimes legally restrict the rights of those within their schools, universities, and educational institutions.

# data[].attributes.body
This article first talks about students data and what exactly student data is. The article addresses apps and tools that school districts have approved as well as what to do with apps that may not be approved by school district. The article addresses federal and state laws we must follow such as FERPA, COPPA, PPRA it is important for teachers to  always be aware of these laws.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Technology tools and apps are making it possible for educators and students to collaborate, create, and share ideas more easily than ever. When schools use technology, students' data-including some personal information-is collected both by educators and often the companies that provide apps and online services. Educators use some of this data to inform their instructional practice and get to know their students better. It is just as essential for educators to protect their students as it is to help them learn.

This guide is meant to help teachers utilize technology in the classroom while protecting their students' privacy.

Why should classroom teachers care about student data privacy?
There are legal and ethical restrictions that impact districts, school, and teachers.
Traditionally, student data consisted of things like attendance, grades, discipline records, and health records. Access to that data used to be restricted to the administrator, guidance counselor, teacher, or other school official who needed it to serve the educational needs of the child. With the use of technology in schools, traditional data is now often shared with companies that provide Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and many other technologies. Parents, students, and others have raised concerns about what information is being collected or shared, and what use those companies might make of that data.
Teachers should be aware of Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)Teachers are ethically obliged to follow and model good digital citizenship practices and behaviors with their students. This includes thinking carefully about the digital products and processes that are incorporated in any project or lesson design. and applicable state laws, along with their district or school policies regarding the use of educational products and services from ed tech vendors. (More on FERPA and other laws below) Information that is tied to individual students is referred to as personally identifiable information, or PII, and is subject to additional restrictions in laws and regulations.
New technologies-including personal computers, mobile devices, apps, websites, programs, and online services-are used in classrooms in ways that cause new data to be generated about individual students that never existed before including drafts and edits as they are recorded and showing the pacing and record of their performance through a math or reading program. Communications between students and teachers, or students and other students-along with everything from last night's math homework to the metadata of their online behavior while immersed in an app-is now created, collected, and often held by third party educational technology vendors.

What constitutes student data?

Student personal information includes any information about a student's identity, academics, medical conditions, or anything else that is collected, stored, and communicated by schools or technology vendors on behalf of schools that is particular to that individual student. This includes name, address, names of parents or guardians, date of birth, grades, attendance, disciplinary records, eligibility for lunch programs, special needs, and other information necessary for basic administration and instruction. It also includes the data created or generated by the student or teacher in the use of technology - email accounts, online bulletin boards, work performed with an educational program or app, anything that is by or about the individual student in the educational setting. Some student personal information such as social security number, is highly sensitive and collection may be barred by state law.

What is an education record?
Be familiar with your school's policy or process for selecting new educational tools, if one exists.
The federal law, FERPA protects educational records that contain information directly related to an individual student and which are maintained by an educational agency or institution or by a party acting for the agency or institution. However, new state student privacy laws protect all "student personal information" and data that is now collected and used via modern educational technology products and services.

What if I want to use an education app or tool and I don't know if my school/district has vetted it?

If an app or service you want to use is not on the "approved" list, ask for it to be vetted and ask how long the vetting process takes. If the process is lengthy, you will want to redesign your lesson or project plan. Once the app is approved, you can certainly use it later. The list may also contain similar alternative apps you can use in the meantime.
If your school or district has an approved list of ed tech products, services, websites, or apps, check that the service you use is included and ensure you are aware of any requirements or privacy options.
If no such vetting process exists in your school, the checklist at the end of this guide can help you quickly evaluate whether your students' information will be protected.

Some tools have already been vetted

When schools and districts decide to adopt certain technology tools, they should evaluate those tools to ensure they meet data privacy requirements. Some examples include:

Workflow and collaboration tools where students and teachers draft work together, give feedback, and communicate throughout the learning process.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) where teachers post instructions, assignments, and links to resources for students and parents to access.

Online gradebooks where teachers post grades and students and parents can access them using a username and password.

Communication tools for emails or newsletters.

As a teacher, you cannot officially endorse use of an outside product, but you can explain to the student the considerations they should take into account, including recommending the student let their parents know too.

What should I do if a student suggests an unvetted education app to use for a project?

It's quite common for students to find education apps on their own to use for projects, and educators should encourage students to be creative and take their suggestions seriously. This is a teachable moment-a great opportunity to talk with the student about data privacy and review that digital citizenship curriculum.

Here are some examples of questions you could use to start the conversation with your student:

1. Did you have to make an account in order to start using that app? If so, did you have to provide personal information (email, name, age, etc.)?

2. Does the app require parental permission? Who has access to your email and other information now that you've created that account?

3. Does the app developer share your information with others? (It's in their privacy policy.)

4. Does the app collect additional information such as location or contacts?

In all likelihood, your student will not know the answers to some of these questions. That is OK, but it is important to explain to them that all of this information belongs to them. They should think about protecting it, and should be encouraged to discuss their choices at home with their parents as well.

What about companies that provide online tools to schools?
If you, the teacher, want to recommend an app that was not specifically designed for education, checking with your administration, complying with applicable school policies, and using the checklist in this guide just as you would for an education-specific app is still a best practice.
Schools are allowed to rely on technology companies to provide products and services, but have the responsibility to ensure that those vendors have appropriate protections in place for student data. The school must ensure that it retains direct control over the information the company collects, uses, and maintains. Schools are responsible for seeing that companies working with the school directly only use student information for authorized educational purposes. These companies have access to this data under the "school official" exception, for the limited purpose of using student information for educational purposes only.

What if my students and/or I want to use or recommend a technology tool that was not specifically designed for education?

It's a common issue because there are many "consumer apps," not designed for education that students may wish to use for learning or to help them with their homework and projects. These may include research tools, note taking apps, collaboration tools or apps that allow users to make videos, record audio or create other media such as cartoons, images, and so on.

However, commercial products not designed and marketed for schools may not have the privacy policies and practices in place to ensure the protection of user data to the standards of laws that protect student information. Therefore, if not prohibited by school policy, these products should be carefully evaluated to see if their use will put student data at undesirable risk.
FERPA - Information in a student's education record is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law enacted in 1974 that guarantees that parents have access to their child's education record and restricts who can access and use student information.
If a student approaches you and asks to use an app for your assignment that you're not familiar with, it is a good idea to use the opportunity to talk to your student using the suggested questions above. Again, harness that teachable moment.
COPPA - The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) controls what information is collected from young children by companies operating websites, games, and mobile applications directed toward children under 13.
What are the federal and state laws that we need to follow?
PPRA - The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) outlines restrictions for the process when students might be asked for information as part of federally funded surveys or evaluations.
FERPA protects the access to and sharing of a student's education record, which is all information directly related to a particular student as part of his or her education. FERPA gives parents specific rights to their child's education records and when a child turns 18, the rights belong directly to him or her. FERPA also permits schools to share information with another school system regarding a student's enrollment or transfer, specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes; appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student; organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school; and accrediting organizations. The "school official" exception allows schools to share information with parent volunteers, technology companies or other vendors, but only when used for educational purposes directed by the school. (See Sidebar.) Directory Information, another FERPA exception, is student data that a school may make public, for example a sports team roster, yearbook information or even data that can be provided to third parties, but parents must be given the opportunity to opt-out.

COPPA requires companies to have a clear privacy policy, provide direct notice to parents, and obtain parental consent before collecting information from children under 13. Teachers and other school officials are authorized to provide this consent on behalf of parents for use of an educational program, but only for use in the educational context. This means the company can only collect personal information from students for the specified educational purpose, and for no other commercial purpose. Some schools have policies that require school administrator approval before teachers can allow use of certain apps or services. When information is collected with the consent of a school official, the company may keep the information only as long as necessary to achieve the educational purposes.
State laws vary greatly and you should be aware of your state's specific requirements.
For example, surveys might be used to better understand the effects on students of drug and alcohol use, or sexual conduct. They might also seek to understand the impact on students with family backgrounds that include violence, or variations in home life such as family makeup or income levels. In order to administer such surveys, schools must be able to show parents any of the survey materials used, and provide parents with choices for any surveys that deal with certain sensitive categories.

What resources are available to teachers to further understand and teach student privacy?

If your school administration does not have information or training available on this topic, there are sites that can help you locate your particular state's law, and provide overall information on these questions. See the additional resources section below.

ConnectSafely Educator's Guide to Social Media explains how educators can use social media in the classroom without risking their professional reputation.

FERPA|SHERPA provides service providers, parents, school officials, and policymakers with easy access to materials and resources to help guide responsible uses of student's data.

Student Privacy Pledge is a list of twelve commitments K-12 school service provides agree to in order to safeguard students data privacy regarding the collection, maintenance, and use of student personal information.

ConnectSafely, FPF, PTA Parent's Guide to Student Data Privacy assists parents in understanding the laws that protect student data and helps parents understand their student's rights under the law.

Department of Education PTAC is a resource for education stakeholders to learn about data privacy, confidentiality, and security practices related to student-level longitudinal data systems and other uses of student data.

CoSN Privacy Toolkit for School Leaders provides school officials with 10 essential skills areas, outlining the responsibilities and knowledge needed to be an educational technology leader.

Data Quality Campaign provides information on state laws annually, as well as other useful privacy review tools and resources.

Closing thoughts for educators

We live in a period of constant change that affects everyone-families, government, business and, of course, education. It's an exciting time and, although rapid change can sometimes be hard to adjust to, it's a fact of life that's not going away.

For the most part, change is good, especially when it increases our productivity and improves outcomes and helps engage our students. But as we adopt new technologies, we must also think about how they affect the safety, security and privacy of all stakeholders-especially our students.

Sometimes it makes sense to pause, if even for a moment, to make sure we're doing all we can to protect our students. But it's also our responsibility as educators to embrace innovation and encourage our students and our colleagues to try new approaches and embrace new tools. It's a challenge, but it's not beyond our reach.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Educator's Guide to Student Data Privacy - ConnectSafely

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Technology tools and apps are making it possible for educators and students to collaborate, create, and share ideas more easily than ever. When schools use technology, students' data-including some personal information-is collected both by educators and often the companies that provide apps and online services.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teachers Responsibilities to Their Students 

# data[].attributes.subject
Teachers Responsibilities to Their Students 

# data[].attributes.body
This article is directed to both educators and parents. It talks about all teachers providing students with a quality education that challenges them. It also addresses students rights to privacy and respect to students boundaries which should always happen. The teacher must always maintain professionalism in every action in the classroom.