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This is an uplifting video by the Lien Foundation that shows the possibilities of UDL in the Singapore schooling context.

If this is possible for pre-school education, then let us reimagine a new paradigm for formal schooling in Singapore.

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Kindling Inclusion Part 1: Singapore's First Inclusive Preschool

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This useful website is the product of a team of teachers based in New Brunswick, Canada who worked on UDL for their Action Research Project in 2013-2014.

It contains handy information for teachers such as UDL guidelines, lesson plan templates, and even quick tips.

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The UDL Implementation Rubric was authored by Melissa Toland, and you can read more about it here. This is an adapted version of The UDL Progression Rubric by Dr. Katie Novak and Dr. Kristian Rodriguez. In the original version, teachers can self-evaluate their performance on each individual checkpoint of the UDL guidelines, whereas the adapted version is less specific in scope and focuses on performance in more general terms in the following areas: multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiple means of action and expression. You can view this rubric to see where you may be in your UDL journey across a spectrum ranging from UDL explorer to UDL idol. Click the link below to download the pdf version of this document.

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CAST UDL Guidelines The two files below outline the UDL guidelines by multiple means of representation, multiple means of action & expression, and multiple means of engagement. Knowing the UDL...

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CAST is a US nonprofit education research and development organization that seeks to expand learning opportunities for all individuals through UDL.

The website includes such wide-ranging resources as material on research and development to professional learning.

There are also case studies that offer inspiration for bridging the gap between theory and practice.

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CAST: About Universal Design for Learning

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Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

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😊Universal Design for Learning: Recommendations for Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

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😊Universal Design for Learning: Recommendations for Teacher Preparation and Professional Development

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This  document from the Cedar Centre, University of Florida, provides recommendations for raising teacher' competencies to better implement UDL.

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😊"Policy Foundations of Universal Design for Learning" (Hehir, 2009)

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😊"Policy Foundations of Universal Design for Learning" (Hehir, 2009)

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3 key points of this article are:
a)    UDL creates a framework to reduce barriers in education, anticipate diversity in everyday classrooms & embed support into our curricula.

b)    Implementation of a UDL framework will open doors in education to all students

c)    Important precondition --- teachers be receptive to idea of change

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😊Universal Design for Learning --- A Look at What Algebra and Biology Students With and Without High Incidence Conditions are Saying (Kortering et al, 2008)

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😊Universal Design for Learning --- A Look at What Algebra and Biology Students With and Without High Incidence Conditions are Saying (Kortering et al, 2008)

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This article examines findings on student perceptions of individual interventions based on the principles of UDL and includes a comparison between the reported perceptions of mainstreamed students with high incidence disabilities and that of their general education peers. Both groups reported near unanimous agreement as to wanting their teachers to use more UDL interventions.

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😊Universally Designing Positive Behaviour Support for All 

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😊Universally Designing Positive Behaviour Support for All 

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This is a set of presentation slides by Sheldon Loman from Portland State University. She presents 3 outcomes in the US context:
1) Identify evidence-based practices for supporting students with disabilities;
2)Identify tools and procedures for helping school teams to better design supports for students with  disability at all three tiers (core instructional intervention, targeted group intervention & intensive individual intervention);
3) Develop a plan to ensure that data, systems and practices are in place within schools to support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Developmental Disabilities (DD).

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UDL PBIS Presentation to CA Symposium SLoman (1)

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😊Factors that Make Up an Inclusive School

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😊Factors that Make Up an Inclusive School

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This is the link to a letter by Noel Chia (published on TodayOnline on 12 April 2016) on how he felt heartened to read about the opening of Kindle Preschool and he highlighted three factors on what he thought makes a good inclusive preschool.

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Three factors that make up an inclusive school

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It was heartening to read about Kindle Garden, Singapore's first inclusive preschool, in "'Eye-opening' inclusive pre-school programme draws raves" (April 1). The preschool also reports a waiting list of 25 neuro-typical and 100 neuro-atypical children for admission. That is fant

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😊Inclusive Pre-school Kindle Garden Caters to Children of Different Needs

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😊Inclusive Pre-school Kindle Garden Caters to Children of Different Needs

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This is the link to a Straits TImes article (Dec 18, 2017) on Singapore's first inclusive pre-school, Kindle Garden.

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A boy in teacher Lee Wei Ling's class uses a book with pictures to communicate as he is non-verbal. The children in his class are both typically developing children and children with special needs.

His classmate told the teacher that he wanted to communicate with the boy, who has cerebral palsy, and asked for the communication book. Soon after, the rest of the class joined in. "He used to be very wary of the children. Now he has a new way of interacting with them," said Ms Lee.

Such instances, where children stand up for their peers of all abilities, are common at Kindle Garden at Enabling Village in Redhill.

The inclusive pre-school, the only one of its kind in Singapore, caters to children of all needs and abilities, varying from mainstream ability children to those with severe needs. It accepts children between 18 months old and six years old. Monthly fees are around $1,050 before any subsidies.

In the new year, the school will be introducing tiered rates, based on household incomes of pupils.

School principal Lena Koh, 45, was inspired by her own son, Dexter, 13, who was diagnosed with autism when he was four, to help build a more inclusive world for children with needs.

She joined the school, a partnership between the Lien Foundation and AWWA, soon after it was set up.

Kindle Garden is now at its full capacity of 84 pupils, with 30 per cent special needs children and 70 per cent mainstream ability children. This is the ratio maintained in all the classes. Now in its second year, the school has 100 special needs children and 25 mainstream ability children on its waiting list.

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Inclusive pre-school Kindle Garden caters to children of different needs

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A boy in teacher Lee Wei Ling's class uses a book with pictures to communicate as he is non-verbal. The children in his class are both typically developing children and children with special needs. His classmate told the teacher that he wanted to communicate with the boy, who has cerebral palsy, and asked for the communication book.

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😊how Singapore's First Inclusive Preschool Kindle Garden Teach their Students

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😊how Singapore's First Inclusive Preschool Kindle Garden Teach their Students

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This is the link to an article published by Young Parents (Dec 20, 2017) on how Singapore's First Preschool, Kindle Garden teach their students.

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Here's how Singapore's first inclusive preschool Kindle Garden teach their students | Young Parents

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Pupils of mainstream ability and those with special needs can mingle freely at Singapore's first inclusive preschool, Kindle Garden.

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😊This is the link to an article on Mr Jeyaram Kadivan (Ram) who, as an Allied Educator, helps young people to find a love for the English language. Ram found that a “universal” approach to teaching and learning is useful and research in UDL has shown that curriculum materials designed for special needs students can also be used for the general student population, and everyone can benefit from it.

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As a student, Mr Jeyaram Kadivan used to dread English Language lessons. He struggled with the language and even failed the subject in school. Today, he helps young people to find a love for the language and to succeed where he failed.
Jeyaram - or Mr Ram, as he is known in school - is an Allied Educator (AED) at St Gabriel's Secondary School, which is a resource school for dyslexia support.

Ram's role is to support students with this learning disability and the teachers who teach them. He advises teachers, helps in classroom teaching, and also conducts one-to-one or small-group intervention programmes to help those with more challenging learning needs.

Students with dyslexia hate to read or write. Because this group of learners often has difficulties comprehending what they read, the first thing Ram tries to do is to create a love for language in them.

"Children with special needs tend to fall backwards because despite them getting all that support, it may not be that concrete," he notes. To get them to learn and improve, he needs to increase their motivation. "They need to see success in their work," he says.

Ram carefully designs a variety of materials to help them grasp both the content and literacy skills. To make sure they don't lag behind their peers, he chooses topics that are aligned with the English Language curriculum.

So if the topic is advertisements, they may get a cloze passage and a comprehension passage about ads. They'll also look at ads, talk about them, and even design their own.

It may take up to 4 weeks to complete a topic, but Ram is in no hurry. He takes his time to make sure his learners understand the topic and to make it meaningful to them.

"The philosophy I adopt is that they don't get homework here. It's fun," shares Ram. "I really go at their level and take time to finish every period."

While his work is specialized, Ram has always adopted an all-encompassing approach: "Support everyone as much as possible."

Sometimes, it turns out that some of those identified as special needs students don't have a learning disability but a learning difficulty.

Children with special needs tend to fall backwards.... They need to see success in their work.

- Mr Jeyaram Kadivan, St Gabriel's Secondary School

"Because they come from a family where their mother tongue is the most utilized language at home, that becomes an issue in school. Because they are not conversing in English, and because our teaching mode is all in English, they are struggling."

Ram found that a "universal" approach to teaching and learning is useful for students like these. Research in "universal design for learning" (or UDL) has shown that curriculum materials designed for special needs students can also be used for the general student population, and everyone can benefit from it.

It's really about teaching at the level of the student and communicating knowledge in a way that they can relate to and understand.

"It's useful for Normal (Technical) classes, where there are that small group of kids who are falling through the sieve, where they are not really diagnosed with a disability. But it's going to benefit them because it's so simplified and concrete, and the terms used are based on the curriculum," explains Ram.

It wasn't until much later that he learned that researchers have given this approach a name. "We were naturally doing it, but we never knew there was a full-blown model and philosophy behind it."

As an AED, Ram is not trained to teach. His primary role is to support teaching and learning. To better equip himself, Ram took up a course on teaching English by the British Council last year. He also reads up on learning strategies and research materials to stay up-to-date.

Support everyone as much as possible.

- Ram on his approach to teaching

"I felt that I really needed to know curriculum to teach them what they need. It's not just about giving them a tool and saying, 'You have to do this,' but why they are doing it, how they are doing it. You really have to scaffold them and do it step by step."

Ram is also involved in the school's professional learning community (PLC). "I work closely with the Secondary 1 and 2 teachers in the English department, to understand what the changes in curriculum are. That keeps me abreast about what's happening and how I can prepare these boys for the new information that they require."

This understanding helps him to better differentiate the materials he designs for his students, to cater to their specific ways of learning.Ram has found it helpful to share the load with fellow teachers in the PLC or school cluster. He recently collaborated with three others schools to design lesson materials. "We were sharing resources, and now I have Secondary 1 to 4 materials with me but I only did one set!"

It takes a lot of commitment but the effort pays off long into the future. "It's basically the mindset," stresses Ram. "You have to start small. The initial stage will always be very difficult, but as you develop the material, it's saved up in your bank and you can utilize it again."

"We usually provide support in the class, mainly in helping teachers to focus on the weaker ones, and advising them on how to differentiate the material and how to make the lessons interesting.
Useful Resources

National Center on Universal Design for Learning
Learn more about how UDL can help educators create curricula that meets the needs of all learners from the start, to prepare them for a lifetime of learning.

CAST
This website provides descriptions of the UDL principles and provides teachers with resources to expand learning opportunities for all individuals, especially those with disabilities, such as free learning tools, presentations, books and videos.

Universal Design for Learning: Meeting the Needs of All Students
This article by Patricia Ralabate provides a detailed explanation of UDL as well as two case studies of how it is carried out.

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As a student, Mr Jeyaram Kadivan used to dread English Language lessons. He struggled with the language and even failed the subject in school. Today, he helps young people to find a love for the language and to succeed where he failed.

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😊How do we employ UDL in our own practice? 

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😊How do we employ UDL in our own practice? 

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This is a short word document that compiles ideas consolidated from the Social Inclusion Conference, 2012.

It provides concrete pedagogical ideas in relation to the UDL principles.

It has a section specifically for low SES students.

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The National Center on UDL at CAST has compiled a few videos to illustrate how UDL may be implemented.

This link will bring you to the compilation of these videos on Youtube.

There are a total of 6 short Youtube videos that look at the translation of principles into practice in a few different contexts in the US setting; these include Grade 1 Mathematics, Grade 5 Language Arts and Grade 6 Science.

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National Center on Universal Design for Learning

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😊Application of UDL principles to practice environments: Getting it right?

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😊Application of UDL principles to practice environments: Getting it right?

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This is a short 5-page paper by  UK scholars.

The focus of the paper is the application of UDL at the workplace, and to workplace learning.

This will be useful to those of us whose teaching and learning contexts involve training and professional development. The chief context in the paper is that of nurse education.

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😊Letter by Abhimanyau Pal, Executive Director of the SPD (formerly known as Society for the Physically Disabled) to TODAY 

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😊Letter by Abhimanyau Pal, Executive Director of the SPD (formerly known as Society for the Physically Disabled) to TODAY 

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This letter to TODAY by Mr Abhimanyau explained the significance of UDL to the teaching and learning of children with special needs.

He wrote in to specifically addressed the phenomenon in Singapore of "schools that frown upon the use of AT [assistive technology]  devices in class and during assessments, perceiving their use as an advantage over students without disabilities."

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Not just adaptation, but assistive technology plays major role in inclusive education

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The SPD (previously the Society of the Physically Disabled) would like to add to the points raised in the letter,