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Quick activities that can be used to check for understanding or emphasize key information at the end of a lesson.

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https://theudlapproach.com/what-is-udl/

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Implementation

What is UDL: Seeing the Full Tapestry

When I was little, I was encouraged to see how pieces and parts combined to become a thing and how to make that thing better. I got to disassemble and reassemble things like toys, blenders, lawn mowers and theater costumes all in the quest for improvement. That desire to understand how something is made and discovering how to make it better drives my continued pursuit of understanding and sharing Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

UDL is a tremendous framework that grew out of existing constructs, concepts, processes, and practices. From there, the principles, guidelines, and checkpoints emerged resulting in the UDL Guidelines. Many educators come to UDL by learning about the Guidelines, but they don't always see the different parts of the framework and how they interconnect. Without that knowledge, their own connection to UDL isn't as strong as it could be. To make that connection stronger, I set out to share what pieces are interwoven and currently viewed as integral to the framework.

We are in an exciting period where some people are discovering UDL for the first time while others are deepening their UDL connection and revising the guidelines with an eye on equity. Using the analogy of threads that create a tapestry, my hope is that this infographic (also offered as an EPUB) will generate conversation across that continuum about what threads weave together to create the framework, what's missing, and how we can help everyone grow in their understanding and application of UDL.
Learn More: Defining UDL

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What is UDL, UDL Definition * Loui Lord Nelson

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Skip to content Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Implementation When I was little, I was encouraged to see how pieces and parts combined to become a thing and how to make that thing better. I got to disassemble and reassemble things like toys, blenders, lawn mowers and theater costumes all in the quest for improvement.

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https://corgi2.cast.org/docs

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Corgi takes what’s already great about graphic organizers and infuses the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to make them even more flexible and accessible.

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The Social Studies team is partnering with the Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS) to present virtual meetups. The virtual meetups last about an hour and allows for participants to ask questions of the presenters. There is no pre-registration for the sessions, just click the link to join the session. Contact hours are available for those who are interested.

Wednesday, April 22, 12:30 - 1:30pm
Free Educator Resources of the Ohio History Connection
Stacia Kuceyeski
Director of Outreach for the Ohio History Connection
https://meet.lync.com/ohiodas-education/linda.mckean/SW87395H
Learn about online resources, including primary sources and lessons, that are available to educators from the Ohio History Connection.

Friday, April 24, 10:00 - 11:00am
Discovering History Through Archaeology: how we know what we think we know about the unwritten past
Dr. Brad Lepper
Senior Curator of Archaeology at the Ohio History Connection
https://meet.lync.com/ohiodas-education/linda.mckean/1P9HWF29
For any educator who teaches about ancient civilizations and the prehistoric past, join Brad Lepper to learn how historians learn about prehistoric peoples and civilizations.

Wednesday, April 29. 10:00 -11:00pm
Inquiry Based Global Learning in the Social Studies Classroom
Dr. Brad Maguth
Director, H.K. Barker Center for Economic Education
Associate Professor, Social Studies Education
https://meet.lync.com/ohiodas-education/linda.mckean/K5BY0KF7
This session focuses on inquiry-based global learning in the social studies classroom. Free online tools and resources will be shared with participants.

*You must pre-register for this session!

Wednesday, April 29, 1:00 - 2:00 pm
Primary Sources in the Elementary Classroom: English Language Arts and Social Studies Integration
Dr. Laura Lipsett, School Improvement Facilitator, ESC of Central Ohio
Kara Putinsky, ELA Consultant, Ohio Department of Education
Linda McKean, Social Studies Consultant, Ohio Department of Education
https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=12941&I=3469542
(Registrants will receive a Zoom Link with Password the morning of the event.)

Explore using aligned primary source documents in the elementary classroom to enhance students' social studies skills, critical thinking, reading and writing skills. Social studies teachers, English Language Arts teachers, and those who teach in self-contained rooms will find this session valuable.

Social Studies Ideas for Students with Little or No Access to Technology

For K-Grade 6 Students
For Grade 7-High School Students

Making the Case for Elementary Social Studies

Professional Resources for Social Studies

Making Career Connections in Social Studies: Thinking Like A...
(courtesy of the Iowa Department of Education)

Additional Resources and Tools

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The Social Studies team is partnering with the Ohio Council for the Social Studies (OCSS) to present virtual meetups. The virtual meetups last about an hour and allows for participants to ask questions of the presenters. There is no pre-registration for the sessions, just click the link to join the session.

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Responsive Classroom is an evidence-based approach as defined in the ESSA.

Independent research has foundthat the Responsive Classroom approach is associated with higher academic achievement, improved teacher-student interactions, and higher quality instruction. See below for study details.

Download a 2-page PDF overview of key Responsive Classroom research findings.

The Economic Value of Social and Emotional Learning

Columbia University's Teacher Colleges evaluated the economic benefits of social-emotional learning (SEL) by studying six interventions, including the Responsive Classroom approach. Researchers found that "improving SEL shows measurable benefits that exceed its costs, often by considerable amounts." Specifically, for every dollar schools spent on Responsive Classroom, there was a return of almost nine dollars per student.
Quick Look:

Cost-benefit analysis of six SEL programs, 2015

Research Team at Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education (Belfield et al.)

Funded by NoVo Foundation

Average cost for Responsive Classroom per student over three years, grades 3-5: $900

Benefits, based on standardized gains in math and reading in grade five: $8,920 or an almost 9:1 return on investment*

Program selected based on evidence of effectiveness, prominence in SEL field, and diversity of students served

For more information: www.cbcse.org/publications/
*Researchers have used Cost-Benefit Analysis since the 1960s to determine the rate of return on investments in education. This independent Cost-Benefit Analysis by Belfield et al., 2015 found immediate benefits to students during the three years of Responsive Classroom (RC) participation as well as post-RC benefits accrued from high school to adulthood through lifetime earnings.
Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study

From 2008 to 2011, researchers at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education conducted a three-year randomized controlled study led by Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman. The Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study (RCES), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), involved 24 elementary schools in a large district in a mid-Atlantic state. The schools were assigned randomly to intervention and comparison groups. The study followed 350 teachers and over 2,900 students from the spring of the students' second grade year to the spring of their fifth grade year.

Benefits of Using Responsive Classroom Practices

Researchers found that teachers' use of Responsive Classroom practices was associated with the following positive outcomes.

1. Improved Student Achievement

Teachers' use of Responsive Classroom practices predicts gains in student math and reading achievement. In addition, researchers found the following:

Academic Choice: Teachers' use of Responsive Classroom Academic Choice, specifically, was associated with reading and math achievement outcomes.

Socio-economics: The associations between Responsive Classroom practices and achievement were equally strong for children eligible for free/reduced price lunch and those not eligible.

Greater effect on low-achieving students: The association between teachers' use of Responsive Classroom practices and math achievement appears to be stronger for students who are initially low achieving than for others.

2. Improved Teacher-Student Interactions

Teachers' increased use of Responsive Classroom practices was related to classrooms that are more emotionally supportive and organized. Specifically:

Morning Meeting: Teachers' use of Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting was related to improved emotional support for students and improved classroom organization.

Academic Choice: Teachers' use of Academic Choice was also related to improved emotional support during math instruction.

3. Higher Quality Instruction in Mathematics

Teachers' use of Responsive Classroom practices was associated with more skillful standards-based mathematics instruction. For example, teachers demonstrated the following:

Higher levels of mathematical discourse

Better use of and translation among mathematical representations

Lessons with greater cognitive depth

Lessons with greater coherence and accuracy

Importance of Support for Teachers

According to researchers, teachers reported that a supportive setting is important to their implementation of Responsive Classroom practices. Specifically, teachers were more likely to use these practices when:

Their principal showed buy-in to the Responsive Classroom approach.

They received coaching while implementing new Responsive Classroom practices.

Their school climate offers validation and social support for trying the Responsive Classroom approach and allowed them to adopt the approach at their own pace.

The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning

In 2011, the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) conducted a meta-analysis of 213 school-based, social and emotional learning (SEL) programs involving 270,034 kindergarten through high school students. Compared to controls, SEL participants demonstrated significantly improved social and emotional skills, attitudes, behavior, and academic performance that reflected an 11-percentile-point gain in achievement.

For more information: www.casel.org/library/

For more information about the RCES and SALS studies, related publications, and free, downloadable assessment tools, visit The University of Virginia's Social Development Lab website.

Read citations for conference presentations related to the Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study.

Download a two-page pdf of the Responsive Classroom Efficacy Study (RCES)

Download "The Responsive Classroom Approach Increases the Use of Standards-Based Mathematics Teaching Practices," a CASTL research brief summarizing findings published in The Elementary School Journal. (pdf)

Download "Influences on Implementation of the Responsive Classroom Approach," a CASTL research brief summarizing findings published in Prevention Science. (pdf)

Watch the webinar from the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education: Understanding New Research and Findings on the Responsive Classroom® Approach
More about past research on the Responsive Classroom approach. For Responsive Classroom White Papers and other downloadable documents, visit our Build Connections page.

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Independent research has foundthat the Responsive Classroom approach is associated with higher academic achievement, improved teacher-student interactions, and higher quality instruction. See below for study details. Download a 2-page PDF overview of key Responsive Classroom research findings. Columbia University's Teacher Colleges evaluated the economic benefits of social-emotional learning (SEL) by studying six interventions, including the Responsive Classroom approach.

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Ohio educators, many of whom engage daily with Ohio students, drove the process to make improvements to Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies as part of a periodic review. In many cases, the changes reflect instruction already taking place in Ohio's classrooms. The clarifications in the 2018 standards will guide districts in modifying, but not replacing, their existing local curricula, instructional plans and materials. In addition to the standards, the updated Social Studies Model Curriculum will provide additional resources to help educators learn about, and begin using, the standards.

To give districts time to align instruction and resources, Ohio allows them until the 2020-2021 school year to fully implement the revised 2018 Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies. State tests aligned to the standards will commence in the 2020-2021 school year.

Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies (revised 2018)

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Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies

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Ohio educators, many of whom engage daily with Ohio students, drove the process to make improvements to Ohio's Learning Standards for Social Studies as part of a periodic review. In many cases, the changes reflect instruction already taking place in Ohio's classrooms. The clarifications in the 2018 standards will guide districts in modifying, but not replacing, their existing local curricula, instructional plans and materials.

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ohio center for autism and low incidence

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Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence

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Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence

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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.

Reenvisioning the UDL Guidelines

Because the UDL Guidelines are meant to be informed by feedback from the field as well as new research, they have been updated several times in the past. We are in the process of updating the Guidelines once again in our UDL Rising to Equity initiative.

This update will focus specifically on addressing systemic barriers that result in inequitable learning opportunities and outcomes. CAST aims to develop a transparent, inclusive, and community-driven process. If you are interested in collaborating and staying updated on our progress, we invite you to complete a brief survey.

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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.

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UDL in 15 Minutes | a podcast by Loui Lord Nelson

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UDL in 15 Minutes: Where educators share their implementation of Universal Design for Learning with host Loui Lord Nelson.

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According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) refers to the definition of Universal Design that was used in the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.

"The term 'universal design' means a concept or philosophy for designing and delivering products and services that are usable by people with the widest range of functional capabilities, which include products and services that are directly accessible (without requiring assistive technologies) and products and services that are made usable with assistive technologies." (Section 3 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998)

Within IDEA 2004, the law states that "state educational agencies (or local agencies in the case of district assessments) shall to the extent feasible use universal design principles in developing and administering any statewide assessment." (IDEA, Section 614)

With an increased emphasis on the universal design of products and services, some students with disabilities may be able to access and use educational materials without the addition of special assistive technologies.

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ohio center for autism and low incidence

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Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) refers to the definition of Universal Design that was used in the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.

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From the inception of the original model curriculum, educators statewide have helped the Department meet its obligation in state law to develop this resource. The purpose of Ohio's model curriculum is to add clarity to the standards and to support educators in planning and implementing their local curriculum. The model curriculum is not a complete curriculum nor is it mandated for use.

Each Child, Our Future and Social Studies

Each Child, Our Future is Ohio's five-year strategic plan to ensure each student enjoys a bright future thanks to an excellent pre K-12 education experience. The plan's vision is for each child to be challenged to discover and learn, be prepared to pursue a fulfilling post-high school path and empowered to become a resilient, lifelong learner who contributes to society.
Ohio's Learning Standards and Model Curriculum for Social Studies support students' acquisition of foundational knowledge and skills, well-rounded content, leadership and reasoning skills, and social-emotional learning, the four equal learning domains Each Child, Our Future recognizes as contributing to the success of the whole child.

Ohio's Model Curriculum for Social Studies, adopted June 2019

The Ohio Department of Education recruited teams of educators to develop the Social Studies Model Curriculum. Stakeholders commented on suggested changes to a draft of the K-12 Model Curriculum during a month-long survey that closed in September 2018. The Department incorporated these suggestions into the model curriculum, where appropriate. The State Board of Education adopted the Model Curriculum in June 2019.

The 2011 Social Studies Model Curriculum documents are available only upon request. Please contact the Office of Learning and Instructional Strategies at learningandinstructionalstrategies@education.ohio.gov to request an electronic copy.

2019 Model Curriculum by grade level and course

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From the inception of the original model curriculum, educators statewide have helped the Department meet its obligation in state law to develop this resource. The purpose of Ohio's model curriculum is to add clarity to the standards and to support educators in planning and implementing their local curriculum.

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The End of Average!? Disrupting the green of education!

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One of the most popular ideas in education is applied in ways that its creator never intended.

Ikon Images/Stuart Kinlough

When Howard Gardner introduced his multiple intelligences theory 35 years ago, it was a revolutionary idea that challenged long-cherished beliefs.

At the time, psychologists were interested in general intelligence-a person's ability to solve problems and apply logical reasoning across a wide range of disciplines. Popularized in part by the IQ test, which was originally developed in the early 1900s to assess a child's ability to "understand, reason, and make judgments," the idea of general intelligence helped explain why some students seemed to excel at many subjects. Gardner found the concept too limiting.

"Most lay and scholarly writings about intelligence focus on a combination of linguistic and logical intelligences. The particular intellectual strengths, I often maintain, of a law professor," Gardner explains. Having grown up playing piano, Gardner wondered why the arts weren't included in discussions about intelligence. As a graduate student studying psychology in the 1960s, he felt "struck by the virtual absence of any mention of the arts in the key textbooks."

That doubt planted the seed that grew into Gardner's big insight: The prevailing idea of a single, monolithic intelligence didn't match the world he observed. Surely Mozart's genius was partially, but not fully, explained by an extraordinary musical intelligence. And wasn't it the case that all people demonstrated a wide range of intellectual capabilities-from linguistic to social to logical-that were often mutually reinforcing, and that ebbed and flowed over time based on a person's changing interests and efforts?

Those hypotheses have largely been confirmed by recent studies from the fields of neuroscience. A 2015 study, for example, upends the centuries-old idea that reading occurs in distinct areas of the brain; scientists have discovered, instead, that language processing "involves all of the regions of the brain, because it involves all cognitive functioning of humans"-not just visual processing but also attention, abstract reasoning, working memory, and predicting, to name a few. And a growing body of evidence has dramatically altered our understanding of brain development, revealing that we continue to grow and change intellectually well into adulthood.

Mistakes Were Made

But if Gardner's objective was to broaden and democratize our conception of intelligence-an idea that resonates deeply with teachers-the pull of the old model has been hard to shake. Today, the idea of multiple intelligences is as popular as ever, but it's starting to look suspiciously like the theory Gardner sought to displace.

"It's true that I write a lot and also that I am misunderstood a lot," says Gardner, who originally proposed seven distinct intelligences, adding an eighth a decade later. The big mistake: In popular culture, and in our educational system, the theory of multiple intelligences has too often been conflated with learning styles, reducing Gardner's premise of a multifaceted system back to a single "preferred intelligence": Students are visual or auditory learners, for example, but never both. We've stumbled into the same old trap-we've simply traded one intelligence for another.

"If people want to talk about 'an impulsive style' or 'a visual learner,' that's their prerogative," Gardner clarifies. "But they should recognize that these labels may be unhelpful, at best, and ill-conceived at worst."

It's clear that children learn differently-teachers in Edutopia's audience are adamant on that score-but research shows that when students process and retain information, there is no dominant biological style, and that when teachers try to match instruction to a perceived learning style, the benefits are nonexistent.

Still, the idea endures.

Wide Acceptance

Over 90 percent of teachers believe that students learn better when they receive information tailored to their preferred learning styles, but that's a myth, explains Paul Howard-Jones, professor of neuroscience and education at the University of Bristol. "The brain's interconnectivity makes such an assumption unsound, and reviews of educational literature and controlled laboratory studies fail to support this approach to teaching."

Students are also swayed by the idea. In a study published earlier this year, medical professors Polly Husmann and Valerie O'Loughlin found that many of their students "still hold to the conventional wisdom that learning styles are legitimate," and often adapt their study strategies to match these learning styles. But after analyzing the test scores of these students, researchers found no improvement. Instead, they found that tried-and-true strategies-such as viewing microscope slides online-worked equally well for all students, whether they considered themselves linguistic or visual learners.

The study highlights the value of learning through multiple modalities, which is an effective way to boost memory and understanding. A 2015 study found that students have a deeper conceptual understanding of a lesson when teachers pair lectures with diagrams. And a review spanning three decades of research found that students retain more information when textbooks contain illustrations because the images complement the text. When students use more than one medium to process a lesson, learning is more deeply encoded-and being overly reliant on a perceived dominant learning style is a recipe for learning less effectively.

Some Dos and Don'ts
Do:
So what should teachers do? Gardner argues that "multiple intelligences should not, in and of itself, be an educational goal." Instead, here are a few evidence-based dos and don'ts for applying multiple intelligences theory in your classroom.
Don't:

Give students multiple ways to access information: Not only will your lessons be more engaging, but students will be more likely to remember information that's presented in different ways.

Individualize your lessons: It still makes sense to differentiate your instruction, even if students don't have a single dominant learning style. Avoid a one-size-fits-all method of teaching, and think about students' needs and interests.

Incorporate the arts into your lessons: Schools often focus on the linguistic and logical intelligences, but we can nurture student growth by letting them express themselves in different ways. As Gardner explains, "My theory of multiple intelligences provides a basis for education in the arts. According to this theory, all of us as human beings possess a number of intellectual potentials."

Label students with a particular type of intelligence: By pigeonholing students, we deny them opportunities to learn at a deeper, richer level. Labels-such as "book smart" or "visual learner"-can be harmful when they discourage students from exploring other ways of thinking and learning, or from developing their weaker skills.

Confuse multiple intelligences with learning styles: A popular misconception is that learning styles is a useful classroom application of multiple intelligences theory. "This notion is incoherent," argues Gardner. We read and process spatial information with our eyes, but reading and processing require different types of intelligence. It doesn't matter what sense we use to pick up information-what matters is how our brain processes that information. "Drop the term styles. It will confuse others, and it won't help either you or your students," Gardner suggests.

Try to match a lesson to a student's perceived learning style: Although students may have a preference for how material is presented, there's little evidence that matching materials to a preference will enhance learning. In matching, an assumption is made that there's a single best way to learn, which may ultimately prevent students and teachers from using strategies that work. "When one has a thorough understanding of a topic, one can typically think of it in several ways," Gardner explains.

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Multiple Intelligences Theory: Widely Used, Yet Misunderstood

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One of the most popular ideas in education is applied in ways that its creator never intended. Ikon Images/Stuart Kinlough When Howard Gardner introduced his multiple intelligences theory 35 years ago, it was a revolutionary idea that challenged long-cherished beliefs.