4. Center for Applied Special Technology
Recognize students have physical, sensory, and mental disabilities.
Tried to use digital media to fix the child.
The original curriculum was poorly designed.
Change the material, not the child.
Now we have UDL!
5. Alternatives in the Classroom
What are some alternatives that you provide for your
students to support their learning?
Walk to the table for the number you are given.
Share your ideas with your colleagues.
Record your responses on the chart paper that is on the
table.
7. Three Neural Networks
How do you currently support the 3 neural networks for learning?
Recognition
Strategic
Affective
Share your thoughts and experiences with colleagues at your table.
8. Central Role of Technology
Deliberately
Thoughtfully
Assistance
Adaptations
Learning support
Diverse needs
Learning goals
10. Central Role of Technology
remediation
compensatory
extension
11. Why choose UDL?
Based on what you have seen from this
presentation so far, what would be the
potential impact of UDL on your current
students’ learning?
18. Next Steps
Break down barriers
Find solutions
The CAST website
www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools
19. Tools and Resources from CAST
Curriculum Barriers
Office.com
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=9707925&height=267&width=200
20. Tools and Resources from CAST
UDL Solutions Finder
Office.com
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=9707892&height=267&width=200
21. Tools and Resources from CAST
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=9707848&height=267&width=200
Digital Content in the Classroom
22. References
Bray, M., Brown, A., and Green, T. (2004). Technology and the diverse
learner: A guide to classroom practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Rose, D. Reaching
and engaging all learners through technology: Brain research and universal
design for learning. [Video webcast]. Baltimore, MD
Rose, D. H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age:
Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development. Retrieved from
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/
Editor's Notes
Hello everyone,Today’s professional development session will focus on the universal design for learning.
The inspiration for UDL approach came about from recognizing architectural flaws. At one point, the only way to get into buildings was with the use of stairs. Alterations had to be made so more people could have access to buildings. Ron Mason from the University of North Carolina thought architects should be taught to design buildings with alternate ways for people to have access in and out. This conscious decision in the early stages of designing would hinder the need for expensive alterations after a building has been constructed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6lmk_tVEQ8
Here’s a video to help you think about alternatives in our physical environment.http://youtu.be/nZfNz03tx8s
The Center for Applied Special Technology, also known as CAST, was inspired to create the Universal Design for Learning. First, they recognized that students have physical, sensory, and mental disabilities. Then, saw that educators tried to use digital media to fix the child. Soon, it was recognized that the original curriculum was poorly designed. The solution is to change the material, not the child. Now, we have UDL!
Just as you have seen in the videos, there are different strategies for moving from one level in a building to a higher or lower level. There is more than one way to get food in your mouth, to cut something, or to get on the other side of a door. The idea of having multiple options for individuals’ access in reaching a common goal is exactly what needs to be reflected in learning environments. All students do not learn in the same way and do not have the same exact capabilities. But they each have the right to the same information and opportunities for learning. Some of the technology options in my classroom are student netbooks, desktops, iPad, Smartboard, CD player and cassette player. Many of my students enjoy listenting to our weekly read alouds in the listening station.
For recognition, I would incorporate educational games and activities for the Smartboard that focus on content vocabulary.For strategic, I would include more options that cater to the different disabilities. For example, I would make available how-to resources for students to choose how they would like to demonstrate their learning. I am considering for example, students who might choose to record a song as opposed to writing an essay but are not knowledgeable about the process of recording. I would address affective networks with the use of classroom blogs and global projects with diverse communities.
For recognition, I would incorporate educational games and activities for the Smartboard that focus on content vocabulary.For strategic, I would include more options that cater to the different disabilities. For example, I would make available how-to resources for students to choose how they would like to demonstrate their learning. I am considering for example, students who might choose to record a song as opposed to writing an essay but are not knowledgeable about the process of recording. I would address affective networks with the use of classroom blogs and global projects with diverse communities.
The central role of technology in UDL is to deliberately and thoughtfully provide learners with assistance, adaptations, and learning support to help meet their diverse needs and learning goals.
For example, assistive or adaptive technologies help individuals with common tasks which includes making something physically accessible that normally would be inaccessible to the person. Hearing aids, and trackballs, a modified mouse, are examples of assistive or adaptive technologies.
Learning support technologies directly promote learning and address the curriculum. These technologies are used to remediate, compensate, and extend learning. Examples of remediation technologies used for drill and practice are Reader Rabbit and Jump Start software. A calculator is an example of a compensatory technology. K’Nex is an example of an extension technology that combines programming and robotics.
Why choose UDL? Based on what you have seen from this presentation so far, what would be the potential impact of UDL on your current students’ learning?
The potential impact of UDL on student learning at our school would reflect significant gains in student achievement across all grade levels. Time on tasks would be evident throughout the course of the day in every classroom, limiting disruptions due to inappropriate behavior. More students would be actively engaged and taking ownership of their learning because multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement would be readily accessible to help them meet their diverse needs. For example, content vocabulary can be challenging for students to understand. Two of the most common strategies we use at our school are the Frayer Model, which is a graphic organizer and matching cards with a picture, word, and definition. If teachers increase the resources they use for representations with specific websites, tools that support the different disabilities or create their own multimedia presentations to support the recognition network, more students would be successful at a quicker pace.
Rose and Meyer (2002) discuss what brain research tells us about learning differences. Considering the three neural networks of learning: recognition, strategic, and affective, learners cannot be labeled in any one network. Learning occurs simultaneously across the interconnected networks and hierarchically meaning the process of sensory information may enter low while contextual influences enter high. Therefore, the strengths and weaknesses of learners make them unique which further validates the need for UDL. The task of compiling a class learning profile reveals much information about the diversity of the students. However, this is no indication that all the students with a similar disability have the exact same strengths or weaknesses, and should receive the same support. Considering top-down processing and bottom-up processing as it relates to the learning networks, different strategies and support need to be place to help students. I have had students in my science class who could recognize the content vocabulary for the water cycle on an image that was used during the presentation of the lesson. Students were given a different image without arrows to represent the cycle. Some of the students were not able to accurately apply the content vocabulary into context.
The implications of learning differences for instruction and learning is that all students do not learn the same way and it is necessary to design instruction that provides all learners with multiple means of resources to be successful. Communities are filled with people from different countries who have their own ideas, customs, and upbringing. This transfers into the classroom environment and requires adjustments to be made by teachers and students. Bray, Brown, and Green (2004) discuss two aspects of culture; individuals with Limited English Proficiency and individuals with socioeconomic status. There is a divide between these two aspects of culture for several reasons. If students with Limited English Proficiency are attracted to the technology, they will be more motivated to learn English. Students with a high socioeconomic status have control over the computer and can use it for creative communication. On the other hand, students with a low socioeconomic status are controlled by the computer by working on drill and practice activities. When students repeatedly use the computer for remediation it limits the amount of power they will have over the computer and causes them to become passive learners.
Learners of different ethnic backgrounds might have had different school experiences. When they are away from school, they might not continue classroom practices. UDL provides a common ground for learners and supports ethnic diversity by integrating technology, using assistive technologies and supporting differentiated instruction.
Keeping in mind that all students do not learn the same way and it is necessary to design instruction that helps diverse learners meet their needs, linguistic diversity is supported by UDL. English Language Learners are considered diverse learners because they have not mastered the English language as well as non-ELL students. One example of this is evident in kindergarten classrooms. Most of the students enter kindergarten with limited vocabulary, non-ELL as well as ELL students. One might think the students have just about the same amount of vocabulary, but that is not accurate. In fact, I have had ELL students who have a larger vocabulary than non-ELL students. The way technology is integrated in UDL provides many pathways for students to master the English language or increase their reading abilities. Remediation technologies would be appropriate for the struggling learners.
UDL supports academic diversity with the multiple resources that are accessible to help students grasp the content. There is a smaller chance of students being bored with their learning since the UDL approach addresses the diverse capabilities of learners. For example, not all students will require remediation technologies and not all students will be ready for the challenges of extension technologies. Compensatory technologies are sometimes overlooked when the focus is on the students who clearly demonstrate understanding or the students who demonstrate constant struggle with very little gains. As I focused on phonetic spelling with my students, I realized that a few of the students did not recognize all the letters of the alphabet. The students were able to produce the phonetic sound but only wrote letters that they were able to recognize. In that case, I gave the students an alphabet chart and waited for them to sing the alphabet while pointing to the letters until they reached the unknown letter they needed to write.
The CAST website, www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools lists multiple solutions that address the recognition, strategy, and affect networks of learning that also break down barriers. Increased use of multimedia, available devices for individual use, and an online learning management system are just a few ideas to counteract the obstacles. However, I think the solutions to obstacles will not be effective without time. The curriculum needs to reflect adequate time for exposing teachers and learners to technology, time for teachers and learners to experiment with technology, and time for teachers and learners to be confident in using technology independently.
One particular challenge that we face in my workplace is identifying curriculum barriers for our students. The tools and resources for finding curriculum barriers include a tutorial, a tool, and a template. The tutorial provides practice with using the UDL framework to analyze hidden barriers. Exploring curriculum barriers become more personal with the use of the curriculum barriers tool that provides a structure for analyzing the curriculum that is currently in use. A downloadable template is provided to help teachers identify barriers in their own classroom. Using Curriculum BarriersProvide a professional development session for model teaching before the start of the academic school year. Invite enough students to represent a diverse student body of one model class. This may range from a minimum of two to four days.All classroom teachers and support staff will work in small groups to: a) experiment with the tutorial. b) experiment with the tool. c) complete a template based on the students in the model class.The presenter of the professional development will provide assistance. By the beginning of the second week of the academic school year, all teachers and support staff will attend a workshop to revisit how to identify curriculum barriers in their classroom. They will work small groups of 3 or 4 per grade level to complete a template for their students.
Another challenge that educators in my workplace face is identifying and implementing solutions that reflect UDL. For the past few years our school-wide goals have been to improve math and reading. The tools and resources for UDL solutions include a tutorial, a tool, and a template. The tutorial provides practice with applying the three principles. Exploring UDL solutions become more personal with the use of the solutions finder tool that provides a structure for using the principles to arrive at solutions for barriers in the curriculum. A downloadable template is provided to help teachers develop solutions for their classroom. Using UDL Solutions FinderProvide a professional development session for model teaching before the start of the academic school year. Invite enough students to represent a diverse student body of one model class. This may range from a minimum of three to five days.All classroom teachers and support staff will be grouped by grade level. Groups will consist of 3 to 4 individuals and will work to: a) experiment with the solutions finder tutorial. b) experiment with the solutions finder tool. c) complete deriving UDL solutions templates based on the students and curriculum for math and reading. d) test at least 2 different solutions with the model class.The presenter of the professional development will provide assistance.
Although we have computers, laptops, Smartboards, and iPads in my school, we do not maximize the use of the tools. The UDL toolkit specifically for digital content in the classroom, will be the most useful toolkit for my school. Some of the resources provided in the toolkit include digital libraries, text-to-speech software, text readers, video editing, and other audio and visual tools.Using Digital ContentProvide a professional development session for model teaching before the start of the academic school year. Invite enough students to represent a diverse student body of one model class. This may range from a minimum of three to five days.All classroom teachers and support staff will work in small groups to: a) experiment with a text-to-speech software. b) experiment with digital images. c) experiment with multimedia presentations.All classroom teachers and support staff will then be grouped by gradelevel.Groups will consist of 3 to 4 individuals and will work to: a) design one concept-based resource for math b) design one concept-based resource for reading c) test the resources with the model class.The presenter of the professional development will provide assistance.
