By: Tanya Nechodom

Universal Design for Learning

What is Universal Design for

Learning?UDL is providing maximum flexibility in your curriculum so that every student has the maximum opportunity to

learn!Laureate Education, 2010

Because we don’t want our students to end up like this……..

Why UDL?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss2hULhXf04&feature=related

So where did UDL come from?

Modern architecture is paramount to the design of Universal Design in Education

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kugmKpl1jYY

This Is Where We Begin:The 3 Principles of UDL

 1. Multiple methods of presentation 2. Multiple options for participation 3. Multiple means of expression

universal-design-4-learning.wikispaces.com

PRESENTATIONUse a variety of methods, media, or materials

What would this look like in a classroom?

Multiple Media such as: Oral lectures, textbooks, audio textbooks, charts, diagrams, videosChange font style, size, highlight main concepts

Perception  Language  Comprehension •Large Print•Layout of visual information•Use lyrics•Visual Guide•Use of headphones•Provide manipulatives•Colored transparency overlays•Teacher or peer reads aloud•Present information at a slower rate•Allow options for classroom placement   

•Repeat •Pre-teach vocabulary •Emphasize key words •Teacher or peer reads aloud •Pre-teach vocabulary  •Use diagrams & graphs •Flash cards with pictures and definitions •Dual Language representation when applicable 

•Highlight key words  •Visual imagery •Mnemonic strategies  •Sticky notes, templates, checklists, organizers •Bridge prior knowledge with new concepts •Offer relevant examples  •Prompts to draw attention to critical features •Reduce irrelevant features  •Chunking information into smaller elements •Explicit prompts to teach sequential information

http://www1.pgcps.org/UDL/index.aspx?id=129130

PARTICIPATIONProvide flexibility in how students interact with

the material Tailor the level of difficulty

What would this look like in a classroom?Students choose preferred method of learningTailor content to match student interestsComputer games with adjustable challenge levels

Sustaining Effort and Persistence 

Self-Regulation  Recruiting Interest 

•Comfortable positioning•Movement breaks•Prompt to restate goal•Options for working in teams•Peer tutoring and support•Display concrete or symbolic version of goal•Divide long term goal in to short term objectives•Prompts or scaffolds for visualizing desired outcome•Student generated charts – rewards, reading, rules•Use of rubrics•Vary degree of difficulty/complexity of activities•Opportunities for collaboration•Vary degree of freedom for acceptable performance•Define roles and responsibilities for group members  

•Learner diaries•Goal-setting worksheets•Self-regulatory goals•Timers/rewards, positive feedback for staying on task•Increasing the length of on-task task orientation in the face of distractions•Models/scaffolds/feedback for managing frustration, seeking emotional support, coping skills 

•Give students choices relative to all aspects of lesson•Allow students to participate in the design of classroom activities and academic tasks•Involve students to set personal academic and behavioral goals•Use activities and information that is socially relevant and current•Vary activities to be relevant to age, race, gender etc•Provide tasks that allow for active participation, exploration and experimentation•Invite personal response, evaluation and self-reflection to content and activities•Use charts, schedules, cues  etc. that help predict activities and transitions•  http://www1.pgcps.org/UDL/index.aspx?id=129130

EXPRESSION Don’t limit the way students complete

assignments

What would this look like in a classroom: Use a tic-tac-toe board to allow students various formats to demonstrate knowledge

Expressive Skills &Fluency 

Physical Action 

Executive Functioning 

•Templates•Word banks•Allow wait time•Compose in multiple media: text, speech, drawing, illustration, design•Use of physical manipulatives (blocks, 3D models)•Use of storyboards, comic strips•Music, visual art, sculpture•Calculators, geometric sketch pads.•Sentence starters, sentence strip•Story webs, outlining tools, concept - mapping tools•Physical and mnemonic scaffolds.•Procedural checklists•Provide differentiated models, mentors, feedback 

 http://www1.pgcps.org/UDL/index.aspx?id=129130

•Slanted surface to position books within a limited reach•Correct size desk and chair to facilitate upright posture•Allow options for classroom placement and positioning•PCS communication board•Dance/role playing•Single location voice output device•Provide alternatives for physically interacting with material (by hand, voice, single switch or joystick, keyboard)•Keyboard commands for mouse action  

•Data collection templates•Guides for note-taking•Frequent feedback•Graphic organizers and Checklists•Prompts and scaffolds to estimate effort, resources, and difficulty•Models or examples of the process and product of goal-setting•Guides for scaffolding goal-setting•Embedded prompts to stop and think before acting•Checklists and project-planning templates for setting up priorities, sequences and schedules of steps•Guides for breaking long-term goals into reachable, short-term objectives•Guided questions for self-monitoring•Before and after photos, graphs & charts showing progress over time•Templates that guide self-reflection on quality and completeness 

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12960861/udl-4

http://udlwheel.mdonlinegrants.org/

This is a great resource that provides you with concrete

examples you can use in your classroom!

Where does TECHNOLOGY fit in all of this?

Technology Resources http://udl-technology.wikispaces.com/Technology+Resources

Capzules This is a great site for building timelines and telling stories. You can include video, photos, music, and more.

Voki This site allows users to create personal avatars to use in blogs, profiles and email messages.

Qwiki This site covers over 3 million reference terms and presents an "information experience" that includes maps, videos, images, animations and more.

Animoto This site allows users to create videos by pulling together images and audio; products can be published and shared.

Voice Thread This is an audiovisual tool for sharing and commenting on images or video files. You can upload an image or video, add a written or audio commentary, and share.

CRAYON Bring multiple sources together in one site to create your own customized newspaper.

Glogster At this site you can embed images, media links, sound and video to create "interactive posters" that can be shared and published.

SimpleBooklet At this site you can create portable virtual booklets that can be printed or published virtually.

Tagxedo Turn words, speeches, articles, slogans into visual tag clouds-even pick shapes for your clouds!

SumoPaint This is a great online paint tool; save files to your computer in the form of jpegs.

WallWisher This is an online notice board maker.

Stixy This site allows you to make an online bulletin board.

TrackClass This site serves as an online organizer for students; track assignments, tests, reminders, calendar.

Free Text-to-Speech (Why? Two reasons - 1. It is essential for struggling readers; when text is digital it is now accessible and 2. it supports the writing process, especially when editing and revising work)

WordTalk - a free text-to-speech program for the PC that works within WORD and Outlook and highlights each word that is read. Includes a talking spell checker and a talking thesaurus. Watch this teachertube.com video that I created to learn how to use it. It's best to watch it full screen.

Natural Reader - another free text-to-speech software program which converts any written text to speech (Word, pdf, websites, emails)

Click,Speak - a free Firefox extension that reads the Internet and highlights phrases and sentences as it reads

PowerTalk - free text-to-speech for PowerPoint presentations

Talklets - make any website talk, embed in your website, blog or wiki

Read The Words - Register first, upload file or choose text or website to read, a recording is generated which you can listen to online or download to an mp3 player, upload to a blog, etc. Very Cool tool worth letting your students explore.

Spoken Text - online text-to-speech MP3 converter

YakIToMe! - Listen to important documents, PowerPoint presentations, emails, RSS feeds, blogs and novels. YAKiToMe! is multi-lingual (English, Spanish, French ...) and brings you the world's best text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis technologies. Easily converts to podcasts.

((Word Talk is a MUST have download! There are a number of other programs but these are preferred because they work right within the program AND highlight the text as it is read. No need to open a new window.)

Free Graphic OrganizersBubbl.us - free brainstorming and organizing toolMindomo - online mind-mapping tool, easily share with othersBelvedere - designed for k-12 populationCMAP - concept mapsFree Mind - mind-mapping toolMindomo - mind-mapping toolMindMeister - online collaborative graphic organizing toolExploratree - thinking guides and more (definitely worth exploring)Dabbleboard - freehand graphic organizer and visual whiteboard, fun and easy to use

Great powerpoint to check out for ideas on how to make your content more accessible

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/hiat/udl/see/accessible_presentations.pdf

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE STUDENTS AT SMS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDzYyl7IWTU&feature=related

jkies.blogspot.com

- Figure 6.1 -Network-Appropriate Teaching Methods

To support diverse recognition networks: Provide multiple examples Highlight critical features Provide multiple media and formats Support background context. To support diverse strategic networks: Provide flexible models of skilled performance Provide opportunities to practice with supports Provide ongoing, relevant feedback Offer flexible opportunities for demonstrating skill. To support diverse affective networks: Offer choices of content and tools Offer adjustable levels of challenge Offer choices of rewards Offer choices of learning context.

Brain Research and Technology

Integrating UDL in your classroom is impossible with just print! The use of technology allows the teacher to provide their students with flexible materials.

Where do we go from here?

Three resources you can use to help you get started:UDL Class Profile MakerThe UDL Class Profile Maker helps you understand your students' strengths, needs, and interests as individuals and as a group. The tutorial helps you learn to apply the UDL framework, and the tool and downloadable template provide structured supports for developing a learning profile for your class.

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/

UDL Solutions FinderThe central practical premise of UDL is that a curriculum should include alternatives to make it accessible and appropriate for individuals with different backgrounds, learning styles, abilities, and disabilities in widely varied learning contexts. The UDL Solutions Finder Tutorial gives you practice applying CAST's three UDL principles to derive alternative media, materials and methods when planning a lesson or a unit of curriculum. The tool and downloadable template provide structured supports for applying UDL in your classroom.http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/

Image CollectorThe Image Finder and Image Describer tutorials teach you how to find images and create educationally meaningful text descriptions to make images accessible and useful to all of your students. The Image Collector tool helps you find, describe, and save images to use in your classroom.

http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/

Why UDL at SMS?

So, teachers and children end up like this……….

RESOURCESLaureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Universal design for

learning [Webcast]. Reaching an engaging all learners through technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/785-universal-design-for-learning-improved-access-for-all.gs

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/hiat/udl/