Universal Design for Learning - The ACCESS Project - Colorado State University The Best Practices through UDL video features faculty and students at Colorado State University discussing the benefits of UDL. Additional captioned formats are available, along with a transcript that includes descriptive audio. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles and techniques for creating inclusive classroom instruction and accessible course materials. = New in 2012 = Updated in 2012 UDL Teaching Resources: UDL: A Concise Introduction (HTML | PDF) How Do You Teach? UDL Technical Modules N. The Provost’s N. UDL: The Three Principles Three primary principles, which are based on neuroscience research, guide UDL and provide the underlying framework for the Guidelines: Principle I: Provide Multiple Means of Representation (the “what” of learning) Learners differ in the ways that they perceive and comprehend information that is presented to them. For example, those with sensory disabilities (e.g., blindness or deafness); learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia); language or cultural differences, and so forth may all require different ways of approaching content. Principle II: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression (the “how” of learning) Learners differ in the ways that they can navigate a learning environment and express what they know. Principle III: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (the “why” of learning) Affect represents a crucial element to learning, and learners differ markedly in the ways in which they can be engaged or motivated to learn. Learn more about UDL Guidelines 2.0:
Universal Learning Design: Empowering the Next Generation 151 Leading Sites for Elementary Educators » Elementary Education Degree Today’s elementary school kids grew up in the digital age, and they love computer-based activities and learn from them easily. Learning and sharing online isn’t just for students though. There are hundreds of fantastic sites online to help elementary educators do their jobs as well. From educational videos to interactive games and even e-book publishers, classroom management advice, and teachable moments from teachers who blog, a driven elementary educator can find just about anything he or she needs among these 151 leading sites. The sites here aren’t listed in ranking order, as they all have different strengths and will meet different readers’ needs. Many sites on elementary education do a good job of pulling together info from every class subject or just sharing advice on how teachers can work with the education system to provide the best learning experience to their youngsters. Edutopia Edutopia helps Identify trends in education and what methods are currently working.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) - Everyone Can Learn - Center for Excellence in Disabilities Universal Design involves the widest range of people's abilities, to the greatest extent possible. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the design of instruction for all student use, without need for adaptation or specialized design. Teachers designing UDL classrooms should consider products and environments with a variety of characteristics that enhance all students' learning. UDL promotes a strong, yet flexible, foundation to meet a broader range of diverse abilities, disabilities, ethnicities, language skills and learning styles. The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) develops innovative technology based on the principles of UDL. What should educators know about UDL and their classroom? UDL classrooms can help reduce the amount of "special" modifications common in inclusive classrooms. UDL is based on nine principles that can make any classroom more inclusive for all students. Class climate: Adopt practices that respect both diversity and inclusiveness. Table of Contents
Why Suicide Has Become an Epidemic--and What We Can Do to Help WHEN THOMAS Joiner was 25 years old, his father—whose name was also Thomas Joiner and who could do anything—disappeared from the family’s home. At the time, Joiner was a graduate student at the University of Texas, studying clinical psychology. His focus was depression, and it was obvious to him that his father was depressed. Six weeks earlier, on a family trip to the Georgia coast, the gregarious 56-year-old—the kind of guy who was forever talking and laughing and bending people his way—was sullen and withdrawn, spending days in bed, not sick or hungover, not really sleeping. Joiner knew enough not to worry. What makes some people, such as Vincent van Gogh, desire death in the first place? Try Newsweek for only $1.25 per week But Dad had left an unmade bed in a spare room, and an empty spot where his van usually went. The investigators found slash marks on his father’s wrists and a note on a yellow sticky pad by the driver’s seat. Writer David Foster Wallace (d. Artist Mark Rothko (d.
Lisa's Lingo: A UDL Classroom in Action Recently, a teacher, who I have much admiration for, asked me if I could share a UDL lesson with her. This was when I realized that, even those who seem to know, don't really understand UDL. So let's see what a UDL classroom in action looks like. But first, once again, I will explain UDL. UDL provides a blueprint 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." UDL is not a lesson plan, it is a program. Here is a typical day in my classroom. 8:45 - 9:10 - We unpack and listen to announcements. 9:10 - 10 - Math time. 10 - 10:45 - Reading time. 10:45 - 11 - Snack time. 11 - 12 - Social Studies. 12 - 1 - Language Arts - Sign of the Beaver projects are almost finished. Lunch time! 2 - 3 - Writing - During my mini-lesson, I write the steps to a personal essay. That's a typical day. This is a UDL classroom.
The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR November 1999 The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement By Alfie Kohn Only extraordinary education is concerned with learning; most is concerned with achieving: and for young minds, these two are very nearly opposite. -- Marilyn French I. Part of the problem is that we shy away from asking the right questions and from following the data where they lead. From another perspective, though, the real problem isn’t grade inflation--it’s grades, which by their very nature undermine learning. First, students tend to lose interest in whatever they’re learning. The data to support these findings are available to anyone who cares to look, and the practical problems of eliminating grades--including the challenge of helping parents understand the benefit to their children of doing so--are solvable for anyone who is committed to the task. All of these features represent the very opposite of meaningful assessment. In fact, researchers could tell you this, too. Why? II. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.