Using CASTs UDL checklist

My two previous blogs focused on curriculum barriers.  To extend what I have learned about UDL and curriculum barriers I revamped an old lesson.  As I reviewed and analyzed by lesson I used the CAST's Educator Checklist (click here for a direct link to the checklist.) The checklist is helpful because it highlights all of the ways teachers should differentiate lessons to create multiple means of representation, expression and engagement. 

I reviewed a literacy lesson on inferring emotions.  The lesson format represents information in a way that is accessible to all students.  Students can either listen to me read or they can read the pictures. Also, found the lesson provided multiple means of engagement.  During the lesson students are working partners, analyzing fun illustrations, sharing, drawing and writing about the text.  In addition, the topic of emotions is a subject all young students can relate to. However, after using the checklist, I realized lesson format did provide students with more than one option of expressing they ideas. 

Here is snapshot of my lesson :

Here is a snapshot of the lesson after I made some UDL adjustments:

Above, you will see notice three highlighted sentences.  I added these pieces to provide my students with more than one option of expressing their ideas.

Teachers try the UDL Educator Checklist, it is very helpful and resourceful!

Curriculum Barrier Template

In my previous blog, I discussed the advantages and disadvantages of using CAST's Curriculum Barrier Template. According to the people at CAST, teachers should develop one template for each curriculum area. However, I believe the template is more effective and useful if it can be used across several curriculum areas. Below, is a curriculum barrier template that I create for my class.  You may notice that I made my template specific to Science/Literacy instruction but it can easily be applied to other subjects as well.

As I created the template I kept one student in mind, "Bobby". Bobby's most significant challenge is his weak fine motor skills. As I reviewed Bobby's difficulties, I also consider several remediation/accommodations that will be helpful.  For writing activities, I would offer Bobby the option of writing with a pencil grip or larger round crayons (crayons melted down in the oven in cupcake pans). The large round crayons will allow Bobby to use his whole hand/arm to write and remove the fine motor barrier.  For drawing activities, I would provide the whole class with pictures and stencils relating to the writing prompt. For reading activities at circle, I would have Bobby sit next to me.  Sitting near the teacher will help Bobby stay focused and engaged.  And for large group sharing activities, I would provide Bobby with the option of recording himself on the classroom iPad before presenting his work.

Curriculum Barriers

In my previous post, I blogged about three types of UDL barriers in schools: Instructional Barriers, Environment Barriers and System Level Barriers.  On Stephanie L. Moore website, she analyzes these barriers and provides checklists to pinpoint barriers in your school.  The following post will focus on curriculum barriers. 

In my Assistive Technology class we discussed curriculum barriers and explored the Curriculum Barriers Template presented by CAST.com. The example below illustrates how  the template organizes information.  Student strengths/weakness and potential barriers are organized according to classroom materials and instructional methods. 

CAST.com Curriculum Barriers Template

One benefit of the template is that teachers can use it across curriculum areas.  Also, the chart presents the information in a format to that is easy to read and teachers can easily refer back to the template when writing lessons. However, one disadvantage to using the Curriculum barrier template is creating a single template is very time consuming. And according to the people at CAST, teachers should create a template for each subject area because students abilities change depending on the subject matter, skills and activities.  In my class we discussed the option of creating one general template that can be used in all curriculum areas, which I absolutely agree with.  In the future I plan to organize my student barriers in format that is general to all curriculum but specific to student needs. 

Lets Find Those Barriers!

In my previous blogs I have describe the principles of UDL, how technology correlates to UDL and the procedures uses to create an effective UDL lesson or unit.  As I continued my research I started to consider to: "Where are the gaps in my understanding of UDL? What else do I need to research?"  Then I realized that all of my blogs have focused on solution but i have not touched on the problem.  So as I continued my research I discover a website that discusses the barriers that UDL solves.  And examining the barriers is part of the PAL procedures!

http://philressler.com

The website developer Stephanie L. Moore PH.D. states there are three types of barriers (a) Instructional Barriers (b) Environment Barriers (c) System Level Barriers. Moore is very detailed in her explanations of each set of barriers.  She give explain who to pay attention to which barriers.  I found this to be very helpful!  I am a teacher so focused on instructional and environmental barriers. On the other hand, administrators may find environment and system- level barriers to be more informative in their practice.

I recommend educators to check out this website as they begin to implement UDL practices in their schools.  Moore even provides "checklists" for identifying instructional, environment and system level barriers. The links to these checklists are provided below.

Instructional Barriers Identifier

Environmental Barriers Identifier

System-Level Barrier Identifier

Use these checklist as you analyze your materials, curriculum, assessments and classroom according to PAL.

References:
Moore, S. (2007). Universal design for learning. Retrieved from http://www.unco.edu/CETL/UDL/ 

A Teaching PAL

In my previous blog I discussed "teaching to every learners" and how technology has helped teachers to reach every children in his/her classroom.  I particularly focused on teaching students with learning disabilities, because I was diagnosed with dyslexia in the second grade.  In this blog I am going to expand on my previous blog by examining CASTs UDL Toolkit and PAL. 

The at CAST have developed a ToolKit for teachers.  I highly recommend teachers to visit this website because CAST provides a variety methods and procedures to effectively implement UDL in the classroom.  One of the tools the website provides is PAL.

What is PAL?
Planning for All Learners

According the to CAST website, PAL is a team approach to developing and implementing effective UDL lessons. PAL includes 4 steps... 

http://udlhcpss.wordpress.com

1. Set Goals: Determine learning goals/content and align goals to standards
2. Analyze Current Status: Identify current materials, approaches and assessments. Examine student diversity in the classroom and their needs. Analyze curriculum for barriers preventing access to materials and content.
3. Apply UDL Lesson/Unit: Select UDL methods, assessments and tools for your lesson. Organize materials to allow access to all students 
4. Teach the UDL Lesson/Unit: Teach lesson and evaluate effectiveness.

As I reviewed these steps, I found myself thinking about and making connections to curriculum-based assessments. When designing a curriculum-based assessment you have to analyze your curriculum, instructions and materials just like the PAL procedures. Both sets of procedures require teachers to assess their current methods and align these methods to the needs of the students as well as state standards.

OVERALL, in order to be an effective teachers we must evaluate ourselves and our lessons. In the realm of UDL, when we evaluate our instructional practices focus on how your students respond to the lesson and activities. Identify weakness in the lesson and find tools or devices that best supported the needs of your students. Finally, assessments are an essential part in evaluation process; use the data from your assessments to inform your instructional strategies.

PLEASE check out this video to get a better understanding of PAL and how to create a learning friendly classroom. The presentation reviews a lot of vital information about UDL and PAL.

References:
Cast. (2013) Udl toolkits: Teaching every student. Retrieved from http://www.c/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/tk_procedures.cfm?tk_id=21 -->

Copeland, S., & Keefe, E. (2007). Effective literacy instruction for students with moderate or severe disabilities. (2nd ed., pp. 7 - 21). Baltimore, Maryland: Paul H Brookes Publishing company. DOI: www.brookespublishing.com

 

Reaching All Students

In my previous blog I discussed the connection between UDL and how the brain works.  But I am now going to focus on tools that we can use in our classroom.  These tools will help us deliver vibrate and insightful education for all your students. 

http://www.goppca.com/drc/

 As a person with dyslexia I understand the challenges of reading.  I as diagnose in second grade and fought everyday in school to be successful.  Howeve, my success came without of tears and frustration.  When I was a young I detested reading.  I also really struggled with writing and composing papers.  To this day, I still wrestle with putting my thoughts down on paper and stumble over words as I read.  But this has only made me a stronger person.  As an educator, I will do everything possible to find resources for my struggling reader and writers, in hopes of them never having to feel the anguish I felt. 

CAST.com is a wonderful resource for finding assistive technology devices for students with dyslexia. 

The UDL Editions are a series of classic books that have been 'updated' by technology.  The UDL Editions will read the text, ask comprehension questions and provide definition for vocabulary words.  This program is great because children with dyslexia practice their comprehension skills, be challenge and enjoy books without enduring the frustrations of decoding words.  The program provide three different levels of questions, which assists with meeting students at their varying levels -- it's universal!

References:
Udl toolkits: Teaching every student. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cast.or
/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/tk_procedures.cfm?tk_id=21

A Little More on UDL: CAST.com

For my previous blog I discussed the significance of UDL and the three principles.  The UDL Wiki Site had a lot of great information.  As I review the Wiki Site, I realized CAST.com was often mentioned,  so I decided to review CAST.com to expand my understanding of UDL.   

About UDL <http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html>

The people at CAST discuss the three UDL principles from a neuroscience viewpoint.  This is important to educators because understanding how the brain learns enables us to prepare "brain-friendly" lessons and assessments.  I appreciate neurological explanation because the scientific reasoning provides a solid foundation to UDL philosophy.  As I reviewed the information I connected the ideas to the Information Processing Model.  This model suggests we learn by taking new stimuli, utilizing the information in the short-term memory and creating networks of information in the long-term memory.  

Recognition Networks are the 'what' of learning and this applies to the Representation principle.  The recognition networks are activated when new stimuli are introduced.  My goal as a teacher is to the represent information in a variety of formats and to include the five sense in the learning process in order to help my students develop a rich network of information.

Strategic Networks are the 'how' of learning and applies to the UDL Expression principle.  Strategic networks are activated when students apply and practice materials. By allowing my students to relate and apply new concepts and skills to their lives they will bee more likely to retain the information.

Active Networks are the 'why' of learning and applies to the Engagement.  Research indictes happy students learn! As educators we need to find materials that our students are interested in or we need to help them become curious about the materials. I know I will to keep my anticipatory set fun, integrating and ACCESSIBLE!

As educators our goal is to provided students with a wealth of information that will allow them to succeed in their life endeavors. We cannot neglect how the brain function as we plan activities for our students.  

I mentioned the Information Processing Theory above, to learn more about the model and understand how it can be applied click here. 

References:
Cast: About UDL. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cast.org/udl/index.html

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

As part of my graduate studies at Cabrini College, I have been asked to develop this blog to review and explain how Assistive Technology (AT) can be used in the classroom to create a student-friendly learning environment.  Children have different needs and learn in a variety of ways, so our classrooms must engage every type of learner.  Our job as educators is to find and implement strategies/tools that will encourage all students to become active learners.  One of the most common methods for engaging students through Universal Design for Learning (UDL). 

What is UDL?

Great question! The following blog will explain UDL and describe how it can be implemented in our classrooms.  

UDL Wiki Site

I learned an immense amount of information from this wiki site.  If you would like to check out the site yourself click here, but the following paragraphs will highlight the information I found to be very useful and significant. 

Universal Design for Learning is a curriculum framework designed to assist educators with meeting the diverse cultural, physical, intellectual and learning needs of students.  Everyday people benefit form Universal Design.  For instance, indented sidewalks are a type of universal design that we all benefit from on a daily basis.  Indented sidewalk can be used for multiple purposes and for a variety of reasons. Universal Design for Learning supplies multiple avenues for learning.  As educators we need to consciously differentiate lessons and include technology that will support the needs of all of our students. 

UDL supports every type of learner from every walk of life; including those with physical handicaps and moderate 
to sever disabilities

Universal Design for Learning has three principles:

1. Multiple Means of Representation: provide students with different avenues for accessing information.  For instance, E-books assist every type of learner by making text interactive.  E-books can be bought online or created on PowerPoint.  In addition, E-books assist students with visual impairments and children with learning disabilities.
2. Multiple Means of Expression: provide students with a variety of ways to demonstrate their understanding of concepts.  For example, non-verbal students are not capable of orally presenting work; however, there are a variety of technological devices and application that can assist these students.  Text-to-Speech software is a computer application design to speak typed text.  Now, non-verbal children have a voice!  Students love technology, so use it to your advantage when trying to create different avenues for expression.  Have your students create Wikis and Podcasts.  
3. Multiple Means of Engagement: be creative with lessons and activities to attract the interest of all learners and inspire them to participate.  Allow students to pick their research topics and product (essay, video, artwork and etc).  Interactive materials such as YouTube or E-books are known to keep students engage.

For my visual learners here is a fun video to learn a little more about UDL

Watch this Video to Learn more! 

The UDL principles are valuable to all professions.  No two people are identical; we all have different strengths and weakness.  The workplace and our classrooms need to be considerate of how people differ.  I know when I'm planning my own classroom I will take in account the vary needs of my students.  For those of you in other careers, I hope you learned something here and apply able to apply the knowledge in your field.

Follow my blog to learn how UDL has impacted me as an educator! 

 References:

 [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://udl.wiki.ciu20.org/home