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UDL Presentation

Overview of UDL (slides 1 – 24) Approximately 90 minutes

1.                 Introduction (slides 1 – 3)

Overview: The introduction provides a framework for applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to meeting the instructional needs of all learners, especially those with disabilities.  

Presenter Instructions: Welcome participants and present the overall goals and structure of the UDL Toolkit. Ask participants to register for a TES account at http://www.cast.org/tes to gain full access to online TES materials and resources.

  Slides 1 and 2

    

UDL is an approach to teaching, learning, and assessment, drawing on new brain research and new media technologies to respond to individual learner differences. 

Presenter states goals of the UDL overview session.    

 

Slide 3

Current challenges include increased diversity in classrooms; high expectations for all students; high stakes testing; accountability for all students.  Today’s classrooms are highly complex and pose difficult hurdles for teachers. As a result of IDEA ’97, many students who used to be excluded from general education curriculum are expected to progress in the general education classroom and curriculum. Teachers now need to be successful with a much more diverse group of students including English Language Learners, students from other cultures, and students with diverse disabilities. All students are commonly in the same schools, same classrooms, and same curriculum. Schools, teachers and students are accountable for real progress and demonstrable learning outcomes in the regular education curriculum. But the print-based curriculum is designed for a homogeneous group of students and is not flexible or adjustable for different learner needs. UDL addresses these challenges and offers increased opportunity for all students to access, participate, and progress in the general education curriculum. In this training session we present principles of UDL and show how to apply them in classroom practice.   

 

2. Origins of Universal Design (slides 4 – 9)

Overview: This section identifies the foundation of Universal Design in architecture and makes connections to Universal Design in everyday life. Presenter Instructions: Follow the slides, paraphrasing the bulleted information and drawing from personal experiences of Universal Design. 

 

Slide 4

Highlight the inaccessibility of buildings: stairs are intended to be an access technology. However, for some individuals these present a barrier – those in wheelchairs, those on roller blades, those using carriages. Ask audience for additional examples of Universal Design. Universal Design originated in the field of architecture, based on the realization that designing buildings with built-in accessibility for everyone was an approach superior to retrofitting buildings to accommodate diverse individual needs.    

 

Slide 5

Before the Universal Design movement, architects rarely addressed the mobility and communication needs of people with disabilities. The results were buildings that were inaccessible to many. Legislation mandating access (refer to resources: Legislation Impacting Physical Space) led to extensive retrofitting with ramps, elevators, talking signs, and other access devices. But retrofitting is expensive, often aesthetically disastrous, and inadequate from a practical standpoint.    

 

Slide 6

Universal Design was originated by Ron Mace (refer to resources: http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/center/history/ronmace.htm) at North Carolina State University to create physical structures that are designed from the beginning to accommodate the widest range of users, including those with disabilities. There are seven architectural Universal Design principles (refer to resources: http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/univ_design/princ_overview.htm that focus on increasing accessibility to physical space. Central to these principles is the providing of alternatives for users.)   

 

Slide 7

Universal Design is about providing, from the beginning, options in which people can access buildings and using products and environments of all kinds. The key purpose of UD is to create inclusive physical environments and widely usable tools.   

 

Slide 8

Examples of Universal Design include ramps, curb cuts, automatic doors, and captions on television.  Activity: Have the audience pair up and ask them to brainstorm for 5 minutes other examples of Universal Design. After the brainstorm session, ask audience to share ideas.   

 

Slide 9

Designed from the start,

Louvre Museum entry is an example of physical design that accommodates all users: those in wheelchairs, those with baby carriages, those who are tired. UDL principles are used to inform and guide the design process so that all users can have access to and benefit from physical space. UD is becoming more prevalent, in part because it is more economical and more effective than retrofitting.  

3.  Origins of Universal Design for Learning (slides 10- 12)

Overview: This section presents a shift in CAST’s understanding of the challenge of special education: not to “fix” the child who has a problem, but to “fix” the curriculum (goals, methods, materials, and assessments) so that it can meet diverse learner needs. Presenter Instructions: Provide a transition from Universal Design in architecture to Universal Design for Learning by noting that Universal Design is increasingly applied in architecture but is only recently being applied in education. Working with flexible digital media enabled CAST staff to conceptualize a whole new approach that applies Universal Design principles to developing curriculum.  

 

Slide 10

The concept and principles of Universal Design for Learning were created at CAST. Note: Click on the image and listen to Dr. David Rose, Co-Executive Director of CAST, talk about the shift in CAST’s thinking PowerPoint® user: Download directions for using video and audio media at http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/downloads/AIR_UDL_Presentation_Guide.doc 

Slide 11 CAST has experienced a sea change in its thinking, shifting the focus on changing the curriculum (goals, methods, assessments, and materials) and not on changing the student. CAST sees the possibility of designing and delivering a curriculum that will accommodate diverse learner needs. Essentially, this will transfer the burden of change from students to the curricula they encounter in the classroom.    

 

Slide 12

CAST is committed to furthering the concepts and applications of UDL. The word "universal" is sometimes misunderstood to suggest that there is a single solution that works for everyone. But the essence of UDL is flexibility and the inclusion of alternatives to adapt to the myriad variations in learner needs, styles, and preferences. UDL principles draw on brain and media research to help educators reach and teach all students by setting appropriate learning goals, choosing and developing effective methods and materials, and developing accurate and fair ways to assess students' progress. With UDL, each student is addressed as an individual with unique needs, interests, and abilities.     

 

4.   Universal Design for Learning and the Learning Brain (slides 13 – 24 )

Overview: This section presents an overview of the learning brain. Highlights include an overview of the three interconnected neural networks and implications for the uniqueness of each learner. Presenter Instructions: Begin this section with an audio file of Dr. David Rose discussing the neuropsychology of learning and then present the slides with the caveat that you are not a neuroscientist (unless, of course, you are!). 

 

Slide 13

 Note: Click on audio image and listen Dr. David Rose who presents an overview of the learning brain and why people learn differently. The TES book, Chapter 2 provides a review of David’s comments (refer to http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter2_2.cfm)      

 

Slide 14

The brain is one large network with many smaller specialized networks that perform different tasks. These smaller networks are defined relative to function: recognition (enabling individuals to identify and understand information, ideas, and concepts), strategic (enabling individuals to plan, execute, and monitor actions and skills), and affective (enabling individuals to engage with tasks and learning and with the world). PET scans and other digital imaging techniques make it possible for neuroscientists to study the learning brain in action. When an individual is engaged in a learning activity, areas of the brain “light up” (“hot spot”) to indicate activity. The more active, the greater the “hot spot” is. The patterns of “hot spots” evident on the PET scan provide neuroscientists with information about the uniqueness of an individual learning brain.   

 

Slide 15

The Recognition Networks, located in the back of the brain, enable us to identify and interpret sound, light, taste, smell, and touch. For example, when you answer the phone and hear a familiar voice you can easily tell who it is without having the person give his/her name. Draw other examples from your understanding of the recognition networks. In a classroom, the recognition networks are essential to learning: students are expected to identify letters, formulas, maps, ideas, cause/effect relationships, etc. Ask audience for additional classroom examples of recognition networks at work. Everyday examples of recognition networks in action include identifying ingredients for recipes, telling the difference between shampoo and shaving cream so you can wash your hair, identifying the smell of freshly cut grass, recognizing the sound of pain or joy, etc. Note: Click on the speaker image and listen to Dr. David Rose talk about the recognition network.    

 

Slide 16   Recognition Activity: Use slide at URL http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/studio.cfm?t_id=10&step=1 or use the PowerPoint® Slide 16. Show this slide for 2 – 3 seconds.Then ask audience to “write down everything you see.”After a few minutes, ask for audience responses to the image.  Audience will most likely identify several objects in the picture, even though the image was not clear or some of the objects were hidden from full view. This is the recognition networks at work. 

 

Slide 17

The strategic networks are located in the front part of the brain and enable us to plan, execute, and monitor actions and skills. In learning situations, the strategic networks are critical. Examples of the strategic networks at work include: doing a project, taking a test, taking notes, listening to a lecture They work in tandem with recognition networks to learn to read, compute, write, solve problems, plan and execute compositions and complete projects. Everyday examples of the strategic networks in action include cooking a meal, planning an outing, executing a golf swing, driving a car, etc. Note: Click on the speaker image and listen to Dr. David Rose discuss the strategic network. ·                    PowerPoint® user: Download directions for using video and audio media at http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/downloads/AIR_UDL_Presentation_Guide.doc   

 

Slide 18

Strategic Activity: Use slide at URL http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/studio.cfm?t_id=10&step=3 or use the PowerPoint® Slide for this activity.Show this slide for 2 – 3 seconds.Then ask audience to “identify the type of room.”  Most likely audience was able to identify the type of room by developing a plan for scanning the image and then putting the pieces of information together to come up with a accurate response. If the focus of the question were on figuring out the ages of people in the room, you would need to develop a different plan of action. Eye movement studies have tracked one individual’s way of looking at this picture. On three occasions, the pattern of looking was quite different. Why might that have been? (Pause for audience to think about it, and then ask for audience thoughts.) Answer: Different questions/goals were posed to the viewer and therefore different strategies for looking were used. Because the information sought was different in each case, the approach and strategy for viewing the image changed.    

 

Slide 19

The affective networks are located at the core of the brain and enable us to engage with tasks and influence our motivation to learn. They are responsible for developing preferences and establishing priorities and interests. In learning situations, affective networks are essential to wanting to learn. Visualize a high school classroom, the night before the prom: “Are students’ affective networks helping focus on the algebra lesson or on the party after the prom?” Visualize the student who has had years of reading failure in a 9^th grade English class: “Is this student motivated to read The Odyssey?” Everyday examples of the affective networks in action include being motivated to get up extra early to wrap presents for a child, wanting to run to the grocery store to shop for a special dinner after a busy day at work, being nervous before a business presentation, etc. Of course, the affective network does not work in isolation from either the recognition or strategic networks. Note: Click on the speaker image and listen to Dr. David Rose present  information on the affective network. PowerPoint® user: Download directions for using video and audio media at http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/downloads/AIR_UDL_Presentation_Guide.doc  

 

Slide 20

  Affective Activity: Use slide at URL http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/studio.cfm?t_id=10&step=5 or use the PowerPoint® Slide for this activity.Show this slide for 2 – 3 seconds.Then ask audience “what grabs your attention.”  There is not one right answer to this question since many factors influence your focus. For example, if you are a young mother, you might look at the child or if you have recently gotten out of the hospital, you might notice the man’s arm, etc. Your emotional state, your interest or lack of interest, other pending priorities will influence your attention to the task.   

 

Slide 21

The activities of the three brain networks (recognition, strategic, and affective) parallel Vygotsky’s three prerequisites for learning: One must recognize patterns in perceptual information                One must have strategies for acting upon the perceived patterns      One must be engaged by the task Lev Vygotsky (1896 – 1934), a Russian psychologist whose works were released after the Cold War, developed the theory of the Zone of Proximal Development. (Refer to resources: The Learning Brain Resources)   

Slide 22 Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) suggests that learning occurs when there is an appropriate level of challenge and support to learn the task. In classroom learning situations, this means providing learning tasks that are too difficult to do independently, but are within reach with support. The task should stretch the learner past his current level of knowledge. Visualize your own personal encounters in learning situations and think about one where you were bored, inattentive or distracted: Was your inattention due to lack of challenge or inadequate support to understand the content? In either case, you were not learning in your “zone.” 

   

 

Slide 23         

This picture of the young boy riding a bicycle illustrates the ZPD. His father is providing the right amount of support for the youngster until he is ready to take off and ride alone. Engagement and motivation are high; challenge is appropriate, and support is just right. All three prerequisites are in place for learning to occur.    

 

Slide 24

Summarize UDL and the Learning Brain and note implications for classroom practice. Some key points: Understanding the learning brain in terms of recognition, strategic, and affective networks forms a framework for thinking about learner differences. There are no “regular” education students; categorization by ability or disability does not represent the reality of each student’s uniqueness. Note: Click on the speaker image and listen to Dr. David Rose summarize what we have learned about the brain and learning in the classroom.

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