Overview

“Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” - Ron Mace//, Founder of the Center for Universal Design//

"UDL is really a merging of general education and special education, a sharing of responsibility, resources and ownership. It gets away from the "their kids/our kids" divide between general education and special education." - David Rose, //A Practical Reader in Universal Design for Learning// [|CAST Videos] - Diversity of Learners; etc. - Center for Applied Special Technology

Content objectives:

 * 1) **Gain** an overview of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
 * 2) **Identify** the importance of promoting a "habit of mind" philosophy to instruction
 * 3) **Explore** various ways to use strategies, technologies and web-based tools to build flexibility in instruction and set a UDL stage for learning
 * 4) **Capture**, **identify** and **use** online and technology-based resources for further education, training and reference
 * 5) **Collaborate** and **connect** with others in the division to share information, resources, ideas and build a community of learners which focus on creating opportunities for Region 4 in product development, service provision and technical assistance to our districts and customers

Setting the Stage -- "The Connected Classroom" or
media type="youtube" key="_A-ZVCjfWf8" height="344" width="425"

Digital Immigrants vs. Digital Natives:
Are you a Digital Immigrant or a Digital Native? PBS.ORG article on how technology has influenced learning processes. Marc Prensky's article on //Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants// [|Prensky - Digital Natives Digital Immigrants - Part2.pdf] Marc Prensky's article on //Part II: Do They Really Think Differently?// [|Prensky - Digital Natives Digital Immigrants - Part1.pdf]

The "WWWWWH" of UDL:

 * W**HO -- ALL students including Special Ed, 504, ELL, disadvantaged, gifted/talented, struggling learners, educators -- to name a few categories
 * W**HAT -- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the process of designing and delivering curricula, materials, and environments in a manner that makes them accessible and usable to all students.
 * W**here -- Learning happens in a variety of environments, not just in the classroom. e.g. on the bus, at home, lunchroom, place of worship, gym, dinnertime...
 * W**hen -- Learning can happen now, later, beforehand, afterward, synchronously, asynchronously, in real-time, online time... etc.
 * W**hy -- Education is changing; Working environments are changing; society is changing -- our students have changed and are digital natives.
 * H**ow -- Hopefully this wikipage will give you some exploring ways to utilize Universal Design for Learning.

Five K-12 Technology Trends for 2010
1. eBooks will continue to proliferate 2. Netbook functionality will grow 3. More teachers will use interactive whiteboards 4. Personal devices will infiltrate the classroom 5. Technology will enable tailored curricula

**Universal Design for Learning Calls for...**

 * 1) Multiple Means of //**Representation**// - content: how delivered and what students know
 * 2) Multiple Means of **//Expression//** -  product; how students demonstrate knowledge
 * 3) Multiple Means of //**Engagement**// - process: how students will learn

Handout: UDL Guidelines(CAST, 2008) or [|UDL_Guidelines_v1.0-Organizer.pdf]

[[image:Region_4_Vertical_Color_Logo_small.jpg width="74" height="52"]] Region 4 Education Service Center believes...
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a //**framework or "habit of mind"**// for designing curricula that enable //**all individuals**// to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning. UDL provides //**flexible and rich supports**// for learning and reduces barriers to the curriculum while maintaining high achievement standards for all.

Region 4 ESC's action plan:
 * 1) Establish an Education Services Division-wide //**vision**// of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
 * 2) Establish //**goals and objectives**// for:
 * 3) individual products/services (consultants)
 * 4) department based professional development (consultants)
 * 5) division-wide implementation of UDL
 * 6) Develop a **//mechanism for delivery//** of "Habit of Mind" philosophy of UDL
 * 7) **//Integrate UDL principles//** with RTI, PBS and other school-based initiatives

Region4UDL wiki

Region 4's Education Services Division Planning focus is to encourage and excite our consultants to support them in building capacity for our districts through the UDL concepts through promotion of inclusionary practices, building best practice teaching methods, and encouraging the use of instructional and educational technologies in the classroom (build 21st century skills) in a variety of supports and content areas.

**Brain/Learning Networks**
“Because all three brain networks are involved in learning, teachers cannot literally "teach to" students' recognition, strategic, and affective networks as separate entities. However, thinking about these networks individually helps us remember that learning is multifaceted and that barriers in the curriculum can arise in a number of places. “ //Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age, CAST []//

Gathering facts. How we identify and categorize what we see, hear, and read. Identifying letters, words, or an author's style are recognition tasks—the "what" of learning. Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas. Writing an essay or solving a math problem are strategic tasks—the "how" of learning. How students are engaged and motivated. How they are challenged, excited, or interested. These are affective dimensions—the "why" of learning. = = =Framework for UDL= //**This section will provide you with a framework as to where UDL "fits" into educational initiatives and hopefully provide a scaffold for your learning, integration and application.**//
 * A. Recognition networks** -- "what of learning"
 * B. Strategic networks** -- "how of learning"
 * C. Affective networks** -- "why of learning"

Graphic word cloud image example: [|UDL word cloud.bmp] []. Images of Wordles are licensed.

**Differentiated Instruction:**

 * All kids are different – regardless of label, category or disability
 * One size does not fit all
 * Differentiation provides all students with access to all curriculum
 * Just plain good teaching strategies

**Response to Intervention:**

 * in-class accommodations/interventions
 * quick ways to scaffold support
 * embedded and existing technology applications
 * provision of accessible instructional materials

Reference: http://www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_diffinstructudl.html (Hall, Strangman, & Meyer, 2009) //Assistive Technology Notebook: A Helpful Desktop Reference for Public Schools, K. Behnke, Region 4 ESC, 2007//

**Blooms Taxonomy (rev 1990):**
Reference: [] downloaded 09/09/09



Each of the categories has a number of **key verbs** associated with it:
 * **Creating** - //designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing, devising, making//
 * **Evaluating** - //Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, Experimenting, judging, testing, Detecting, Monitoring//
 * **Analyzing** - //Comparing, organizing, deconstructing, attributing, outlining, finding, structuring, integrating//
 * **Applying** - //Implementing, carrying out, using, executing//
 * **Understanding** - //Interpreting, Summarizing, inferring, paraphrasing, classifying, comparing, explaining, exemplifying//
 * **Remembering** - //Recognizing, listing, describing, identifying, retrieving, naming, locating, finding//

These elements cover many of the activities and objectives but they do not address the new or current objectives presented by the emergence and integration of information and communication technologies into the classroom and the lives of our students in today's society. //**Therefore...**//

Bloom's Digital Taxonomy:
**Key:** Elements colored in black are recognized and existing verbs, Elements colored in blue are new digital verbs (please note: British English spelling) The digital additions and their explanations are as follows:


 * Highlighting** – This is a key element of most productivity suites; encouraging students to pick out and highlight key words and phrases is a technique for recall.
 * Bookmarking or favorite-ing** – this is where the students mark for later use web sites, resources and files. Students can then organize these.
 * Social networking** – this is where people develop networks of friends and associates. It forges and creates links between different people. Like social bookmarks (see below) a social network can form a key element of collaborating and networking.
 * Social bookmarking** – this is an online version of local bookmarking or favorites, It is more advanced because you can draw on others' bookmarks and tags. While higher order thinking skills like collaborating and sharing, can and do make use of these skills, this is its simplest form - a simple list of sites saved to an online format rather than locally to the machine.
 * Searching or "Googling"** - Search engines are now key elements of students' research. At its simplest the student is just entering a key word or phrase into the basic entry pane of the search engine. This skill does not refine the search beyond the key word or term.
 * Bullet pointing** – This is analogous to listing but in a digital format.

Author: Churches, A. 2007, Educational Origami, Bloom's and ICT Tools

**Neuroscience and Research to support UDL:**
Reference: [] The research that supports UDL comes from three categories: first, there is the research basis for the general principles of UDL. The three basic principles are derived from modern neuroscience and the cognitive **//science of learning//**, but they also are deeply rooted in the foundational work of Lev Vygotsky and Benjamin Bloom, who espoused nearly identical principles for understanding individual differences and the pedagogies required for addressing them. (For example, Vygotsky emphasized what is also a key point of a UDL curriculum—that **//1)// //supports or "scaffolds" are not permanent but rather are gradually removed as an individual becomes an expert learner//**—the way training wheels are unnecessary once are person has successfully mastered bike-riding.)

Second, there is the **//2)// //research identifying the specific practices that are critical to meeting the challenge of individual differences//**—research that has been amassed over decades and by many different researchers in many different universities and laboratories.

Third, there is the **//3) research on specific applications of UD////L//**—this new area of research is in its early stages but will take a more prominent place as full-scale curricular applications and system-wide implementations are developed. Because the research on which these the UDL guidelines are based would extend this summary unmanageably, we will be providing the research associated with each guideline in a separate document on this website.

COMMENT: Region 4 ESC Division Planning - electronic parking lot

Credits:
Bardi, Nora, M.Ed., Assistive Technology Coordinator, Eugene Field Special Services Center Hohulin, Dave, Director of AT Coalition Services, UCP of Greater Chicago/Infinitech SW Peters, Tricia, OTR, ATP Education Specialist, Special Education Services, Region 4 ESC Webb, Michael, Ph.D., Education Specialist, Special Education Services, Region 4 ESC Wojcik Brian W., MS. Ed., ATP, Coordinator, Special Education Assistive Technology Center, Illinois State University

Behnke, Kirk, M.Ed., ATP, Education Specialist, Special Education Services, Region 4 ESC kbehnke@esc4.net [|Region 4 Website]
 * Owner:**