Welcome Back! UDL Academy Day 3 January 8, 2012 Cohort 2

Continuing Your UDL Trip CAST Rachel Currie-Rubin Loui Lord-Nelson Grace Meo Allison Posey Pattie Ralabate MA DESE OTSS Shawn Connelly Mary Ellen Efferen Tara Gestrich Madeline Levine Linda Tarmy Les Edinson Donna Harlan Christine Shea David Troughton DSAC Donna Harlan Christine Shea

Evaluation debrief

Goal of today… Reach consensus about a team need o We’ll show several examples today To identify the team goal(s) To create short term (‘30’ day) action steps in which you will apply the UDL framework, as it relates to your role, to address your group need THE END GOAL: To develop an action plan and begin implementation of your version of UDL and of data collection to show improvement toward your ultimate goal.

Consider an example

Building a Group and your Teams UDL Connect Being responsive to your needs- Evaluation Team Building Exercise

UDL Connect: Join and sign in for all workshop Resources

How do I know I am using UDL Examples: When you’re thinking about the Guidelines as you plan a lesson. When you think about goals and objectives first, then consider flexible means. When you use the Guidelines to choose tools, resources, and curricula. When you refer to the Guidelines to think about changes based on CCSS or teacher evaluations…

Team Building: importance of context

When you make decisions at the grocery store are you… ‘North’: decisive “Let’s do it;” Likes to act, try things, plunge in ‘South’: community – Caring, likes to know that everyone’s feelings have been taken into consideration and that their voices have been heard before acting. ‘East’: organization --Speculating –Paying attention to details, likes to know the who, what, when, where and why before acting. ‘West’: intuition likes to look at the big picture and the possibilities before acting.

In this situation… …what do these preferences bring to the team? …what are the limitations of these preferences? … what assets do the others bring to the team? …in what circumstances would you put yourself in a different category?

Coming to Consensus on A Need Understand how looking at learners “in the margins” can help identify a need. Understand how how looking at learners “in the margins” can help identify a goal. Understand how how looking at learners “in the margins” can help identify action steps.

Learning: interaction of individual and environment Disorder? Depends on the context!

Central/peripheral vision: Variability! Central vision Peripheral vision Dyslexia: less central vision (range)

Larger peripheral vision… Context: Astrophysics!

Context matters ‘the context and self awareness as a learner both play a huge role in whether any given condition is disabling or not’ Student in class –v- on stage Epigenetics Poor reader, given content in audio, high level of analytical ability

Morning activity: Consider how a student ‘in the margins’ can help us decide on a need and ultimately plan ‘how’ to implement changes that will impact everyone: The ‘curb cut’ By the end of today, we will define your need, understand your specific goal(s), and have actionable steps for the next session

Needs and Goals in the Video: In the video, the identified district need: We need to make sure that all of our learners’ are engaged. Sometimes students and faculty are left out of activities because they’re not right for all faculty members The identified district’s goal: to create an inclusive environment that is engaging and responsive to the variability of all learners This goal has been agreed upon by the district team (there is ‘buy in’ that is accepted)

In the video: In order to achieve the goal, consideration was given to an individual’s needs, demands and resources UDL can help educators make decisions about the materials and methods to use to achieve the goal (to make sure that given the demands of learning tasks, the student is “resourced” enough).

by Dan Habib

Team Discussion Use the handout to help think about the following from the perspective of a teacher, principal, or district leader: o What was the need? o What resources are needed to be able to balance the demands (both seen in film and others you think of) o How does understanding the impact of one student’s variability influence the inclusive environment for ALL? o How can UDL be used as a tool support the goals?

Break (~11)

Team Conversation (20 Minutes): YESTSTERDAY YOU WERE ASKED TO THINK ABOUT THE FOLLOWING: When I think about myself as an educator, I think my greatest need is … based on the following evidence… RIGHT NOW (Individually for 5 minutes): Think about the need you came up with and the evidence that shows that need Is there a learner/a group of learners that exemplifies this need? What data would you collect from that learner/ group of learners to show that there is this need? (do you have a Samuel- an adult or child?) o Most importantly, how would changing instruction/ methods/materials for this learner/group of learners improve things for all learners? THEN…

Team Conversation THEN (As a team for 15 minutes): Go around the table. State: o Your need and evidence that shows this is a need o Whether there is a learner/ group of learners that exemplifies this need and how changing things for these learners would improve things for all (remember, a learner can be an adult or child) DO NOT TRY TO COME TO CONSENSUS ABOUT A NEED- We’ll do this after lunch

Highlights: “What works for Samuel works for others” Share highlights from the morning: o How does UDL help you think about the example?

Lunch

Article: Are you Willing to be Disturbed GUIDING QUESTIONS: What did you learn (‘take-aways’)? What can you do to support what you learned? What can you do to support your team?

Remember, today, the Goal is: Reach consensus about a team need o We’ll show several examples today To identify the team goal(s) To create short term (‘30’ day) action steps in which you will apply the UDL framework, as it relates to your role, to address your group need

For example, consider: UDL IMPLEMENTATION VIDEO

First step this afternoon 1.Return to the team’s identified needs Begin with one that seems to the team to be important, that steps could be taken to address the need, that the group wants to work on. Please spend 10 minutes as a group deciding on the need Report out to whole group 5 minutes

Now- Goals and Action! 1.In this activity you’ll write an action plan to address the need you identified as a team. 2.First you’ll decide on a goal 3.Ultimately, each person on the team will engage in a short-term, mid-term, and long-term action step. BEFORE WE START What is a goal? What is an action step?

What are Goals (examples) ( days) We really want To apply the UDL framework to the design of learning experiences To design curriculum that is more engaging for more students To create a learning environment that recognizes variability To develop a respectful and supportive learning environment for students and educators

Questions to ask yourself about actions: What will I do before our next meeting: What will I change and how will I change? Why will I change? How will I know if I’m successful?

Possible action steps you might consider… 1. Build a lesson o Using the UDL Guidelines o Using UDL Exchange Using UDL Exchange 2. Introduce UDL to colleagues o UDL Video resources on National Center 3. Map resources

Relate your goals, resources/demands related to UDL How can the UDL Guidelines inform your practice? When you consider action steps, how do the guidelines inform what you’re going to do/change?

Resource UDL Guidelines: ‘Tell Me More’

Resource: National Center on UDL: other videos

Resources on Connect

Stuck? Perhaps it will help to… Choose one part of an activity… Choose one ‘focus group’ to think about o maybe think about a learner who has struggled with this in the past Use ONE Guideline to focus redesign o What guideline do you already do that works well for this student? o What is one guideline that does not?

Highlight After your team decides on a plan for action, use the chart paper to draw your plan or post your plan to UDL Connect What is your need? Resources/demands? Goal? What is your immediate step? How will you look for your goal?

Whole group conversation What is unique about UDL with this process?

UDL: A Way of Thinking Variability Flexibility Clear goals/objectives

UDL everywhere! Gym: flexible options  goal

UDL + Coffee?

directions: need more supports!

Sports Center

Menus: who does it help?

UDL ‘way of thinking’ umbrella RTI PBIS DI MI… With UDL… you are thinking about the interaction of the learner in the environment, even if your actions are the same!

Wrap up Evaluations PDE Thank you