1. Universal Design for Learning:
A Framework for Teaching All Learners
Please fill out a name tent, permissions, and try to connect to UDL Connect (our online resources for today).
The permissions sheet is helpful as we try to ‘tweet’ and use images for our CAST social media site. If you do not want to be in a photo, please remind us. Thank you!
We will include ‘diving deeper’ notes in this section of the Power Point.
Blackboard image from simplyjaki.com
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Fairhaven, MA
CAST 2014

2. Introductions Allison Posey aposey@cast.org
You can also introduce yourselves on our UDL Connect site.
Allison Posey
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3. Love the wintery weather:
Love it! Play in it, ice skate, ski…
Tolerate it! I like it for the season, but love when it leaves…
Hate it! I wish we could fly south for the winter…
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4. Already have plans for February vacation?
Yes! I booked my tickets months ago…
Maybe! I decide the week before…
No! I am staying home, resting, and organizing…
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5. Commute less than… 5 minutes, I can walk…
5-20 minutes, enough to listen to a few songs…
Over 20 minutes, on a good day…
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6. Have fond memories of school?
I loved school…
I could take it or leave it…
I couldn’t wait to leave!
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7. Turn and share: what breakfast best describes you at this moment?
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8. Presentation Goals Build introductory background
To explore (brief tour!) how UDL addresses challenges of learner variability
To meet these goals, we will provide multiple means of representing content, of being able to act with the content, and to engage with the objectives. (we will model UDL!)
Knowing how people learn  can purposefully design learning environments
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9. This session: explore
Analogy! This workshop is like your first visit with a travel guide… with this visit, the travel guides will tell you about UDL & a journey you might want to take. At this point, you are not signed up to take the the ‘real’ trip yet! You are just building your background.
Implementation of UDL is a process of change that can take years (even up to to 7 years!) to integrate at the classroom, school, and district level. The phases are recursive and can be revisited many times with growing understanding of UDL. For more information on UDL Implementation, visit the following site:
UDL Implementation, A Tale of 4 Districts:
The goal of this workshop is to Explore UDL.
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10. Quiet reflection What are your goals for today
Quiet reflection What are your goals for today? (write, draw, tweet, type…)
For this workshop
For your professional learning
Pause for a moment to consider why you signed up for this workshop. What are your personal and professional goals? You can write, draw, record, build (etc!) your goals and we will revisit these throughout the 2 days.
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11. Tweet: #UDL1day CAST social media
UDL Center
AIM Center
Do a search for our three organizations on your favorite social media sites!
PLEASE NOTE: The #UDL hashtag is just an example – choose whatever hashtag you want for the workshop you’re doing. If you do not wish to have a workshop-specific hashtag, please leave the reminder about using the #UDL hashtag in case people decide they want to tweet.
There are too many to list on the slide, it’s easier for people to just do a search for the three organizations. They’re easy enough to find on the four sites listed above (Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube). However, if people have trouble finding the sites, I’ve included the direct links below:
Connect with CAST:
CAST on Twitter: 
CAST on Facebook: 
CAST on Google+: 
CAST on YouTube: 
Connect with the National Center on Universal Design for Learning:
UDL Center on Twitter: 
UDL Center on Facebook: 
UDL Center on Google+: 
UDL Center on YouTube: 
UDL Connect Ning: 
Connect with the National Center on Accessible Instructional Materials:
AIM Center on Twitter: 
AIM Center on Facebook: 
AIM Center on Google+: 
AIM Center on YouTube: 
Use Twitter? Use #UDL1day in your tweets during the workshop!
#UDLchat: 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month, 9-9:30pm ET
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12. Scenario #1: What is your preference?
North: acting, ‘let’s do it’, plunge in
South: caring, consider everyone’s feelings & before acting
East: going with your gut, look at big picture
West: paying attention to detail: the who, what, when, where, why before acting
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13. Discuss & Share (4 min): What are the strengths to this ‘style’?
What are the limitations of this ‘style’?
What value do the other ‘styles’ add?
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14. Problems with this activity
Does not consider the variability, the entire spectrum
Does not consider the context
Does not consider the goal!
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15. Scenario #2: Context matters
What ‘style’ are you when…
you are in the grocery store planning a large holiday dinner for your family/friends?
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16. Scenario #3: Context matters
What ‘style’ are you when… you are in a leadership meeting deciding on new curriculum for the department(s)?
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17. Notice the Variability
Range of preferences… depending on the context
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18. Goal matters Grocery store scenario: Leadership meeting @ curriculum:
You want everyone to be able to eat a well balanced meal
You want to buy all organic food from a local farm
You don’t want to spend more than $50…
Leadership curriculum:
You have limited money for new materials
You don’t have time to train staff
You already have 2 new initiatives…
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19. Return to seat 
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20. Old view of learning: learning ‘styles’
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21. ‘Styles…’ ‘right-left’ brained
‘visual, spatial, kinesthetic, auditory… learner’
‘Extrovert/introvert’
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22. However the ‘styles’ do not consider
Context
Goal
Variability- range we know exists
R-L brain sample quiz question:
‘I wear a watch’
‘I keep a journal’
‘I hate following directions’…
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23. Old view of learning: ‘average’
Image from:
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24. New understanding: Variability
For example, these three functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) are an example of individual variability. They show brain activity patterns of three different people performing the same simple, finger tapping task. The level of brain activity during performance of this task is designated using color. As you can see, each of these three individuals shows a unique pattern of brain activation.
For more information on fMRI, visit Neuroscience for Kids:
Image credit: Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning (Permission granted)
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25. New imaging: variability in connections
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26. Variability: the goal matters!
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27. Context matters
Reflect on your practice: how does a student in one class look different when in a different context (ie: on the stage, during lunch, with their parents…)
Examples include:
Baby in water: the step reflex they do not have on land returns when in the context of water!
Tale of 2 mice: these mice are identical twins! Based on their diet, environment, they are now very different: even their DNA is different! For more information, visit (video included):
A fun, elementary age book related is: Fish is Fish book, by Lionni (1970) where fish – who cannot explore land– talks with a frog who has been on land. As the frog describes things on land, the fish constructs new knowledge based on their own current knowledge!
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28. Context matters
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29. dynamic interaction between
New understanding:
Learning occurs at the
dynamic interaction between
learner (variability) & environment (context) towards the goal
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30. Variability, Context, & Goal matter. What resonates?
Video: Link ( to the you tube video, Variability Matters (10:12 minutes)
Todd Rose, from CAST presented at the Cyberlearning Research Summit on January 18, 2012.
As you watch: what resonates? What new ideas were inspired? What applications can be made to practice?
To watch another video (16 min) that explores Variability, watch David Rose and Todd Rose (they are not related!):
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31. Elbow buddy discussion
Share a key take-away: what resonated?
Discuss how either the Rubik cube or running shoes demonstrates the importance of variability & context?
How would you design a ‘universal’ Rubiks Cube?
Think about Todd’s argument:
The design of Rubik cube & options for strategy lead to engagement and mastery.
What happens when we design for the ‘average’? (shoes, for example)
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32. Universal Cube This cube accounts for variability:
-color-coded -textured -shapes
Universal tool -Everyone can use it -regardless of needs or preferences
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33. Break
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34. Started ‘in the margins’
Building Background:
Started ‘in the margins’
CAST began as a small group of neuropsychologists in the early 1980s. Based on the medical model of diagnosing individuals with ‘problems’ of learning, the initial team was ‘dissatisfied’ with their recommendations which did not seem to support the student once he/she left the clinic. They found that many of their design modifications, recommended for one student, could benefit others in the classroom as well. Initial work was to take advantage of emerging technologies that could help a student with disability overcome barriers in the environment. For example, a word processor could help a student who struggled with the fine motor skills needed to write with a pen.
“We believed that digital tools could offer the flexibility that could be powerful levers for students who most needed better leverage—students with disabilities.” © 1986 CAST, Inc.
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35. Inspired by Universal Design
… “all new environments and products, to the greatest extent possible, should be usable by everyone regardless of their age, ability, or circumstance.”
Goal for this session: to understand how UD informed UDL in thinking about design, barriers, and goals.
What are some of the barriers to ‘typical’ design?
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36. What is the goal? What are barriers in the design for individuals to reach the goal?
Identify the goal:
Identify barriers that prevent access to the building. Extend the possible barriers to individuals without the obvious disabilities, e.g. someone pushing a baby carriage will have difficulty with access; someone with a dolly will have trouble bringing packages into the building, someone for whom English is not their primary language will not be able to read the “Post Office” sign over the doorway.
Think about design, recognizing that variability is the ‘rule’ and make the design available for everyone.
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37. You can design to access, proactive planning helps
Retrofits are often ‘ugly’ and expensive… and often do not work very well!
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38. Design from beginning to reduce barriers so all can reach the goal
This shows the elevator in the Louvre (Paris, France). It is beautifully designed and is easily accessible for all (and is in the same location as the stairwell!)
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39. Choose one & discuss: What is the goal. What barriers are reduced
Choose one & discuss: What is the goal? What barriers are reduced? How do all benefit from design?
Ramps
Curb Cuts
Electric Doors
Captions on Television
Easy Grip Tools…
It is now expected that the physical environment is designed to accommodate the broadest range of users from the start. What are other examples of ways we have reduced barriers for physical accessibility?
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40. UD Assumptions Not one size fits all – but alternatives for everyone.
Not added on later – but
designed from the beginning.
Not access for some – but
access for everyone.
How does this challenge what you thought about learning?
What are your assumptions about learning?
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41. UDL Curriculum: ‘cognitive’ accessibility Goal. Barriers
UDL Curriculum: ‘cognitive’ accessibility Goal? Barriers? Design (context)? Variability? Make available for all
The goal of UDL is to take the theory of UD and apply it to learning environments. Thinking about the goals, barriers, and design of lessons, units, homework, etc.
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42. UDL Guidelines
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43. Goal of learning: Expert learners
Resourceful, knowledgeable
Strategic, goal directed
Purposeful, motivated
Think of something you are an ‘expert’ at doing.
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44. Questions, Reflections?
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45. Locate UDL Guidelines To ‘do’ UDL:
Identify the goal
Address variability: design options in the environment
Recognition
Action
Expression
Align the assessment to the goal
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46. Example: Goal: to have students learn the stages of cell division
Address variability:
Options for representation
Options for action
Options for engagement
Assess: can students demonstrate knowledge of the stages of cell division?
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47. Add pictures
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48. Your turn! Practice ‘doing’ UDL
Identify the goal
Identify barriers in the learning experience
Re-design the context: UDL Guidelines to address variability
Options for representation
Options for action
Options for engagement
Assessment?
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49. Discuss ideas: Goal? Barriers? Design for variability (UDL Guidelines)
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50. Your redesign ideas: UDL Guidelines
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51. A mindset for designing learning experiences
UDL…
A mindset for designing learning experiences
all individuals can gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning
reduces barriers to the curriculum while maintaining high goals for all
This is the beginning of the concept that UDL is a framework for designing curriculum. The idea is that we want to enable all learners to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning through the design of learning experiences. (‘UDL shifts the focus away from differentiating a text ‘down’ to providing access ‘up’, educator from Harvard Institute, 2013)
We do not view UDL as another initiative, but rather a framework for thinking about and aligning other initiatives.
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52. UDL… Change the curriculum (context), not the student
Clear goal, flexible means
This is the beginning of the concept that UDL is a framework for designing curriculum. The idea is that we want to enable all learners to gain knowledge, skills, and enthusiasm for learning through the design of learning experiences. (‘UDL shifts the focus away from differentiating a text ‘down’ to providing access ‘up’, educator from Harvard Institute, 2013)
We do not view UDL as another initiative, but rather a framework for thinking about and aligning other initiatives.
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53. Reflection How does UDL align with your professional practice?
What are ‘next steps’ from topics today?
How did information tie to your goals?
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54. UDL Connect: http://community. udlcenter
UDL Connect: For Online Resources & discussions
This is a free site that can be used during the workshop and indefinitely after the workshop to build online resources, tools, links and discussions.
Be sure to (1) Sign in to UDL Connect (the entire UDL Community) and (2) join our group (unique materials and discussions for this particular workshop.
You may also explore and join other UDL Connect sites that are of interest to you.
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55. 1. Sign up for the site 2. Join our group: UDL in Fairhaven, MA
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56. I used to think… now I think…
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57. CAST 2014