Day 11: Include
UDL is about supporting all students as we create lessons, teach, and assess learning. Schools committed to “all,” therefore, will link conversations about UDL with conversations about inclusive education.
Although strides have been made in the last few decades, many students with disabilities remain on the margins in U.S. schools. Too often, the “curricular adaption” offered to learners is…
Day 19: Focus on fair
In a UDL classroom, some learners may get materials or experiences that others do not. Some students will point out these perceived inequities and declare them unfair. For this reason, it is important to start the year by emphasizing that equal does not mean fair and that no learner in the classroom will get …
Day 30: Be a professional
If you are a teacher who learns best in and with a group, you may want to seek out a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to support your work in your UDL classroom. A PLC provides a structure for collaboration with colleagues, along with professional growth and development. These groups are formed for the specific purpose of improving classroom …
Day 37: Create a book club
Does your UDL model need improvement? Start a school-wide book club. Read books about diversity, inclusion, or differentiated instruction. Look for titles on teaching supports and techniques related to UDL (e.g., co-teaching, collaboration, community building, learning menus, classroom technology, Professional Learning Communities).
The following are a few texts that make good book club…
Day 38: Create an article club
Don’t have time to devote to a book club? Start an article or blog club. Have teachers find provocative journal articles and internet newsletters and discuss them during a designated meeting time (e.g., every Friday during the potluck breakfast in the staff lounge).
Want ideas for getting started? Try these free …
Day 39: Create a tech club
Don’t have time to devote to a book club or even an article club? How about a tech tool club? Choose an app, website, or other tech tool to explore with colleagues. Study it, read about it, experiment with it as a group, and then try it with your students. Reconvene every week or so to provide …
Day 42: Pick Pineapple
Many educators feel that growing their UDL model means learning more, but sometimes, teaching others in the community (or even those far from your community) can be even more helpful than reading another book or attending another seminar.
One way to teach others is to open your doors and invite visitors to …
Day 54: Share the Spotlight
There are so many benefits to co-teaching. Students typically experience a wider range of lesson formats in the co-taught classroom, and they get to learn from two different perspectives. In addition, teachers gain on-the-spot professional development as they observe their colleague’s …
Day 201: Use AAC For All
If some of your students use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), why not ask all students to use it at some point? Give everyone the option to either speak or write a response during a group sharing activity. Incorporate a few American Sign Language words into your lessons. Have all students hold up communication cards instead of …
Day 262: Doodle Away
In years past, students caught doodling may have been reprimanded or even punished. At the very least, they were likely told to “stop drawing and pay attention.” Well, that was then and this is now. Today, a growing body of research (Ainsworth, Prain & Tytler, 2011; Andrade, 2010) suggests that doodling can actually help learners …
Day 323: Show This & That
In years past, students learned primarily by listening to teachers and accessing textbooks. Today, we have so many other resources to complement lessons and to give support to learners who might struggle to follow a discussion or read from a book or website.
When possible, concepts should be illustrated in more than one way (CAST, 2018). You can have students read…