October 7, 2020
The Power of Backward Planning In this episode of UDL in 15 Minutes, I interview Carla-Ann Brown about her combined use of backward planning and UDL to help design inclusive and culturally sustaining environments and lessons. For this blog, I’m going to spend a little time with backward design which is what Wiggins & McTighe […]
August 26, 2020
Choice is not a Reward Choice is one of the cornerstones of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Not only is it part of the guidelines (see optimize individual choice and autonomy under the Guideline of Recruiting Interest), it is embedded throughout the Guidelines. Every guideline begins with the phrase “provide options for…” That phrase spurs […]
July 15, 2020
The Right Tool in the Right Environment In this episode, Brandy and Lauren share their use of a HyperDoc doc to inspire and educate their freshmen about the research process. As Lauren stated, that’s a hard topic to teach because it’s so overwhelming and it can be dry. They were really excited about the outcomes […]
June 24, 2020
Not So Fast: When Quick Thinking Doesn’t Belong During this week’s episode, high school math teacher Lauren Helberg tells a great story of how she personally connected with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). You’ll want to hear the whole story, but the tale reminds us that speed does not equal capability or, for that matter, […]
June 10, 2020
Practice Profiles: Part of the Package This week’s episode was recorded live during the UDL-IRN 2020 Summit on Demand for their Network and Learn Live Series. The video chat included an interview with me about UDL in 15 Minutes (how I got started with UDL and my intentional design of the podcast), the interview with […]
May 20, 2020
Sometimes, simple is most effective We all love and crave simple solutions. They just feel good. I think that’s why the mantras around this issue flow freely. One end of the continuum asserts that complex problems require complex solutions. The other end of the continuum asserts that complex problems are best solved via simple solutions. […]
May 13, 2020
A Rubric for 1-to-1 Adoption Obviously, I am a proponent of Universal Design for Learning. I believe the framework offers the needed guidance to help us think deeply about the supports and services we are providing to all learners. Those supports and services don’t sit within the four walls of a classroom, though. Many times, […]
May 6, 2020
Using TeachMeet to Share UDL Sharing information with your colleagues during the course of a normal school year is tough, much less during this time of COVID-19. Elish Sheridan’s school, though, uses a technique that has suited them well when it comes to sharing practices informed by UDL. They use a meeting style called TeachMeet. […]
April 22, 2020
Grade/subject Guest and Topic in podcast Episode number Kindergarten Laura Taylor – The influence UDL has even after 26 years of teaching 4 Kindergarten Karlene Warns – Executive functioning 17 2nd grade Jessie Sherman – Making arts integration even more accessible 3 3rd grade Jana Nicol – Designing the learning environment 10 3rd and 4th […]April 15, 2020
Blog and Resources to Support Students with Disabilities and their Families The call for suggested resources and tools went out about three weeks ago. Then, the website, Distance Learning for Special Education, emerged. Megan, Lisa, and their colleague and friend, Jenny Kurth, launched a site that many have benefited from. What I love about this […]
