January 15, 2020
We have to teach executive function skills, even to high school students After asking Amanda, a high school English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, to share why she focuses on executive functions, she said this: “…, I found that there’s this myth that high schoolers don’t need support in that area anymore because they’re older, but […]
December 18, 2019
Expert Learning in the Digital Age This week’s episode with Melanie Acevedo focuses on the use of UDL outside of the core content. Melanie is one of four digital literacy teachers in her school district of about 4,000 students. Having identified that number of digital literacy teachers speaks to the Melrose Public School’s commitment to […]December 4, 2019
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 […]November 20, 2019
The Driver of UDL is Variability This episode of UDL in 15 Minutes offers two straight-forward examples of how teachers used the UDL framework to lower barriers for their learners, but within those examples lie the crux of UDL: variability. In this video with David Rose (one of the founders of CAST and is seen […]November 6, 2019
It’s in your DNA! The phrase, “it’s in your DNA” has become a catch-all phrase to recognize that some action, reaction, or outcome is ingrained in who you are. During this episode of UDL in 15 Minutes I use the phrase, “it’s in your school’s DNA,” because I recognize that Westbrooke Village Elementary School is […]October 23, 2019
When we listen with the intent to learn: Shifting learner outcomes We use the word “listen” a lot in our classrooms. We ask our learners to “listen up” or to be “good listeners.” “Listen” is often part of social contracts or expectations that are posted in the classroom. When educators get angry at a learner […]October 9, 2019
Deep conversations about UDL: The model of mentoring If you’ve ever had a positive mentor in your personal or professional life, you know how valuable they can be. These are individuals who help you to problem-solve, view situations through a different lens, see both outside and within yourself, learn from your mistakes and celebrate your […]September 25, 2019
When our learners gain agency, they gain something for life In the universal design for learning (UDL) community, we refer to learners rather than students because (a) learning takes place both within and outside of the classroom, (b) learning can be guided, independent, and everywhere in between, and (c) learning takes place outside the traditional […]September 11, 2019
While Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is all about choices, we never want to overwhelm our learners with choice. After publishing 23 associated blogs for UDL in 15 Minutes, there’s a lot of choice. To help you decide which blog(s) will be most meaningful for you (of course, I’m hoping you will think they are […]August 28, 2019
Choice and Control: When One Leads to the Loss of the Other When Carrie and others who design and teach using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) talk about choice, they are referring to the variety of options presented to learners throughout the lesson and the choices that are built into the environment. When they talk […]