Teacher Education and Professional Development

on UDL Kavita Rao and Cynthia Okolo

Presentation at the UDL-IRN Annual Summit, 2018April 25, 2018

Today’s presentation• Summary of literature on teacher education and UDL

• Approach for teaching pre- and in-service teachers how to use UDL

Presentation Digital Handout:

goo.gl/RqaYoH

Teacher Education Literature• Search: EBSCO, ERIC

• UDL OR Universal Design for Learning AND Teacher Education OR Teacher Preparation

• 2000-2017

• Peer reviewed

• K-12 learners

• Larger UDL dataset (Okolo & Diedrich)

Results of Search

• 32 papers

Explicitly addressed preparation of teachers to use UDL with K-12 learners

Many others had implications for TE (not included)

• 19 papers identified as research

22 studies

Highlights

• Variety of educators; primarily undergrad and practicing

teachers

• Number of participants and duration highly variable

• n = 3 to 98; time = one 1-hour session to over 18 months

• Most common variables measured

• Knowledge and skills, lesson design

•

Highlights

• Most common measures: surveys, questionnaires, participant products, and interviews

• Several studies included classroom observation for occurrence/nonoccurrence of principles or technology use.

• Over half of the studies used posttest only designs

Conclusions

• TE and UDL literature is limited

228 papers (Okolo & Diedrich) vs 32 papers directly addressing teacher education

• No consensus about effective TE practices

Variety of approaches, features, duration, audiences

About 25% of these studies used UDL as a framework for other practices

Most promising evidence..

For approaches that included lesson design

Participants able to effectively plan lessons that include UDL principles

An approach for teacher education

How can I get my students to learn about and use UDL in a meaningful way?

An approach for teacher education

Knowledge about what UDL is+

Skills on how to use UDL

Essential Knowledge & SkillsKnowledge:• What the UDL framework is• The principles/guidelines/checkpoints

Skills:• How can I use these 31 checkpoints?• How can I design for variability?

UDL SkillsGuiding principles for teacher educators:

1. UDL is about design 2. UDL should be applied proactively3. UDL provides a way to design for learner variability.  

Guiding principle for teacher educators

1. UDL is about design

Teachers as instructional designers

Guiding principle for teacher educators

1. UDL is about design

Teachers as instructional designers

Put planning first with UDL as a tool

Guiding principle for teacher educators

2. UDL should be applied proactively

•Plan from the outset

•Contrast to differentiation

•Use incrementally

Guiding principle for teacher educators3. UDL provides a way to design for learner variability.

Consider:• your learners as a first

step• barriers, preferences, and

needs

4 components of lessons

•Goals•Assessments•Methods•Materials

UDL Design Cycle

Rao & Meo, 2016

UDL Design Cycle

Rao & Meo, 2016

Step-by-step process of bringing together SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE

UDL Design Cycle

Rao & Meo, 2016

Illustrates how components are interrelated and how UDL can fit.

Example:UDL applied to a classroom lesson/unit

Scenario 1: Classroom example of middle school math lesson

Standards-based lesson

CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.C.7b Solve linear equations with rational number coefficients, including equations whose solutions require expanding expressions using the distributive property and collecting like terms.

Skills Concepts

Unwrap this standardWhat are the skills and concepts in this standard:

CCSS.Math.Content.8.EE.C.7b

Solve linear equations with rational number coefficients, including equations whose solutions require expanding expressions using the distributive property and collecting like terms.

Skills Concepts

Solve linear equations Rational number coefficientsUse distributive propertyCollect like terms

Step 1: Consider Barriers, Preferences, NeedsSpecific:• Challenges w/ concepts and vocabulary• Difficulty with step by step process

General:• Anxiety with math• Boredom, disengagement

Preferences• Social vs. independent• Write vs. talk

Source: http://www.tbo.com/pasco-county/middle-schoolers-rack-up-high-school-credits-20130920/

The idea

Step 2: Develop goals

Students will:• Practice solving linear equations

• Use the vocabulary of math in context

• Think aloud when problem solving

Step 3: Assessment

Formative: • Development of step-by-step explanation

Summative:• Audio/video explanation (using Educreations)

Step 4: Methods and Materials

Methods:• Modeling (authentic)• Clear expectations/self guidance• Practice opportunities• Partners/Individual

Materials:• Multimodal tool• Checklist

Clear expectations

One pair’s project

Acknowledgement: Thank you to Mr. Naohito Miura

Learning process…

What barriers did this process remove/reduce?

Source http://smmercury.com/2012/04/18/travis-dezavala-students-to-be-issued-ipads-kindle-fires/

UDL Checkpoints and Lesson ComponentsLesson Component

Connections with UDL UDL Checkpoints

Goals Practice solving linear equationsUse the vocabulary of math in contextThink aloud when problem solving

Assessment Formative: Process of developing projects in collaboration with othersSummative: Audio/video project (on Educreations)

4.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2, 8.3

Methods • Modeling (authentic)• Clear expectations/self-regulation• Authentic output• Opportunities to practice• Various ways to express• Work in different formats (partners/individual)

2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 5.3, 6.2, 7.1, 8.1,

Materials • Multimodal tool• Rubric/Checklist

4.1,5.19.1

Applying process to planning

For various purposes:

• Co-teaching• Unit and lesson planning• Grade level teams• Project-based learning

ResourcesIsrael, M., Ribuffo, C., & Smith, S. (2014). Innovation Configuration Universal Design for Learning  Recommendations for Teacher Preparation and Professional Development. Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education, (Ic), 1–38.

Meo, G. (2008). Curriculum planning for all learners: Applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to a high school reading comprehension program. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 52(2), 21–30. doi:10.3200/PSFL.52.2.21-30Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. T. (2014). Universal design for learning: Theory and practice. Wakefield, MA: CAST Professional Publishing.

Rao, K., & Berquist, E. (2017). A co-teaching conversation: Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to plan lessons together for the inclusive classroom. In E. Berquist (Ed.), UDL: Moving from exploration to integration (pp. 121-138). Wakefield, MA: Center for Applied Special Technology.

Rao, K., & Meo, G. J. (2016). Using universal design for learning to design standards-based lessons. Sage Open, 6(4), 1-12. doi:10.1177/2158244016680688

Questions/Comments

Kavita Raokavitar@hawaii.edu

Cynthia Okolookolo@msu.edu

Presentation Handout:

goo.gl/RqaYoH